Eighty persons yesterday contested for about 20 positions in the PDP. But there was no contest in the real sense of it. The leaders emerged by consensus, but the truth is that PDP elders actually shared those party positions among their foot soldiers.
Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, an astute businessman, former Governor of the old Gongola State, and
former Chairman of President Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential campaign organisation didn’t assume the position of National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday. In a manner of speaking, his chairmanship had been hovering over Wadata Plaza, Abuja, like a cloud that had gathered to herald a torrential rainfall. It dominated the subconscious minds of the party’s members since June last year when President Jonathan’s desire to have Tukur lead the party was leaked to Nigerians. As a big prize for lending his weight to Jonathan’s controversial presidential ambition, the president had tipped Tukur as chairman of the party. Every other PDP member who sought the exalted position was, therefore, building a castle in the air. President Jonathan turned a deaf ear and blind eyes to every form of argument in support of a democratic process for the election of the leadership of the party. Not even the glaring truth that the political base of Bamangar Tukur was not in support of his candidature; not even the debate that at 77, the businessman may have become too weak for the arduous task of national chairman; not even the opposition of governors to such a ‘powerful chairman’; and not even the insistence of other contenders for the job, gave good reasons for Jonathan to change his mind.
With President Jonathan’s stance, the other 11 frontline positions in the National Working Committee (NWC) became items for buying and selling, as the party’s elders and influential governors traded with the ambitions of the 68 other faithful party members. For instance, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, to whom the powers of the National Secretary of the Party is not lost, sought the slot for his loyalist, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a former military officer and governor of Osun State. The last powerful National Secretary the party had was in Chief Ojo Maduekwe, who, working with other party officials, wriggled through the rules to promote the former head of state’s Third Term agenda. With Prince Oyinlola sitting at the heart of the party in Wadata Plaza, and with Obasanjo holding tenaciously to the exalted position of Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP, the former Head of State will be holding the party firmly at its jugular and his word will continue to be law in the largest political party in Africa.
Apart from the position of National Secretary, insiders told Sunday Trust that the other position Obasanjo influenced was that of the National Women Leader, which went to former Aviation Minister Kema Chikwe from Imo State. The initial zoning arrangement was that Abia/Imo State axis was supposed to produce the National Publicity Secretary of the party, a position that had a journalist and youthful Chyna Iwuanyanwu, as a front runner. However, in order to pave the way for Kema Chikwe, the leadership of the PDP changed the zoning arrangement by diverting the slot of publicity secretary to Anambra State, while the woman leader was zoned to Imo State. This gave an easy ride to Chikwe, who lost last year’s senatorial election to Chris Anyanwu.
Another new national leader of the party who benefitted from high-wire horse-trading is new National Organising Secretary, Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha, from Kaduna State. The NOS is very influential because it is the holder of this position who organises party primary elections in all states of the federation. Therefore, he negotiates deals with governors, based on the desires of ‘his principals’ who could be the president or vice president. Initially, this position was allocated to Kebbi State in the North-West zone, but Sunday Trust learnt that, because of his 2015 presidential ambition, Vice President Namadi Sambo called for a deal with Kebbi State, and asked that the slot be given to him. The Vice President handed the position to his ‘boy,’ Alhaji Mustapha. In this deal, a former National Chairman of the PDP and Minister of Defense, Dr Halliru Bello, who hails from Kebbi State, pleaded that the slot for National Treasurer be ceded to him. He handed over the position to Alhaji Bala Kaoje, himself a former minister, considered to be a ‘son’ of former President Obasanjo.
As the party’s elders were sharing the cake, the party’s first National Chairman, Chief Solomon Lar, did not look away. He pleaded that the position of National Legal Adviser be offered to him as a gift for his support for the government and the presidency. The NLA is the highest position allocated to the North-Central geopolitical zone. Chief Lar’s prayers were answered, such that even frontline contestants for the position from Kogi State, Barrister Usman Mohammed Kabir lost out. The position was handed over to Barrister Victor Pam on the platter of gold. There was no evidence that Barrister Pam keenly contested for that position.
Governors who benefitted from this power-sharing include Niger State Governor, Alhaji Babangida Aliyu, who is the Chairman of the Northern Governor’s Forum. To ensure that he has an agent in Wadata Plaza, he insisted on the candidature of 60-year-old Alhaji Umaru Garba Chiza as the National Youth Leader of the PDP, though several truly youthful candidates from the position sought the position from Kwara, Kogi and Benue States. It was not clear how the party’s leadership ignored the time-honoured age group considered youthful. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), those considered to be youths are young men in the age bracket of 15 and 34. Many societies extend it to a maximum of 39 years. But it was not only the chief servant who played the game.
The new National Publicity Secretary (NPS), Chief Olisa Metu, secured the overwhelming support of all South-East PDP governors and National Assembly members because of the roles he played in ensuring they obtained the party’s tickets in last year’s elections.
As Vice-Chairman (South-East), Chief Metu gave a free ride to the PDP politicians who sought re-election, making it impossible for their opponents to stage a surprise in the primary elections. The Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and Rivers State Governor, Chief Rotimi Amaechi, is not left out, as he bargained for and got his right-hand-man, Dr Sam Sam Jaja, to clinch the position of Deputy National Chairman of the party.
Has this set the stage for 2015 power struggle?
The way the party’s executive has been constituted provides an insight into the nature of power struggle for 2015 presidency. As it stands, four names have been speculated to have interest in the next presidency. They include former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Vice President Namadi Sambo, Senate President David Mark, and President Goodluck Jonathan (though he has said he would not seek re-election). However, with Alhaji Bamaga Tukur as National Chairman, the balance of power weighs against Atiku because the former Vice President was believed to have opposed Tukur’s aspiration for the position.
On the other hand, both Tukur and Sambo worked hand-in-hand for Jonathan presidency in 2011. It would be a renewal of an old bond if Sambo is standing for election as president in 2015. With the Tukur chairmanship, the influence of the governors has further waned, as they openly opposed his candidature. Any presidential aspirant who would lean on the shoulders of governors may be holding unto a false hope as the new chairman may not be obliged to their whims and caprices. But most importantly, the party is still under the armpit of former President Obasanjo. It would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for any presidential aspirant, who does not enjoy Obasanjo’s blessing, to enter into Aso Rock
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