2023: Battle for the Souls of APC, PDP Rages On

As the nation’s two major political parties – the ruling All Progressives Congress and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party prepare ahead of the 2023 general election, the two parties have a lot of internal issues to contend with, writes Deji Elumoye

For quite sometime, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been in the news for very wrong reasons. The two main parties have had a lot of internal crisis to contend with which is almost tearing the parties apart.

In the APC, the recent Supreme Court judgement which validated the election of Rotimi Akeredolu of the APC as the Governor of Ondo State was all some party faithful needed to heat up the polity.

The apex court judgement suggested that the ruling party would have lost the state to PDP had the opposition party’s governorship candidate, Eyitayo Jegede, joined APC’s National Caretaker Committee Chairman and Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, in the suit.

The technicality of the case had split the seven-man Supreme Court panel to a four-three majority decision, with the minority judgement led by Justice Mary Odili, arguing that the apex court should have sacked Governor Akeredolu since Buni acted on behalf of the party. But the majority judgement delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim contended that since all the issues revolved around Buni, he should have been joined for the argument to be valid.

This followed the position held by some members of the party that as governor of Yobe State, an executive position, Buni could not at the same time act as the APC chairman, another executive office. They alleged that Buni contravened both Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution and Article 17 (iv) of the APC constitution.

But Buni and a few other party members had contrary view and despite calls by some party members including the Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo; Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Femi Ojudu and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Ita Enang that the party’s ward congresses be postponed, the Caretaker Committee went ahead with the exercise.

The duo of Ojudu and Enang had appealed to the leadership of the APC to suspend the forth-coming congresses and retreat to avert possible legal storms which may hurt the party’s chances in the forthcoming 2023 general elections. In a letter jointly signed, the duo also questioned the legality of Yobe State Governor, Mala Buni, serving as interim chairman of the APC.

According to them, the legality of the Buni-led Catetaker and Extraordinary Convention Committee should be established before it goes ahead to avoid more damage.

Their two-page letter read in part: “It has long been in contention whether unelected officers of a political party can exercise the powers of party vested in the Chairman and officers of the Party who ought, by Party’s Constitution to be elected at duly convened convention of the Party at the National level and congresses at State and other levels. A cursory reading of the Minority judgment, we submit, appears to have swept the carpet of legality off the CECPC rendering it illegal, null, void and of no legal capacity to undertake any action on behalf and in the name of the Party. It has also brought to question the legality of all the actions taken by him since inception.

“Accordingly, in view of the impending Ward, Local Government, States and Zonal Congresses and indeed the National Convention (which the CECPC was primarily set up to do), it is our view:

That the Ward and other Congresses scheduled for July 31, 2021 be paused, suspended and put on hold pending the determination of the legal Status of the CECPC to undertake all the activities it so far has, and indeed jurisdiction to conduct the congresses and convention.”

While this was still on, a member of the APC, Okosisi Ngwu also approached a court of law to stop the ward congresses from holding. He had dragged the Buni-led caretaker committee before a High Court in Abuja seeking a nullification of the congresses. The plaintiff is also asking the court to declare the congresses held under Buni as illegal, flowing from the Supreme Court judgement that questioned the validity of the Buni-led Caretaker Committee.

The suit marked FCT/HC/CV/1824/2021 and dated August 2, 2021, listed the APC and all members of the caretaker committee as defendants.

They are Buni, Isiaka Oyetola, Ken Nnamani, Stella Okorete, Governor Sani Bello, Dr James Lalu, Senator Abubakar Yusuf, Hon. Akenyemi Olaide, David Leon, Abba Ali, Prof. Tahir Mamman, Ismail Ahmed, and Senator James Akpanudoedehe.

In the originating summons filed by his counsel, Chief Oba Maduabuchi (SAN), Ngwu is further asking the court to dissolve the committee, as there was no organ of the party or any such organisation in the party’s constitution as Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC).

He equally sought a declaration that pursuant to Section 87(4)(b)(1) of the Electoral Act (as amended), only the National Executive Committee of a political party could validly appoint a date for the holding of primaries for the nomination of the governorship or other candidates of the political party.

Ngwu, urged the court to grant an order setting aside all actions and decisions taken by members of CECPC of the party.

In the opposition PDP, the recent defections of three Governors to the APC roughened some feathers with some party members calling for the resignation of the party’s National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus. The PDP Governors that defected include Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, Ben Ayade of Cross River and Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State.

The resignation of the three governors elicited a reaction from the PDP National Youth Leader, Sunday Udey-Okoye, who berated Secondus for allowing the governors to leave the party.

The youth leader had said: “Mr. Uche Secondus, the National Chairman of the party, is incompetent of managing the affairs of this party, he lacks managerial capacity to manage PDP. He had made sure that many departments of the party did not function as effectively as it ought to function. Mr. Chairman has nothing to offer to the party; only to come here and deceive us.

“There is a sharp division in our NWC right now, not only me, many more NWC members are more aggrieved than myself.”

In the wake of this, seven deputy national officials
of the party also tendered their letters of resignation over allegations of marginalisation by the party leadership.

In his response, Secondus, claimed that the issue at stake was not personal but the price of leadership. He alleged that the seven deputies that resigned were sponsored, as they were all aware of their status before being elected.
“The National Working Committee of our great party at its meeting today received the notice of the resignation from deputies, who are elected members of the National Executive Committee,” Secondus confirmed.

