Hope rises in rebuilding the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead 2019 general elections, Special Correspondent, JULIUS ALABI, writes.
Ahead 2019 general elections, the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appears to have commenced strategies to draft favourites into the race. What is not yet certain is whether the party would go back to its former strategy when prior to the 2015 presidential election, it decreed a bizarre idea of consensus candidacy of former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
That misadventure, in addition to other infractions levelled against the party, contributed to its awful outing in the March/April general elections. The immediate fall-out was its loss of the presidency as well as majority of states previously under its column.
Apparently learning from its mistake and in a bid to forge a common front in rebuilding the party ahead of 2019 general elections, PDP leadership has embarked on timely resolution of outstanding disputes among its members. It also seeks to correct all ill-feelings caused by selection of candidates based on sentiments as well as re-balance the power sharing formula on merit. The moves, they hope, will ensure acceptable formula in picking the party’s flagbearers when the elections inch in.
To this end, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party has examined the low performance in the last general election and agreed on some core issues that would move the party forward. Part of the exercise is in lending its voice by asking the North East Zone to complete its term (tenure) as the national chairman of the party till March 2016 when the National Convention will come up.
TheNiche investigation identified the offer as falling into the moves to unite the aggrieved members of the party ahead the presidential election in 2019 which it has vowed to reclaim.
Already, a committee led by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, has zoned the party’s presidential ticket to the North. By that, technically, the national chairman of the party will come from the southern part of the country. Even as the committee was silent on zoning the chairmanship, it is gleaned from standard practice that the party would not do the contrary. If this eventually takes place, the estimation is that, gradually, the zoning of other positions will follow in a manner that will give way for rebuilding the party.
While tinkering with the knotty issue of zoning principal offices, it was further learnt that PDP national leadership is also working round the clock to see the party back on track, as they are looking inwards to see how the party will be repositioned.
PDP Chairman, Ondo State chapter, Clement Faboyede, confirmed the rebuilding exercise while receiving Ondo State Former Special Assistants Forum into his office in Akure, the state capital.
“We have seen the reason why we should fortify the party. And our aims and objectives are to move the vehicle of the party forward.
“One of the things we have done is attitude. We are trying to build a power-hungry party and a party whose members are angry with the present government because of its low performances. I can assure you that from the feelers we have heard, there are positive responses to our aspirations.
“Now, people are beginning to tolerate and forgive each other. The party members have started to settle their differences and they are beginning to realise that united we stand,” he said.
Faboyede acknowledged the decision of the NWC as being important in preparing PDP before the 2019 general elections, especially in encouraging the North East Zone to complete its tenure on national chairmanship of the party up to March 2016.
He stressed: “The last election has come and gone and we have learnt a lot of lessons from it. We went to the election with a divided home; but right now, we are on the field and we have several committees working. At the end of the day, the PDP will come out better.
“As far as we are concerned, we are working towards wining 2019 general elections in the country, knowing that what wins election for any political party is the alignment of the organisation of that party with the electoral population that will decide where power goes,” he said.
The agenda for repositioning the PDP, according to Faboyede, also involved the state branch of the party, especially as it prepares for governorship election next year. In his words, “to be able to appreciate the path to lead to our goal of unity and sustainable development, we have set machineries on course to fish out the very best of our own to seek the prime position of governorship in 2016.”
The exercise, he said, is a continuation of the extensive consultations and deliberations that started when the Deputy Senate President’s committee was inaugurated and the committee moved round the geographical zones for a nationwide consultation.
Meanwhile, the state chapter of the party has faulted the claim that PDP, having ruled the country for 16 years, is responsible for its current economic and political woes.
The State Publicity Secretary of PDP, Banji Okunomo, in a statement in Akure, noted that it was true that the party was in government for the period of 16 years, but insisted that some people currently in All Progressives Congress (APC) were part of the PDP during the 16 years in question.
He listed former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, as well as former ministers including Nasir el-Rufai and erstwhile governors such as Bukola Saraki, Rotimi Amaechi, and former chairmen, such as Audu Ogbe, and Barnabas Gemade, as being in PDP at the time.
His words: “We can see that between 1999 and May 2015, several individuals occupied different political offices, while the actions and inactions of the officeholders contributed to the decline of the country and its economy. “Majority of these people were at one time or another indicted for corrupt practices and fraud while in office.
“Most of these people are members of the APC and some appointed into offices. All of them combined were responsible for the sorry state of the country. We cannot forget so soon that it was Saraki and Amaechi as NGF chairmen that moved the motion for the sharing and depletion of the Excess Crude Account (ECA), which President Goodluck Jonathan bowed to between 2007 and 2012,” he added.
