As about 3500 delegates gathered to vote for 75 candidates who are vying for 17 positions at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) special convention on Saturday, various dramas played out in an unexpected proof of deep-seated divisions in the party’s hierarchy.
The convention held under tight security at the Eagle Square in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. The party had been embroiled in different crises in the state chapters. Governors and aggrieved elders of the party had also raised grievances that threatened to tear the party apart before the convention. All these played out during the special convention.
Anambra Delegates’ Free-for-All
The delegates from Anambra State threw caution to the wind as they engaged in a free-for-all at the convention. Factional governorship candidate of the party, Andy Uba and his brother, Chris Uba, were manhandled by the faction loyal to the Tony Nwoye in a fisticuff that lasted over 30 minutes in the presence of delegates from other states.
Andy Uba, who is the chairman, Senate Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), his brother, and their loyalists had arrived early for the convention despite their suspension by the party and the reversal of the suspension by the court.
While seated at the delegates stand with Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, Tony Nwoye, a factional governorship candidate arrived at11.15am with his supporters and attempted to force the Ubas from the stand. This resulted in the fracas, which soon became intense and forced the minister to run away from the stand with her aides.
The fight lasted until security agents moved in to quell the violence while verbal exchanges continued. Those opposed to the Ubas said they had been suspended by the party and had no right to attend the convention. They were later allowed to seat with the delegates close to Tony Nwoye, the candidate accepted by the PDP headquarters for the November governorship election in Anambra.
Atiku, Governors Stage Walkout
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, nine governors under the PDP, some senators, members of the House of Representatives as well as local government chairmen staged a walkout on the party at the Eagle Square-venue of the convention. This was in spite of a statement by Tony Anenih at the convention ground that though the party had some crises, it also has the structure to resolve them.
The aggrieved Governors who walked out include embattled Governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi; his counterparts from Jigawa, Sule Lamido; Niger State’s Babangida Aliyu; Sokoto’s Alliu Wamako; Adamawa State’s Murtala Nyako; Kano State’s Rabiu Kwankwaso and Kwara State’s Abdulfatah Ahmed.
Other delegates who stormed out of President Goodluck Jonathan and other delegates include former Governors of Nasarawa and Osun, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Dr Sam Sam Jaja, Shaba Lafiagi, the Deputy Governors of Niger and Sokoto and several National Assembly members.
The aggrieved members headed to the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja where they addressed a press conference to complain about the alleged atrocious activities of the president and the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.
Former Chairman of the PDP, Abubakar Baraje who addressed the press on reasons for the walkout, accused Tukur of acting as a thin-god, snubbing members and being too dictatorial. The members announced that they had broken away to become a faction of the party and rejected Tukur as their Chairman.
The trouble started when the preferred candidate for the position of the party’s Deputy National Chairman (South), Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, a loyalist of Governor Amaechi, was suddenly dropped from the race by the party’s screening committee which announced Uche Secondus, who is the candidate of President Jonathan.
The aggrieved members also realised that party had planned to adopt an already prepared list of candidates listed by Board of Trustees Chairman, Tony Anenih.
Baraje called Tukur a factional Chairman of PDP adding: “From now on, this gathering here remains the authentic PDP and the leaders are these people here. They have mandated me to speak as the true leader of the party and I want you and all Nigerians to recognise this body as the true PDP while that led by Tukur has been overtaken by events because he has flagrantly insisted on leading the party contrary to the laws of the land and the constitution of the party.
“We address you today as leaders of PDP, who are worried by the increasing repression, restrictions of freedom of association, arbitrary suspension of members and other such violations of democratic principles by a faction of our party led by Alhaji Bamanga Tukur,” Baraje said at the briefing.
“While we have done everything humanly possible to bring to the attention of critical stakeholders within the party the dangers inherent in the course being charted by that leadership, it has become very clear that the desperate permutations towards 2015 general elections have blinded certain people from the consequences of their actions.
“Not only has the constitution of the party been serially abused by Alhaji Tukur and his fellow travellers, all the organs of the party have been rendered virtually ineffectual by a few people who act as though above the law. Unfortunately, it is obvious that that they get encouragement from the Presidency whose old calculations are geared towards shutting out any real or imagined opposition ahead of the party’s presidential primaries for the 2015 elections.
“As leaders of our great party, we consider it a sacred responsibility to save the PDP from the antics of a few desperadoes who have no democratic temperament and are therefore bent on hijacking the party for selfish ends. While the list of their violations of the tenets of our great party is long, we will highlight just a few.”
Baraje recalled that the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party, at its “belated” meeting of 20th June 2013, approved 20th July 2013 for the conduct of a special national convention. However, that date was changed to 31st August without reverting to NEC (the only authority vested with such powers) by a few people, apparently acting on the authority of the Presidency.
“Notwithstanding the fact that INEC had noted that the PDP congresses in nine states were not properly conducted, the illegal delegates from such states are being paraded at the so-called convention being held today in a cynical attempt to circumvent the law and further bring the name of the party to disrepute.
“In gross violation of the PDP constitution, which stipulates that the NEC meeting must hold at least once in a quarter, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and a few people have been running the party like a personal fiefdom without recourse to that important decision-making organ of the party.
“The NEC of the party accepted the resignation of the former members of the NWC whose offices were affected by INEC observations based principally on the agreement that the affected officers would be returned to their respective offices at the convention. However, against the decision of the NEC and in a not-so-clever bid to exclude some perceived opponents of the few powerful members, who are trying to hijack the party, these positions have been made open to some yes-men within the party.
