Will the March Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) still hold? Beyond the debacle over the date of the convention, STANLEY NKWOCHA, reports the? salient issues which clearly put the party on the spot.
Next Thursday,? thePeoples Democratic Party (PDP) will hold the first National Executive Council (NEC) meeting for 2012 at its Wadata House national secretariat. Top on the agenda is the zoning of some political offices in its National Working Committee (NWC). And in March, the party is expected to hold its convention to produce a new NWC.
The seeming desire by most members of the present NWC to swap offices and stay put at the WadataPlaza, seems to be a threat to the March national convention.
Except for the national chairmanship of the party, national secretary and deputy national chairman which have been zoned to the North- East, South- West and South- South respectively, NEC and the Presidency have found it difficult to ratify the zoning of other offices to other regions as a result of what a source described as deep rooted differences amongst various interest groups in the party.
As at today, due to these differences, the positions of national legal adviser, deputy national secretary, national financial secretary, national auditor, national youth leader and organizing secretary of the party have remained unpredictable as to where the offices may be zoned to even as subtle campaigns for the slots are already gaining momentum.
Already, party chieftains from the North- West and those from the South- East are insisting that the position of national organizing secretary is for their grabs. While it is reported that South- East chieftains led by deputy Senate President, Ike Ekwerenmadu and his counterpart at the House of Representatives, EmekaIhedioha , are angling for specific slots for the region, other party chieftains from other zones are also angling for same slots.
However, aside the chairmanship of the party which has seen an array of contestants, it is unlikely that at the end of the day, consensus would not become the order of the day.
Prominent among the gladiators who have publicly declared for the plum job are:BamangaTukur, Bunu Sheriff, AdamuMu’azu, Prof. Rufai Alkali, Dr. Musa Babayo, Ambassador Waziri and Barr. Ibrahim ShehuBirma. All of them hail from the North –East no thanks to the zoning of the seat to the zone. It is likely that before the convention day, more will join the fray and some form of horse trading will occur that would narrow the contestants to two or even a sole candidate.
The post of the national deputy chairman of the party seems to be a foregone conclusion if feelers from the party are anything to go by. Zoned to the South – South region, Prince UcheSecundus, the present national organizing secretary of the party, seems to be the favored candidate as he is being tipped for the slot, in a rather obsessive manner that posits him as the unopposed for the seat. This is even as pockets of protests against the slot emanating from other South-South states, especially AkwaIbom which craves for it.
Where perhaps the party may find it difficult to settle party squabbles as regards the zoning of positions may be with the South- West which despite being allotted the secretary of the party, is finding it difficult to? reconcile its warring factions within the party structure in the region.
The role of erstwhile president, and Board of Trusetees (BoT) chairman of the PDP, Chief OlusegunObasanjo, seems not to be helping matters.Obasanjo’s desire to impose the chairmen of the party in almost all the six South -Western States, does not seem to be doing good to the fortunes and cohesion of the party.
Just last week, the PDP acting national chairman,AlhajiAbubakarKawuBaraje was forced to react to a warrant of arrest purportedly issued by a Lagos State High Court on him and two principal officers of the party over the crisis in the Ogun State chapter of the party. The matter hinges on the leadership of the party inObasanjo’s home state.
Following reports that a warrant of arrest had been placed on him and two others, the PDP helmsman said at no time was he issued any court summons asking him to appear before the court on the matter or any other related matter whatsoever, warning that he will not allow any member of the party to commit acts of indiscipline and insubordination to constituted authority.
As the threats continue, some party faithful are undeterred and have continued to make a mess of the party and its chairman, dragging him to and fro the courts, in gross violations of set rules and procedures of the party. The control of the party structure has continued to be the bone of contention.
As this continues, national legal adviser of the party, Chief OlusolaOke, is said to be quietly plotting his return to the NWC in a different capacity. Oke, who in fairness to him has been a major asset to the party in terms of legal fireworks, is scheming to become the national secretary of the party, come March 2012.
He is meeting stiff opposition in the likes of Ebenezer Obe, DapoSarumi and others who are also interested in the second most powerful seat at the NWC. The question now is whether the crisis in the region would not snowball into a major fracas as March creeps in gradually? Will the courts again not be used to cause major setbacks for some aspirants, especially as it affects party structures and who leads them in the various states?
Another hot seat that would be contested for,is the post of the national organizing secretary, a seat Chief OlisaMetuh, the party’s present South East vice chairman, covets. Metuh’s ambition to move in as the organizing secretary is seriously been challenged by the North – West region, with 2015 politics said to be the underlining factor.
A source says the post of the organizing secretary is one that has posed a huge headache for the party’s leadership and chieftains as attempts to balance the wheel has been subjected to series of misinterpretations and political judgments in the past and hence the cautious treading.
Aside the above offices, the NEC of the party will also decide on others and who gets them. Such offices include deputy national secretary, national youth leader, national legal adviser, national financial secretary, national auditor and national publicity secretary.
While it is uncertain for now, where the party shall zone these offices to, it may be a different story in the next couple of days when the party finally decides and perhaps then shall the real politicking commence. For now, the coast is not clear, but the heart beat of the PDP is definitely at no steady pulse.
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