On Saturday, December 9, 2017, accredited delegates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will file out at the Eagle Square, Abuja, to elect the party’s National officers especially the coveted position of the National Chairman ahead of the 2019 general election.
Barring any untoward development or discordant tunes among the stakeholders that may attempt to hinder a smooth convention, this is going to be the first undisputed convention since the party was defeated in the 2015 election by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The coast for the December 9 convention was cleared by the Supreme Court verdict of July 12, which nullified Senator Ali Modu Sheriff claims to the position of National Chairman and endorsed Senator Ahmed Makarfi’s National Caretaker Committee as the authentic body to pilot the affairs of the party.
The Makarfi’s led seven man-Caretaker Committee, which has Senator Ben Obi as Secretary, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, National Publicity Secretary, Senator Abdul Ningi, Senator Odion Ugbesia, Barr. Kabir Usman and Hajiya Aisha Aliyu as members was instituted through the Party’s mini-convention held in Port-Harcourt on May 21, 2016.
The decision of the party to constitute a caretaker committee resulted from then existing court order barring PDP from conducting elections into the positions of national chairman, national secretary and national auditor in its national convention.
A total of eight aspirants have been cleared by the party National Working Committee (NWC) to vie for the position of National Chairman in the Saturday convention. They are Prince Uche Secondus, former National Organizing Secretary and acting National Chairman, High Chief Raymond Dokpesi, media mogul, Gbenga Daniel, former Governor of Ogun State, Jimi Agbaje two times gubernatorial aspirant in Lagos State, Chief Bode George, former Deputy National Chairman, South West and member PDP Board of Trustees and Prof. Tunde Adeniran, former Minister of Education.
Others are Prof. Adedoyin Adedoja, former Minister of Sports and Bode Olajumoke, member of PDP BOT and former Presidential aspirant.
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Prince Uche Secondus who on paper remains a top contender in the race said PDP under his watch will not be superintended over by those he called Abuja politicians but by grassroots politicians whom he said power belongs to.
He said his mission is to rebuild, reposition and reclaim the lost ground in 2019 election. He warned against imposition of an unpopular candidate and stressed that he is committed to work towards the goals of the party in the next few months to make it ready for the election.
The former acting Chairman who will be banking on his popularity among members by virtue of holding the positions of national organizing secretary and acting chairman, is said to be having some governors in the South-South and South-East behind him.
Again, some party faithfuls still hold him in high esteem following the role he played in stabilizing the party during the leadership crisis as Ag. chairman.
For Dokpesi who has not rested in his quest to lead the party as National Chairman way back before the coming convention was scheduled, the die is finally cast. Without mincing words, among the aspirants jostling for the national chairmanship position, Dokpesi stands out as the one who has put in more energy and vigour in his campaign to woo the party chieftains and would-be delegates.
His agenda is that the party needs a strong, committed and charismatic person who has the capacity and the resources to steer PDP to victory in 2019. The media mogul who has predicted that PDP would regain power from the ruling APC in the 2019 election said the APC government has brought division to every part of the country with their unpopular policies and programmes in the last two years.
He said he has the capacity to bring together the party members and stalwarts from the South and North so that the PDP can regain power.
The Next Edition gathered that Dokpesi currently enjoys support of the Niger Delta and even some party stalwarts across the South-South and beyond.
Chief Bode George, has experience, exposure and charisma as his assets ahead of the convention. Currently, he is still regarded as a force and voice in South-West PDP who plays a major role in who gets what in the zone. But some PDP members canvassing for fresh blood to be injected into the party if the party is to make progress are not favourably disposed to supporting those they termed as old horse in the party whom they accused of contributing to the 2015 defeat.
Gbenga Daniel, another chieftain of the party is another strong contenders in the race. The charming former governor aspiration received a boost recently when a group known as ‘Reformer’ made up of some former and serving governors, National Assembly members and ex-ministers threw their weight behind him. Apart from that, the endorsement of Daniel known in political circle as OGD by General Ibrahim Babangida is another plus for him.
