By Onyeche Igwe
The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC,is having a field day running the nation’s affairs unchallenged. This is likely to continue beyond 2027 when the next presidential election is due.
There is no gain saying the fact that most opposition parties who could, perhaps, stand a chance to provide Nigerians an alternative platform and give the ruling party a run for its money, are currently embroiled in internal strife. From the once powerful Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the dark horse in the 2023 general elections- the Labour Party, LP, and the All Progressives Grand Alliance, the story appears the same as personal ambitions of individuals continue to threaten the core of their existence.
War in PDP
The PDP hasn’t known peace since managers of its affairs sacrificed the time tested adherence to power rotation and respect for constitutionality to pander to the whims of a few, leading to the party’s fall from grace in 2015.
Prior to 2015, most of its founding fathers were either dead or had resigned their membership for one reason or the other.
The current crisis has its roots in the fallout of the PDP presidential primaries held on May 27, 2022.
Five of the party’s then serving governors namely: Barr. Nysome Wike (Rivers), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), who formed the G-5, registered their displeasure with the emergence of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, as candidate and subsequently undermined him during the 2023 poll. Leader of the group, Ex-Rivers State Governor, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Wike, and his group have announced that Tinubu of the APC, remains their preferred choice for 2027. This is without prejudice to their membership of the PDP.
Apart from the turbulence in some state chapters including Benue, Kogi, Rivers, Imo among others, PDP leaders are at daggers drawn over the party’s leadership.
While one tendency argues that the Acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagun, should revert to his elected position as Deputy National Chairman (North), the Wike group insists he should remain until the next convention.
Specifically, party leaders from the North Central are insisting that the zone be allowed to complete the term of former National Chairman, Dr. Iyiorchia Ayu, whose tenure was cut short as a direct consequence of the party’s 2023 electoral defeat.
In the lead up to the 2027 polls, a leading PDP voice from the South-West, Chief Bode George, has voiced his preference for a Southern candidate, but some ambitious northerners think otherwise.
Specifically, George advised Atiku to perish his 2027 presidential ambition until 2031 because it is the turn of the South to occupy the position till then in line with the power rotation prince of the PDP and the country. Atiku countered that 2027 permutations were not on his plate that his focus now is the worsening conditions of Nigerians under President Tinubu’s Administration.
PDP’s crisis normal – Ologunagba
However, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, described ongoing agitations within the party as normal in politics.
He said in an interview, “PDP is a party that was properly formed and has continued to be a bastion of democracy. We have a contestation of ideas, not an internal crisis. Contestation of ideas is normal in a political party.
“What makes a political party is its ability to manage these contests and we’ve, with all sense of modesty, been able to do so.”
Fiasco in LP
The situation in the Labour Party is not remarkably different. The Julius Abure-led National Working Committee, NWC, has been engaged in a long-drawn battle of attrition with the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and some of the party’s powerful stakeholders.
Only a few days ago, the party threatened to take disciplinary action against its only governor, Alex Otti of Abia State and others who share the view that Abure’s tenure had since expired and that a fresh convention should be held to elect new leaders.
Abure and members of the NWC insist on the validity of a convention held in Nnewi, on March 27, 2024.
They noted that the convention was held ahead of the expiration of their tenure and was done in line with laid down rules.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, while responding to the issues said: “We like most Nigerians are aware that a few persons within our fold are being used to destabilise our party as part of a calculated attempt to pave way for their pay masters ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“As democrats, this party under Barr. Abure’s leadership will continue to remain law-abiding just as we call on those on the other side to look at the bigger picture, our nation’s future is at stake.”
Recurring leadership tussle in APGA
On its part, the APGA is no stranger to leadership tussles. From the days of the founding National Chairman, Chief Chekwas Okorie, till this day, several persons had at one time or the other, approached the courts to seek or affirm their legitimacy. In a bizarre twist to the party’s current leadership tussle, its factional National Chairman, Sly Ezeokenwa and members of the NWC are in court to seek legal intervention in the case of a clerical error contained in a Supreme Court ruling which named Chief Edozie Njoku, as National Chairman. Ezeokenwa noted that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, inadvertently fell for a booby trap set by Njoku by recognizing him without recourse to the true position of the law.
However, Njoku, who has the backing of Chief Chekwas Okorie, insists he is the authentic chairman of the party and has been blaming the INEC for refusing to recognise him as such despite subsisting court rulings.
As it is, It appears Nigeria’s opposition political elites have learned little or nothing from events that led to Nigeria’s first opposition victory over an incumbent government in 2015.