Also responding to the matter, National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said, “The meeting of the National Working Committee and the deputies immediately took place to dialogue on the issues that were raised. The party will look into the grievances raised by members of NEC as well as members of the National Working Committee.

“The internal conflict resolution mechanism of our party has also been immediately activated to put these issues behind us. We call on all the leaders, stakeholder and members of our great party to remain calm as we collectively resolve these issues.”

On its part, the PDP Governors’ Forum said it received with regrets and sadness the recent rumblings in the party. It called on all members of the party and stakeholders to remain calm in the face of the developments.

The PDP governors, in a statement by their chairman, Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, said, “We plead with all aggrieved persons and those with the interest of the PDP at heart to keep their gun powder dry, as efforts are being made in consultation with members of the PDP Board of Trustees and other stakeholders to resolve all contending issues.

“To this end, the PDP Governors’ Forum has scheduled an emergency meeting to discuss the affairs of the party and the way forward. The PDP, as the only remaining hope of the nation for good governance, must show an example to Nigerians and also take advantage of the current disarray in the APC and its rudderless government.”

By last week, the two parties through their internal machineries have been able to douse the tension created by the issues surrounding the running of the parties at the national level.

On the part of APC, it’s governors under the aegis of Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), reaffirmed its support for the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Committee of the party led by the Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni and asked it to proceed with the conduct of the local government and state congresses, as well as the national convention of the party, in line with the mandate of the National Executive Committee (NEC).

The APC governors, in a communique at the end of their meeting last week and signed by its chairman and Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, following a meeting on Sunday, in Abuja, said after further reviewing the situation, they were convinced that their decision was well informed.

The Forum said it further reviewed progress being made by the APC Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee in its effort to rebuild structures of the party at all levels and commended members of the committee led by Buni for the successful conduct of the ward congresses across the country.

“Accordingly, Forum reaffirmed its support for the Caretaker Committee to proceed to conduct local government, state congresses and national convention, in line with the mandate of the National Executive Committee.

“Forum was further briefed on the July 28, 2021, judgement of the Supreme Court on Ondo State 2020 Governorship election and recognised that the legal status of both the APC Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee as well as its composition has been legally settled.”

Having reviewed progress in the party, the APC Governors commended all party members for their commitment towards rebuilding the party, adding that, it noted with satisfaction reports from various states of commendable mobilisation and participation in the July 31st, 2021 ward congresses, which was successful.

Also last week, the PDP at the joint meeting of its stakeholders convened by the Board of Trustees (BoT), the party not only succeeded in resolving its leadership crisis, Secondus also survived the plot to remove him from office.

To that extent, the governors, BoT members and other stakeholders of the party immediately approved the suggestion to bring forward the date for the party’s national convention, while at the same time, proposed a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting for some time next week, where other pending issues could he addressed.

Secondus is expected to summon NEC for this week to allow the PDP discuss her zoning plans and set up a committee to that effect as well as constitute another committee for the convention, which has been slated tentatively to hold by the end of October.

The week began on a bad note for the embattled National Chairman of the PDP as the troubles confronting him seem to be on the increase. The new challenge before him is that a court has purportedly stopped him from parading himself as the National Chairman of the party.

Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State, while explaining why the party had to come round its internal challenge, dismissed speculations that more PDP governors might still defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying there was neither a party nor government to go to.

Speaking to newsmen, after the crisis had been resolved, Tambuwal, surrounded by Wike, Secondus and other governors, said the party had no other option but to resolve the crisis because of what was ahead of it.

His words: “As party members of the BoT, members of the governor forum, members of former governors forum, former ministers, former Senators, former Presiding officer of the National Assembly and various stakeholders, we are very happy to announce that we have discussed all matters and we have resolved to continue to work as a united family.

“This meeting has agreed that immediately, the NEC should be convened for the party to constitute the National Convention planning committee and the National Convention should be held latest by the end of October. Also, the zoning committee for the party should also be constituted by the same NEC immediately.

“So, we thank members of the National Committee for holding up. We thank them for their prayers and support. We also thank well-meaning Nigerians, who have been waiting patiently for the resolution of these issues.

“The NEC of the party shall meet most likely next week and all the issues will be addressed. And that NEC will be convened by the chairman of the party, who is constitutionally empowered to do so.” Tambuwal stated.

With the latest developmenys in the two main parties, it is expected that that the leaders of the parties will be able able to maintain peace among the stakeholders.
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In the APC, one hopes President Muhammadu Buhari will call a meeting of leaders of tge party including the Buni-led caretaker committee as soon as he is back from his visit to the United Kingdom. The intervention of President Buhari will be apt at this point in time moreso as all the crisis cropped up after he left Nigeria. So, he needs to be properly briefed after which he can now call all the parties together and preace peace for the survival of the party.

On the part of PDP, the Secondus-led National Working Committee (NWC) should set the necessary machinery in motion for the convening of a national convention of the party by October. He has the mandate of the party’s stakeholders to do that and should not hesitate to do that so as to calm the frayed nerves of aggrieved party men.

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APC governors, in a communique at the end of their meeting last week and signed by its chairman and Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, following a meeting on Sunday, in Abuja, said after further reviewing the situation, they were convinced that their decision was well informed. The Forum said it further reviewed progress being made by the APC Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee in its effort to rebuild structures of the party at all levels and commended members of the committee led by Buni