The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is passing through political furnace following intense pressure from aspirants for the exalted office of the Presidency come 2019.
While aspirants like governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Professor Olufunmilayo Adesanya-Davis, former Jigawa State governor Sule Lamido have declared interest to run, some other candidates like the former PDP Caretaker Chairman Senator Ahmed Makarafi, Gov. Ibrahim Dankwabo of Gombe State, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki are either perfecting their pre – declaration strategy or are being pushed into the race for political bargain.
Since the party lost the seat of power to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC three years ago, the party has been battling from one crises to the other and the choice of the next presidential candidate is threatening to lead the party into its final extinction.
The leadership of the party has been entangled in several nocturnal meetings with most groups and politicians that left the PDP and plunged it into several months of legal debacle before the Supreme Court saved it through a landmark judgement that sacked the administration of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.
Following assurance from the National Chairman of the Party, Prince Uche Secondus that impunity and imposition has been finally rayed to rest in the party. In his address to the BoT, Secondus said,“You are aware we are not in government at the centre, so the only way is to make sure that the choice of the people are the best.
“If it is the popular choice of the people, the people will stand by them and elections become easy for us to win. “The NWC is also putting all the necessary strategies together, and we assure that come 2019, Nigerians will vote for PDP, ” Secondus said. To this effect, Presidential aspirants have commenced levels of negotiations and deals with members of the National Working Committee, the Board of Trustee (BOT) and the National Executive Committee (NEC) members.
A source from the party also revealed that members of the defunct PDP who left to the all ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have perfected plans to return to the PDP following the extension of the tenure of the elected leaders in APC, which is a confirmation that President Muhammadu Buhari and the party will return all elected officials and will continue to sideline them further from political participation.
Part of their plans, according to the source is to push for the emergence of the governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Dankwabo. The group is said to be working closely with the PDP governors to ensure his gets the party’s ticket.
However, one obstacle against this bargain is that the New PDP group who have links with former President Olusegun Obasanjo wants to handpick the Vice Presidential candidate, and have flown it as a condition for their return.
“We are disposed to work with the PDP as long as they present a formidable and acceptable candidate but we want to be given the opportunity to nominate the Vice Presidential candidate so that we shall have a strong channel to call the government to order when they vie off the track” a member of the CNM disclosed.
Daily Times learnt that their alternative plan is to support the candidacy of former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido while Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremmadu will serve as his running mate.
The obstacle against this pair is the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) suite against Lamido which might work against his election as the next President.
The new PDP who have formed a strong alliance with the Obasanjo’s coalition is using the position as part of their bargain to return back to the PDP. But the National Chairman of PDP is yet to buy into the arrangement as he is more disposed towards working for the emergence of Senator Ahmed Makarafi or that of Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Secondus, we learnt is under pressure to work for the emergence of Makrafi, as a payback for allowing him use the party’s machinery to emerge as the party’s new National Chairman.
It was learnt that Secondus had pledged to do everything possible to help Makarfi emerge as the party’s presidential flag bearer but is now on a cross road as the PDP governors are compelling him to buy into their agenda which is the emergence of Ibrahim Dankwambo.
However former President Atiku Abubakar has been into series of secret talks with the party’s leadership to strategize on how to emerge as the party’s flag bearer.
A source close to Atiku said that one of the selling points of the former Vice President is that he is working very hard to return most of the PDP members who defected with him in 2015 including governors Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto and Gov Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State.
Atiku who is going to flag off his Presidential campaign before the end of this month is banking on the overwhelming support from the National Assembly, the South East, South South and North Central to clench the ticket of the party. Meanwhile, Dr. Katchy Ononuju, a Chieftain of the party has disclosed that any aspirant who does not believe in restructuring should not be allowed to fly the parties flag.
In an exclusive chat with Daily Times on Sunday, Ononuju said, “We are looking for somebody who understands the issues, who will also be acceptable to the generality of Nigerians.
You know there is the talk about restructuring, the issue of restructuring is central. “We are rooting for a candidate who understands that, and that is inevitable and very primary” he said.
On the conditions for accepting returning members and their place in the reformed PDP, he said, “We understand that those who left us to go and form an alternative political party, were not successful.
We know that APC coalition won election but APC was not allowed to form government hence their quest to return back to us. We don’t see anything difficult in accepting them, reintegrating them and moving forward” Ononuju said.
One of the National Chairmanship aspirant of PDP, Prof. Tunde Adeniran and Prof. Jerry Gana has also abandoned the ruling party. Adeniran in a telephone conversation with our reporter, claimed that lack of party democracy which undermined the December 9th convention of the party was responsible for his latest move.
Speaking with journalist in Abuja, Adeniran said, “I have left the PDP for the SDP with my supporters. I left because there is no internal democracy in the PDP. It may interest you to know that Prof. Jerry Gana has also left the PDP.” An aide of the former Ambassador disclosed that Adeniran and Jerry Gana had agreed to work for the emergence of Gana as the Presidential flag bearer of the party if he is able to work for the emergence of Adeniran as PDP’s Chairman.
However, following the loss Adeniran suffered at the convention, both men resolved to try their luck elsewhere and this time in the Social Democratic Party (SDP) where Adeniran has been assured that he will inherit the position of the National Chairman from Olu Falae why Gana will engage in his first election in a political party.
