And PDP puts its house in order.
– Steve Ovirih.
Peoples Democratic party (PDP) has proved doubters wrong. After much hoopla , much swinging up and down like an untetered pendulum and regardless of the thick anxiety preceding the National Convention, a new Executive Committee has evolved to manage the affairs of the behemoth gathering of Nigerians across geopolitical zones. One must spare a jolly good complimentary salute for the party stakeholders who made PDP to record a rancour free convention, which held at the Eagles Square , Abuja over the weekend.
Prior to the convention, it was more or less a war of attrition within the party with a landmine of a structural implosion staring the party in the face. The leadership of the party led by Prince Uche Secondus, the strong Rivers Politician had parted ways with his Principal and benefactor, Gov. Nyesom Wike, the strongman of South South politics and Governor of Rivers State. Since his foray into Rivers Politics , Wike has not lost a battle ; he puts his heart and his balls into the ring and fight his way to the trophy like a bull railing and ramming and almost always run his opponents out of their wits. More reason he has put Rivers Politics under his firm grips. So, when Chief Uche Secondus fell out of sync with him, it was apparently a matter of time for his reign in PDP to wax cold. No doubt, Secondus could not hold on for long without the home base support of his state Governor. The rest , as they say, is now history.
It was interesting to note that even up till the Friday prior to the election, PDP was in court against itself over the claim of Chief Uche Secondus as the substantive National Chairman of the opposition party. This implies that for the party that is hanging to take over power from the ruling All Progressives Congress ( APC) in 2023 if the masses of Nigeria will align with them, they had to rely on the court to help fix their internal wrangling. While the nation expected a virile opposition that can martch the party in power in terms of constructive criticism and opposition governance, PDP more or less tackled itself rather than playing the heartbeat of the masses as most opposition parties do in other climes.
We have to give it to Kola Ologbandiyan , the virile National Publicity Secretary who handed over to Hon. Dele Ologunagba from Ondo State. A lone voice subjecting the activities of the ruling party to dialectics was not enough, particularly when the opposition even appears to be in disarray.
Chief Uche Secondus obviously disengaged from the leadership structure of the party must learn now that it’s foolhardy to confront the structure that imposed or made his emergence an easy walk in the park.
Across the States of the federation , PDP had issues: obvious issues of power tussle between their State Governors and Party structure and not in a few places were there parallel State Congresses. And of course, the PDP Governors forum showed they held the aces.
In the final analysis, a National Chairman of the once ruling party has emerged, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, a veteran of many battles and Labor leader turned Politician. He will no doubt learn from the challenges of his predecessors . History of PDP is filled with how in the time past their Party Chairmen remained in the office at the mercy of the President who was the say all and the be all of the party. The State Governors under PDP should allow their newly elected party Chairman to be his own man and the Chairman must whip the members in line to toe the part of party supremacy; when individuals hope to pocket the party structure as Godfathers, it makes nonsense of the fine ideal of party supremacy.
A better placed , ideologically sound and corrupt free opposition is a mechanism required in Democracy to put the ruling party on its toes.
Will the new party structure of PDP be bold enough to chart this course as the nation gravitates towards another General election?
It’s all a matter of time. For now, let PDP savour the victory of her successful national convention where Consensus candidacy played a prominent role.
