The realignments going on within political
parties ahead of 2019.
The core of the two major political
parties, governing All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition People’s
Democratic Party (PDP) is shifting- hard and fast for that matter.
The centrifugal forces within these parties
are pulling relentlessly, scheming to forge, what pundits aver, might be an
inter-party alliance.
Ahead of 2019, party heavy weights are not
at ease, as most appear to have either being schemed out in the power play or
are in the process of being cut to size.
While former President Olusegun Obasanjo
has been quoted as making allusion to the emergence of the new party, Governor
Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State had last year warned that if his party failed to
put its house in order, some of its members along side aggrieved APC members
will form a new party to edge out the governing party.
Before then however, allusions to the
emergence of a new party has been rife. Shortly after the 2015 general election
and the loss of the PDP, the clamor for party to change its name emerged.
While the allegations that trailed its 2015
presidential campaign spendings spike the calls for a rebrand of the party in
some quarters, other said the party is dead.
Consequently, the post-election defections
started, just as key party members were detained upon allegations of partaking
in sharing of public funds for party activities.
However, while it seemed the party had
overcome that phase and put critics to shame, the clamor reemerged following
the transition tussle after the exit of former chairman, Adamu Mu’azu.
The events leading to the emergence of Ali
Modu Sheriff, his contentious ouster, and the emergence of the Sen Ahmed
Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee has left the party open to tinkering with a new
alliance.
This much was declared by the leadership of
Sen Makarfi, when reeling out the terms of reference given to a 115-member
strategy review and inter-party affairs committee.
Sen Makarfi, while speaking at the
inauguration committee last week, explained that the drive behind the alliance
is part of their strategy to return to power in 2019 through every democratic
means.
The strategy committee is led by former
minister of information, Prof. Jerry Gana.
However reading out the terms of reference,
Makarfi said “To explore strategies to engage all possible allies with a view
to building positive relationship in overall interest and in furtherance of
democracy in Nigeria.
“To consider and recommend strategies to
reposition to party and Recommend necessary amendment to the constitution of
the party.”
He however added: “We do not begin by
drawing conclusions but life is dynamic, so is politics. You don’t remain
docile and inactive, you don’t remain cornered so that you will not be toyed
about with at the whims and caprices of anybody.
“Time is going, a lot of things are
happening and our men and women are on their own and are beginning to do all
sorts of meetings.
“However, if you don’t bring all your
flocks together to talk as one family, before long, good chunk of them would
have gone on their own, because nobody will remain inactive for forever.
“After due consultation, we felt that time
is now right to set up a committee, called strategy review and inter-party
affairs committee. The strategy is how to come back to power in 2019 through
every democratic means.
“Even as caretaker committee, we get
approaches by various groups and we felt that it is not the few of us that
should be talking to this people.
“The committee may seem large but its
responsibilities are wide and huge. The committee will break into
sub-committees to talk to different groups. It is also the role of the
committee to advice on how to make the party stronger and better.”
The chairman of the caretaker committee
however underscored that regardless of the reconciliation process, some of the
issues raised in court must be resolved by the court.
He lamented the unending crisis in the
party because of various interest, but, however, said that the terms of
reference for the committee is to explore strategies to engage all possible
allies with a view to building positive relationship in overall interest and in
furtherance of democracy in the country.
The committee is also to consider and
recommend strategies to reposition the party and to recommend necessary
amendment to the Constitution of the party. The committee is to submit its
report within three months.
Also speaking, the spokesman of the party,
Prince Dayo Adeyeye, said “the committee is set up to strategise in order to
end the crisis in the PDP and displace the APC in 2019.”
He further said that reconciliation in the
party is another matter entirely, adding “we can’t be brought down because of
the reconciliation process. We must manoevre to move forward and reach our
goals. Time is going and a lot of things are happening.”
However the Sheriff camp won’t have any of
that. A communique of PDP North-east zonal working committee, loyal to him,
rubbished the formation 15 member committee, even though they also expressed
hopes of reconciliation and return of the party to power at the center in 2019.
Following their meeting in Yola, Adamawa
State, the communique signed by the Vice Chairman, Amb. Emmanuel Njiwa (OON)
read
“The working committee of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) North East zone closing from a meeting on 8th November,
2016 resolved as follows:- There shall be reconciliation among party faithfulls
at all levels. Reconciliation committee consisting of people of proven
integrity will be formed.
“That the party has the potential of
bouncing back and clearing the entire zone by the grace of God comes 2019.
“The meeting of a so called PDP concerned
stakeholders held on 6/11/2016 in Bauchi is hereby condemned in its totality
because, the party constitution pages 44-49 does not provide for such a group.
“There are established structure of the
party from the ward to the National level that party loyalist can forward
grievances appropriately.
“By our party’s constitution of 2012 Zonal
meetings are held at the instance of the zonal chairman only. Therefore any
meeting, no matter how good the conception is that contravene the party
constitution is illegal null and void.”