“Notwithstanding INEC instance that Senator Any Uba is the duly elected candidate of the party in Anambra State and against the background that he is so recognized by majority of our party members, the Bamanga Tukur-led Executives announced a purported suspension of Senator Uba and some other members close to him in defiance of subsisting court orders.
“Despite that the PDP Constitution is very clear that the state chapter of the party cannot discipline a national officer, Deputy National Chairman, Mr. Sam Jaja, has reportedly been dismissed by some renegades, who have hijacked the Rivers State chapter of our party with the connivance of the Bamanga Tukur leadership.”
Other matters that Baraje’s camp complained of were: “The persistent change in the list of the party’s delegates in many states, as part of a deliberate attempt to rig the party’s nomination of candidates especially at the presidential and gubernatorial levels, with a view to foisting on the PDP some unpopular candidates who are bound to lose at the polls.
“The suspension, without due process of the Governors of Rivers and Sokoto states: Even when the illegal suspension on Sokoto State Governor has been lifted, the Rivers Governor remains purportedly suspended for no just cause. The illegal dissolution of the Adamawa State chapter of the party is a clear abuse of power by Alhaji Bamanga Tukur thus causing confusion in his home state.
“Given the foregoing, it is very clear that the Bamanga Tukur leadership cannot guarantee for our millions of party members democracy anchored on free choice and the rule of law. We have therefore taken it upon ourselves to rescue the party from their inept and dictatorial leadership.
“It is indeed noteworthy that from 1999 to date, Nigerians have constantly voted the presidential candidates presented by our great party but not only does such trust come wig enormous responsibility, we recognize that we cannot continue to take the people for granted.
“From now, the new leadership of the party under us will strive to build a fairer as well as a more transparent and accountable PDP that will put the interest of members and indeed all the people of Nigeria above that of one single individual.
“For all the members of our great party who may have become disillusioned by the anti-democratic tendencies of the Bamanga Tukur’s leadership, there is a new lease of life in the horizon. It’s a new day for the Peoples Democratic Party.
“As we take over the leadership of the PDP, our immediate priority is to revive the culture of robust debate of all contending issues while providing a level-playing field for all our members. These were the ideals that differentiated our party from others and endeared us to Nigerians.
“We are not, and have never been a political party where one man would be taking decisions for all members and where once you do not kowtow before the Presidency, you are deemed a rebel that must be crushed. That is not the PDP bequeathed to us by our founding fathers. That, I dare say, is no longer what PDP under our leadership will represent from today.”
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said: “Today is a very historic day in the life of our party. It is also a day of mixed feelings. It could also be a day of happiness. It could also be a sad day, sad because the party we conceived in 1998 to be a rallying point for all Nigerians to be a source of unity, to be a party that will fulfil the aspirations of Nigerians, has today be dragged down by people who don’t even understand what party politics is all about.
“So, or sometimes, I have always been trying to draw attention of leaders of our party, and the leaders of government that this democratic dispensation is supposed to make things better for the people of this country. Let us not deceive ourselves, the country is full of frustration, the country is full of anger, is full of disappointment. Therefore we have a responsibility to see how we can reform our great party so that those lofty ideals, lofty goals can be achieved.
“They cannot be achieved by the present leadership of the party. It cannot be achieved even by the Presidency. I have said it before and I am saying it again, that we are going in a wrong direction, now we have seen the result. We are losing the party, we are losing the government, and for this very courageous people seated here, this idea was mooted to see whether we still have men with courage and determination to get up and stand up.
“I will therefore want to appeal to the rest of our party members who are still sitting on the fence to join this new PDP. I want to assure you, we will restore the values of the founding fathers of this party. Let me thank all you for the courage and support to stand up because some people will be hiding somewhere. By the grace of God with your support, with your loyalty, the change will be achieved.”
Adamawa Delegates Barred
Delegates from Adamawa State were barred from entering the venue of the congress with an excuse that they were not invited. The delegates who addressed the press said they stayed for several hours at the entrance but they were barred on the instruction of National Chairman of the party, Bamanga Tukur. They also threatened to head to the court to seek redress, accusing Tukur of going against the party’s constitution and taking laws into his hands.
The delegates from Adamawa said Tukur wanted only delegates from his faction to be given accreditation. This was against the rule that only delegates who participated in the last convention should be recognised, and his faction was not in place then.
They claimed that instead, the Nyako faction should have been recognised having participated fully in the last convention. While they were refused entry into the venue, the pavilion that was supposed to house them for the convention was filled by delegates of the party loyal to a faction led by Tukur. The aggrieved delegates said they would go to court on Monday to seek an order to upturn the convention for the use of wrong delegates list from Adamawa. Before finally walking out, Governor Murtala Nyako held a meeting with party members, senators and members of the House of Representatives loyal to him.
Confirming this situation, Governor Godswill Akpabio appealed to the angry delegates to not to wash the party’s dirty linen in public, as the issues would be resolved within 24 hours.
More Grievances
Some of the aspirants raised dust concerning the one-sidedness of the president and the party hierarchy, lamenting that they were being forced to step down for other aspirants. One of such was the aspirant vying for the position of National Women Leader, Nikky Nkiru Nwabueze, who told journalists that despite being screened on Friday, President Jonathan told some of them that Kema Chikwe was going to be returned for the position. “Write it like that,” she told journalists.
Jonathan’s Address
Despite these many challenges that almost marred the convention, President Jonathan claimed all was well and described the party as the only one in the country that is truly democratic.
He said the party remained the only one with well-thought framework in the country since under the party, telecommunication, education, aviation, banking and infrastructure have been transformed. As at the time of this report, results were still being collated.
