Tag: Okowa

ANALYSIS: An opposition within the opposition? How PDP might derail its ambition

The fallout from the presidential primaries of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which culminated in the victory of Atiku Abubakar as the party’s flagbearer in the 2023 elections has led to a series of events akin to a blockbuster Nollywood movie.

Despite the reported majority support of the PDP screening committee over the choice of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, as the party’s Vice-Presidential candidate, Atiku, in his wisdom, decided to jettison this mandate by going for Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State.

This led to the hitherto-combustible Wike turning into something of a recluse — which has caused unease amongst crucial stakeholders within the party who are worried over the present allegiance of the Rivers Governor.

Further worry was etched into the foreheads of party heads when Wike issued a statement after the outcome of the party’s primaries; this was before Atiku’s eventual choice of Okowa as his running mate.

Nyesom Wike, on Monday, May 30, accused some southerners of working against the zone getting the presidential ticket of the party, while addressing supporters in Port-Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

Wike made references to betrayal, conspiracy, and people who cannot keep to agreements, but he didn’t mention any name in particular.

“As far as I am concerned, there is nothing to worry about. I contested election based on principle and agreement with all the southern governors and the leaders of the south that the presidency should go to the south this period,” he said.

“We have done our own part and we never betrayed anybody, because it is not in our blood to betray. But it’s a shame to those people. Some of the governors from the south are the people they used to sabotage our interest. However, we have shown them that we are not like them. We have the capacity to do whatever is good for us.

“I don’t want to talk about some other people who cannot even win election in their own places. I’ve told them that this election, whoever emerges, I will support, and I am not going to go back,” the Rivers State Governor said.

‘Undemocratic’ Atiku

Samuel Ortom, the Governor of Benue State, further added to the malcontent by berating Atiku for ignoring democratic precepts with his choice of Okowa as a running mate.

During an interview with AriseTV on Thursday, June 30, Ortom disclosed that the majority within the party ranks advocated and voted for Wike to be the party’s vice-presidential candidate.

“Some of us believe Wike has the capacity to lead this country. Unfortunately, the PDP did not give him the opportunity and we further advocated that he should be the running mate. But Okowa was chosen and I expect him to reach out to Wike.

“14 out of 17 committee members chose Wike which is not fair. But if we are in a democratic era and Atiku decided to give it to Okowa, more explanation is needed in order for us to work as a party. He ought to be consulted before the running mate announcement was made,” the Governor railed against Atiku’s decision.

Nonetheless, in order to curtail a snowballing of events, Walid Jibrin, chairman of the board of trustees (BoT) of the PDP stated that the party would do whatever it takes to ensure Nyesom Wike doesn’t defect.

Jibrin said this on Monday, June 28, while addressing journalists in Kaduna.

Speaking on efforts to ensure that the party remains united ahead of the 2023 elections, Jibrin said a reconciliation committee will be constituted to visit the Rivers governor.

This decision by Atiku might be akin to a fait accompli, with Ortom being insistent that Atiku botched the entire process by disregarding Wike.

In the same AriseTV interview, the Benue Governor said that Atiku ought to have reached out to Governor Wike before announcing his running mate for the 2023 election.

Governor Ortom said the choice only became a problem because Atiku asked stakeholders to deliberate and decide who his VP would be and then went on to choose another against the will of the stalwarts in whose hands he had earlier entrusted the task.

He went on to say that the development would not have caused any bad-blood, seeing that ultimately the choice was Atiku’s; nevertheless, the PDP Presidential candidate ought to have reached out to those who are aggrieved over the selection, a move which he is yet to make.

“All that was needed even before the pronouncement, after we did our recommendation, Wike would have been reached out to, he is a human being.

“This is a man who has built the party today in PDP he has fought all night and all day to see that this party remains together. So, he would have been reached out to, to say that this is the decision we are taking and this is the reason we are taking this decision, and I think he would have understood,” Ortom explained.

Atiku, in a move to appeal disgruntled stakeholders, said the party was doing its utmost to put its house in order ahead of the 2023 general elections.

In a post on his official social media handles, on Thursday, June 31, he said he alongside the party leadership was working to address the feelings of all party members.

“The Peoples Democratic Party will remain united. Focus on our actions. We are taking action to address the feelings of all party members. The unity in our community is my priority. Our resolve to unify Nigeria starts in our party and moves to the community, then on to society”.