Recall that Makarfi and Sheriff camps had
accused each other of being sponsored by forces outside the party.
While Sheriff accused the Makarfi of
holding the party’s leadership in trust for an APC chieftain who, they said
intends contest the 2019 presidential election, Makarfi had in turn accused
Sheriff of working for APC.
But while PDP is transfixed in an intense
leadership crisis, the APC is also not having the best of times. They have from
the onset being having a rather tough time, managing their 2015 victory. The
hurriedly knit merger of 2013 faces a threat as intrigues arising from sharing
the spoils of electoral victory, continues.
The merger constituents, namely, the
defunct, ACN, ANPP, CPC, part of APGA and the new PDP, were enmeshed in a
tussle for who got what, a situation which culminated in the frosty leadership
tussle in the National Assembly.
As it stands, former governor of Lagos
State, Bola Tinubu, a major force in the APC, has not been having a smooth
ride. What with the outcome of APC’s tussle in National Assembly, whose
preferred lawmakers were shut out from assuming the leadership, the former
governor has not been at ease.
Similarly, his preferred candidate in Kogi
State, Hon James Faleke was also stopped from assuming the governorship
position after, Late Abubakar Audu, who was the party’s candidate died mid-way
into the polls.
Also, the former governor was shut out in
Ondo State, which led to his outburst against the national chairman of the
party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
However the former governor has found an
ally in former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who also is said to be
having a not so smooth time in the party.
For some pundits, the reemergence of former
governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako and the return to APC of former
chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is perhaps a
ploy to check the influence of the former Vice President.
What’s more the 2019 presidential
endorsement he recently got from the Adamawa State government is causing
ripples within certain party cycles. While its is less uncertain that he will
contest in 2019, it remains hazy whether
he win run under the current platform.
However, the APC and PDP have official
criticized moves by some of their members to form a new political party.
The National Vice Chairman of APC (south),
Ntufam Hilliard Eta admitted that the party’s leadership was aware of plans by
some stalwarts of the APC to float another party, in cohorts with PDP members
to form a new party, but warned that
they would not allow them destroy their party before leaving.
However while the Sen Ahmed Makarfi-led PDP
said it was not aware of such moves, the Sen Ali Modu Sheriff camp said there
could be an impending fatigue towards the turnover of political parties.
Talks of a new political party to dislodge
PDP and APC had emerged following the crisis of confidence rocking both
parties.
Responding however Etta said “Let me tell
you my position, we are aware of the people who are planning to distabilize the
party but my position is that we will not let that happen. Going by the
consitution of our party, you would have to get a vote of no confidence on the
NWC before you can get changes on the leadership. They had wanted to create
chaos in our party and then break away.
“We are also aware that some elements from
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and some people in our party are in on the
plan to float a party.
“My position is that they are entitled to
float a party as Nigerians but where their liberty stops is when they what to
distabilize the APC before they can float theirs. This will not happen.
“In fact,
if I must tell you, some governors are in on the plot. we even have one
in the south that is in on the plan. We are aware of all these but it will not
stand the test of time. We are aware of all these.”
Segun Oni, said “Well, I am not aware let
me say this, I have not attended any meeting for any realignment hence, I am not aware, but let me say that
right from day one, the losers in this scheme had always been talking of alignments,
don’t forget that right from when we started, they didn’t even wait for us to
spend one year before they started talking of alignment. That is always the
mentality of losers.
“The losers would always look for a new
thing, the winners would always try to promote continuity psychologically and
because unfortunately, our democracy is always going back to the starting block
all the time, this has made Nigerians to think that we should always go to the starting block
again and start another set of political parties, another set of thinking, it
won’t happen all the time. Where if we have crisis we are going to resolve
them, we will try as much as possible.
“If there is political alignment going on,
I am not aware of it, but our responsibilities is to run the APC very well, so
that whatever problems we have, we can resolve, that is it, that is our own
responsibilities.
“That is what we are here to do and if
there is anybody who has been attending meetings as it is term meeting for
realignment goodluck to them, but me, I believe in doing what I am here to do
to the best of my ability as much as possible. When it is time for me to leave
this seat, I will leave with honour”.
When asked, chairman of the PDP national
caretaker committee, Sen Ahmed Makarfi, in a terse response said he was aware
of any attempt to float a new party.
Conversely however acting National
Publicity Secretary, in the camp of Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, Hon. Bernard Mikko,
said, “While the freedom of association is guaranteed under our constitution,
individuals and groups can coalesce to pursue their interests, be it political
or otherwise.
“However, looking at the our political
system and the evolution of political associations in Nigeria, there could be
an impending fatigue towards the turnover of political parties.
“This is because Nigerians have come to
realize that the name or names of the political parties are not the problem,
but the people and their penchant for impunity, greed and disrespect for rule
of law and societal values.”
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