The Radar Newspaper, Vol. 1 No.2: EDITORIAL PDP crisis: the road to political oblivion The crisis rocking the self-styled largest party in Africa, the People Democratic Party, PDP, if not well managed may send the party to a state of political oblivion. The crisis, as noted by President Goodluck Jonathan is a solvable one and not beyond human comprehension and ability. Besides, Commentators on the logjam enveloping the party have also opined that the problem is self inflicted and needs soul searching efforts of the party leadership to purge itself from personal aggrandisement and pursue the overall interest of the generality of all its financial members. According to 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, “dangerous consequences will follow when politicians and rulers forget moral principles”. The PDP crisis is not far from the fact that the leadership of the party and members alike has all forgotten moral principles. Though, every problem rocking the PDP has always been regarded as a family affair, the seeming implosion in the party under the watchful eyes of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur if not well managed may lead to a total collapse of the PDP into political oblivion. Unfortunately, we observed that instead of continuing the dialogue with the aggrieved party members, Tukur as if being tutored by the Federal Government in the ongoing ASUU strike, has threatened the deviant members of the party with sanctions. According to Tukur in a text read at a press conference “Consequently, we shall ensure that any person who is not duly elected into any leadership position in our great party and has not been duly assigned any role but goes ahead to arrogate such to himself will be made to face the full wrath of the law. “Similarly, all persons elected on the platform of our great party at all levels who identify with these enemies of the oneness and greatness of our party shall have their seats declared vacant as required by law. “We shall leave no stone unturned to ensure that such persons and indeed any other individual who attempts to subvert the leadership of the PDP shall reap in full, the consequences of such actions,” he warned. We believe such stance by Tukur at this time is uncalled for, especially, as it has the capacity to further aggravate anger and rancor among the power blocks of the party. Analysts have attributed the crisis to the President Jonathan’s interest in seeking a second term in office come 2015 in which, some northern elements believed their “birthright” ought to have been returned to them. Media reports have it that the dissident seven governors, who were represented by four of their colleagues, complained of lack of internal democracy in the party and “repression” by the Presidency. Among issues tabled for discussion at a reconciliatory meeting in Aso Villa recently by the aggrieved faction included the demand for the removal of the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur to have genuine reconciliation in the party. Others are that the President should stick to the unwritten agreement he purportedly had with party leaders to spend one term in office and urged Jonathan to come out openly on his rumoured re-election bid in 2015. They were also said to have listed the crises in the NGF, Rivers State and promotion of parallel party structure in some PDP states as their grouses. Though, Tukur believes that he is still in charge of the party, the declaration of support of the 79 PDP lawmakers in the National Assembly to Alhaji Abubakar Baraje led faction, in our opinion should remind Tukur that he needs more persuasion and compromise than a mere threat to solve the lingering problem. Again, the statement credited to Olagunsoye Oyinlola, the factional party secretary stated, “Alhaji Baraje and other leaders of the party appreciate the overwhelming outpouring of support and encouragement from genuine members and leaders of the party across the country. “We assure them that we will not disappoint them in the mission to make the PDP work again in the interest of Nigeria and its people. “We also appreciate the efforts of leaders of the party, particularly President Goodluck Jonathan and former President Olusegun Obasanjo who, we note, have scheduled a meeting of the party elders for this week. “We respect the elders and will be guided by them even as we stress that we will not abandon the ideals of justice and fairness that gave birth to the new party leadership under Alhaji Baraje. “We equally call on all party members across the country to remain peaceful and law abiding as the PDP rescue process is being pursued with vigour. “We owe the coming generation of Nigerians a duty of ensuring that impunity and dictatorship do not take any root in our democracy and, indeed, in our nation.” Moreover, the controversial PDP youth activist, Ugochinyere Ikenga, who addressed a press conference in Abuja accused the party and Tukur of series of constitutional and procedural breaches in the conduct of the last convention. In his statement, “In view of these, we have successfully instituted a law suit at the Federal High Court here in Abuja seeking an order of the court to among other things nullify the 2013 convention of the PDP, nullify the continued stay in office of Bamanga Tukur in view of his ineligibility to be Chairman of our party by virtue of his non-membership of the party since his expulsion in 2001. “Tukur did not apply for, nor obtain the requisite waiver by the National Executive Committee of the party before offering himself for election into the office of National Chairman in 2012. “The legal effect of the foregoing is that with an utterly flawed and incurably defective membership, the nomination, subsequent election and continued stay in office of Bamanga Tukur as Chairman is fraudulent, illegal and unconstitutional. “Consequently, the non-membership of the PDP by Alhaji Bamanga Tukur had cast a very serious legal burden on his competence to vie for, hold and continued occupation of the office of national chairman of the PDP, and his refusal to call for a NEC meeting since 2012 amounts to a grave and unpardonable violation of the constitution of the PDP”. In view of the foregoing, we believe that two wrongs can never and will never make a right. It is our firm belief that all stakeholders of the party need to go back to the negotiation table in the spirit of togetherness and oneness to address the contending issues. This is necessary because the present situation if not properly resolved can trickle down to state and local government chapters of the PDP thereby ruining the electoral fortune of the party especially with the coming of the APC and 2015 general elections. A stitch in time serves nine. Source: The Radar Newspaper...
Posted on: Mon, 16 Sep 2013 12:02:58 +0000
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