Prof. Tunde Adeniran, one of the founding members of PDP also wants to lead Party as national chairman. He said as a founding member who has been involved in practical politics for decades and having the privilege to transverse the length and breadth of Nigeria, which gave him the opportunity to interact with the people, he will be in a good position to mobilize them to vote for PDP in 2019.
He said he has the blueprint for the consolidation and repositioning of the party.
Another contender for the national chairman position of PDP is Jimi Agbaje. The pharmacist turned politician who is regarded by admirers as a gentleman politicians, surprised APC chieftains including Tinubu when he gave the party a stiff contention in the last governorship election in the state while flying the PDP flag. Before latest ambition for the national chair of the party, he was almost coasting home to claiming the position in the last abortive PDP national convention before it was called off through court order.
Although many see him as one of the under dogs in the race but supporters of Agbaje said he will not be a push-over and make a statement on Saturday at the convention.
Also in the race are Professor Adedoyin Adedoja and Bode Olajumoke. The former who was a one time minister said he has what it takes to lead the PDP back to victory in 2019 so also Olajumoke, a former senator and presidential aspirant.
According to the party constitution, eligible delegates to the national convention include the national chairman who will serve as chairman of the convention and other members of the national working committee.
Others are members of the party in the National Assembly, state governors, deputy governors, all PDP governorship candidates, members of Board of Trustees, members of the party in state Houses of Assembly, members of the zonal working committee, state party chairmen and secretaries including those of the Federal Capital Territory and state women and youth leaders.
Also included among the delegates are party chairmen at the local government areas, all elected local government chairmen, former members of the National Working Committee who are still members of the party, former deputy senate presidents, former speakers of House of Representatives who are still members of the party and one national delegate from each local government areas of the country.
As a build up to the convention there was controversy over the micro-zoning of the position of the national chairman which would have excluded aspirants from other parts of the South like Secondus and Dokpesi who are from South-South geo-political zone. This issue generated discord building to the convention before Makarfi-led caretaker committee put the controversy to rest when he pronounced that the position of national chairman was zoned to the South while that of president was zoned to the north. Interested members from the southern extraction namely south -west, south -south and south- east was free to contest.
Another issue that would have created bad blood among members especially those of the south-west was attempt by some party stakeholders to exclude some aspirants from the zone from contesting in the name of short listing candidates. The rancor that this decision allegedly spear-headed by one of the aspirants created was laid to rest when the National Working Committee of the party nullified the arrangement and insisted that all aspirants from the zone should contest.
Again, the re-entry of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to PDP on Sunday December 3, is set to deepen the intrigues among the aspirants as Atiku the returnee PDP chieftain and two-time presidential candidate may likely throw his muscle into determining who emerges given his rumoured presidential ambition.
Other national positions to be filled by the party include national secretary, deputy national chairman, national publicity secretary, national treasurer, national auditor, national legal adviser, national youth leader, national woman leader and national financial secretary, among others.
Ahead of the national convention party members and political analysts want the party leadership to guard against the imposition of candidates and ensure the restoration of internal democracy, which was one of the factors that led to the defeat of the party in 2015. For political analysts, a viable opposition is necessary for deepening democracy in Nigeria and for now PDP remains the only party that can play such a critical role.
Since its formation in 1998, PDP has produced 14 national chairmen namely, late Alex Ekwueme, late Chief Solomon Lar, Chief Barnabas Germade, Chief Audu Ogbeh, Col. Ahmadu Ali, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, Dr. Okwesileze Nwodo and Dr. Haliru Mohammed who served in acting capacity.
Others are Alhaji Kawu Baraje (Acting), Dr. Bamanga Tukur, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, Prince Uche Secondus (Acting), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and Senator Ahmed Makarfi, the current chairman who will superintend the PDP national convention.