Even with the reconciliatory moves being put in place, rumors have emerged that opposition figures have reached out to Wike by capitalizing on his seeming grieve to persuade him to dump the PDP. This has caused more unease within the major opposition political party which is battling to keep its house in order ahead of the next general elections.

Whether the reconciliatory moves embarked upon by the party would be enough to unify its ranks remains to be seen, but the major opposition party has a huge job on its hands quelling the opposition from within. And it has to do this in good time before the elections if it hopes to achieve its dream of displacing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from power.

(Ripples)

The loyalists of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, have listed conditions for the resolution of the crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party.

Supporters of the governor, in separate interviews with The PUNCH on Sunday, said it was not late for the PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to revisit the issue of his running mate by dropping the Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, whom he picked last month.

As the crisis over Atiku’s running mate worsened, the Chairman of the PDP’s Board of Trustees, Senator Walid Jibrin, said the party had set up a nine-member committee to beg Wike.

Sequel to his victory at the PDP convention, where he beat Wike and other contenders to the presidential ticket, Atiku had nominated Okowa as his running mate, despite the recommendation of Wike by a 17-man committee set up by the party.

Certain chieftains of the party, including the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, ex-Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang and others, had criticised the choice of Okowa as the party’s vice-presidential candidate.

There were reports on Friday that Wike snubbed a former Minister of Police Affairs and ally of Atiku, Adamu Waziri, who attempted to initiate a peace talk with him in Turkey.

The party, also on Sunday, raised another panel headed by Atiku, to pacify the aggrieved Governor and prevail on him not to leave the party.

Some members of the House of Representatives loyal to Wike contended that the PDP was bound to fail with its choice of Okowa as the running mate.

The PDP lawmakers, in separate interviews with The PUNCH on Sunday, also took a swipe at the National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, criticising his role in the crisis that has followed the presidential primary of the opposition party.

When asked if the party should substitute Okowa with Wike, a member of the House from Kogi State, Teejay Yusuf, said it was possible if the presidential candidate could see the value the Rivers governor would add to the PDP ticket.

He said, “That will be the choice of the candidate. It would be his prerogative to do that. It is not for me to suggest that to him. If he sees that Wike will add more value to the ticket and say ‘with the way it is, I can manage the ripple effect of taking Okowa out,’ why not, if not?”

“Okowa is a PDP governor but nobody can deny the fact that Wike has the will and the capacity to make this party stand on its feet.”

The lawmaker, however, dismissed the possibility of Wike, who he described as “a party man,” dumping the PDP for another party or working with another party or presidential candidate through the backdoor.

But he cautioned that the governor’s loyalty should not be abused.

The lawmaker also condemned Ayu for allegedly taking sides in the crisis, when he should have been neutral as the leader of the party.

Yusuf cited the example of how Ayu met with the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, and called him a hero.

Tambuwal had stepped down for Atiku at the PDP primary, making it possible for the latter to defeat Wike who came second amid protests against the retention of power in the North when it was expected to rotate to the South.

Speaking on the calls on Atiku to reconcile with Wike, he said, “That is a fact and that was what was emphasised by the leaders who spoke of recent, notably Governor Ortom and former governor Jang. I lend my voice to that, that one stoops to conquer. It is the normal thing to be done.”

Meanwhile, Atiku has said that despite the internal conflict within his party, he does not see “a divided house”.

He admonished the party not to lose focus on rescuing Nigeria.

Atiku stated this in a newsletter in Abuja on Sunday.

He stated, “One of the characteristic attributes of democracy that I admire a lot is that it is a system with an intrinsic asset of crisis management. It becomes even more interesting that, perhaps, the most noteworthy outcome of a democratic process is the greater possibility of conflict generation.

“So, a remarkable lesson that I have learned in politics is that in some instances, conflicts are healthy realities. I know, for instance, that when conflicts arise out of genuine concerns about having an inclusive political process, it signposts the viability of that process and, more importantly, the eagerness of stakeholders to be active participants in the success of such process.

In a move to resolve the crisis, the PDP has announced a nine-member reconciliation committee that would visit the Rivers State helmsman.

Disclosing this on Sunday, the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Walid Jibrin, also cautioned party members against unguarded utterances that could further plug the party into a deeper crisis.

The committee, headed by Atiku, comprises Okowa, Ayu and his National Working Committee, Jibril; BoT members; PDP governors; former governors; ex-PDP minister and some party elders from zones and states.