The recent National Conference organized by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was, no doubt, its best outing since losing the March 28, 2015 presidential election. It was, indeed, a huge success, probably beyond the expectations of the organisers themselves and party members. But behind the curtains lie different interests, motives and agenda.
There were some PDP members who, by dint of their political experience, got to know about some underlying interests behind the conference. Unfortunately, they could not successfully question the process or muster the will to abort it, as there was no ample time to do so. The committee for the conference was only made public about ten days to the event, which took place on November 12, 2015.
It was, therefore, rather too late for those with contrary views to agitate or raise posers on the motives behind the conference. Indeed, fortunately for the PDP, its national conference came at a time the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government was yet to fully assert itself as a governing party amid several flip-flops and the reality of the obvious difficulties in meeting campaign promises and expectations.
Besides, the APC was and is still also entangled in intra-party political rivalry, creating a difficult atmosphere for members to work together in synergy. The ruling party is certainly being hunted by vested interests of different groups who came together to wrest power from the PDP. Apparently, the situation the APC finds itself today may have been partly responsible for the huge attendance of PDP members from across the country at the Abuja conference.
They have been able to reasonably shrug off defeats at the general elections. Not many bookmakers or political pundits gave the PDP any chance to put up such a good showing less than six months into a new government by a new party. But since politics by nature abhors vacuum and the APC is failing to fill that space, the PDP might just be gradually worming itself back into the hearts of Nigerians. Nonetheless, its success going forward depends largely on how it is able to tame and suppress unfolding personal interests rather than the overall interest of the party. There are two interesting scenarios playing out in the PDP at the moment. First is the 2019 agenda. Second is the battle over the dissolution of the National Working Committee (NWC) and the composition of a new one.
The sudden and suspicious manner through which Chief Raymond Dokpesi carried out his activities, far beyond the mandate given to him as Conference Chairman, underscores the first point. It had raised some dusts. Within a short time, Dokpesi had appropriated too much authority to himself and superintended over critical party matters as if he was watching over his personal estate, until he was cautioned by some party members nation wide who,reacted angrily to some inappropriate statements attributed to him over some crucial party decisions.
Although the PDP had issued a counter statement, and Dokpesi himself had later recanted by admitting it was a personal opinion, yet it would be foolhardy to assume there was no personal agenda or motivation behind the verbal exhortation and grandstanding by the Edo state-born businessmanpolitician.
From close observations, Dokpesi, who is also the chairman of the party’s Reconciliation and E-Registration Committee, was obviously in a hurry to use the short period the party was “temporarily handed” over to him as media mogul, because of publicity advantage the party would get for the conference, to curry certain favour and pursue certain interests.
What was the rationale for some of his comments? He literally declared that the elders in the party who are above 70 should retire or quit politics, under the guise of handing over the party to the youths. This was purely beyond the scope of his mandate. But in the same breadth, he was quick to invite old men, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, Dr Alex Ekwueme and Alhaji Adamu Ciroma for an event considered to be preparatory to “youth take over” of the PDP.
Although the trio declined, indeed, behind the scene is likely to be the “motive”, which as believed is the plot to be a prime negotiator for 2019, not really by contesting for any post but to wield mega influence and dictate the pace of things in the party and those who should be anointed for strategic national offices. It is not impossible that he also has his eyes set on having a ‘strategic’ influence on the National Working Committee (NWC) ahead of the March 2016 National Convention of the PDP.
Interestingly, as Dokpesi is scheming, the current NWC members are also perfecting their strategies in the interest of some of its members who want to return as top officials of the PDP. While the party has been magnanimous to these members, allowing them to remain in the NWC after a dismal performance at the general elections, they are however taking it too far, especially, their refusal to allow another Northeastern person to fill the position of National Chairman, after the resignation of Adamu Mu’azu and the expiration of three months of grace given to the acting chairman, Uche Secondus.
It is, however, not unlikely that some concerned persons who didn’t attend the National Conference in Abuja, may have opted for another plan to neutralize these ‘contrived’ agenda. Certainly PDP is not a party that would not allow the emergence of a reactionary force. For instance, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, a former Political Adviser to President Jonathan has now approached the court to seek the removal of Secondus as Acting National Chairman, insisting that the Northeast must be allowed to finish its term in line with the provisions of the party’s constitution and decision on zoning.
Therefore, considering the golden opportunity the APC has handed down to the PDP by driving itself into a political cul-de-sac, I crave for successful utilization of this opportunity by calling for the dissolution of the PDP NWC. In fact, no member of the NWC as currently constituted should be allowed to return.
The Committee should comprise new members. PDP needs a breadth of fresh air and it can achieve this if it returns the party to the people and successfully nip in the bud whatever Dokpesi’s agenda is. With the injection of new patriotic and selfless party members into the NWC and a quota reserved for the youth and women, PDP will certainly endear itself once more to the hearts of Nigerians and will be able to bounce back into power at the centre in 2019.
