In apparent moves to capture the machinery of the party before the 2023 general election, major stakeholders in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are currently locked in a serious battle of wits and brawn.
Feelers show that the current epic struggle to control the national and state organs of the party is to determine who gets what during the next polls.
Also, observers say, the current crisis in the party is not unique to the PDP but affects all major political parties in the country during an election cycle.
The current crisis in the party is believed to have begun rearing its head when three governors of the party defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) earlier in the year.
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However, the crisis rose to a crescendo last Tuesday as seven deputy national officers of the party resigned their appointments and served the National Working Committee (NWC) a 30-day notice of resignation.
The deputy national officers, who are members of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), include: the deputy national officers, Diran Odeyemi, deputy national publicity secretary; Ahmed Bello, deputy national legal adviser; Umoru Hadizat, deputy national women leader and Divine Amina Arong, deputy national auditor.
Others are Hassan Yakubu, deputy national organizing secretary; and Irona Alphonsus, deputy national financial secretary.
The deputies were said to have been having a running battle with their principals over alleged marginalisation for the past two years.
As if that was not enough, the PDP National Youth Leader, Sunday Udeh-Okoye last week called on National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus to resign.
Addressing journalists last week at the party secretariat in Abuja, Udeh-Okoye accused Secondus of incompetence.
He said it was Secondus’ incompetence that created what he called a “sharp division” in the NWC.
According to him, at least 10 members of the NWC were “very aggrieved” and want Secondus to resign or be kicked out.
In a statement on Monday signed by his media aide, Ike Abonyi, Secondus said he would not resign and dared those calling for his resignation to state the real reason they wanted him to resign.
He said he found it curious that after more than three years, and few months to the National Convention, Udeh-Okoye was just finding him incompetent and embezzling money.
However, the Senator Walid Jibrin-led PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) met on Thursday in an apparent bid to stop the party’s visible slide into chaos.
The BoT recommended the setting up of a “peace panel” to examine the root and immediate causes of the crises plaguing the party and make recommendations for resolution.
After the meeting, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, who leads the party’s Reconciliation Committee, said that the 28-member panel would meet within 48 to 72 hours after which Nigerians would know the party’s direction going forward.
Meanwhile, the National Legal Adviser of the party, Mr Emmanuel Enoidem, said on Monday that powers to remove the party’s NWC or any national officer reside only in the party’s national convention.
He was reacting to a communique purportedly issued by nine members of the NWC of the party, after a meeting held in Abuja on Sunday night.
The communiqué stated that six out of the nine members of the NWC at the Sunday meeting voted that the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, should resign his position.
According to the communiqué, the nine NWC members at the meeting were the Deputy National Chairman (North), Sen. Suleiman Nazif; the National Secretary, Sen. Umar Tsauri, and the National Auditor, Alhaji Mai Adamu Mustapha.
Others were National Financial Secretary, Abdulahi Maibasira; National Youth Leader, Mr S.K.E. Udeh-Okoye; National Vice-Chairman (SW), Amb. Taofiq Arapaja; National Vice-Chairman (SE), Chief Ali Odefa; National Vice-Chairman (SS); Chief Dan Orbih; and National Vice-Chairman (NC), Chief Theophilus Dakas.
Enoidem said that by Section 29 (3) of the PDP constitution, it is the national chairman or a summon, backed by 2/3 members of the NWC that can validly convene a meeting of the NWC.
He said Subsection (4) of PDP constitution provided for 2/3 members of NWC to form a quorum for a meeting of the NWC.
“As a bona fide member of the NWC, to the best of my knowledge, I am not aware of any meeting of NWC, summoned by the national chairman or in the manner provided aforesaid.
“It is, therefore, of grave concern, and indeed, very sad to read the above position, purportedly taken by some distinguished members of NWC in utter disdain and violation of clear extant provisions of our constitution.
“The issue of resignation of any officer of our party at any level is a personal decision as stipulated in Sections 45(1) & 47(5).
“There is no provision in our constitution which donates powers to any organ, individuals or group of persons to ask an officer of the party to resign for any reason whatsoever, as was purported in the so called press release.
“The powers to remove any member of the NWC and indeed any national officer is reserved in the national convention which is due for December 2021.”
Enoidem said that the said news release was an unfortunate assault and blatant violation of the provisions of PDP constitution, therefore illegal and unconstitutional.
He said the purported meeting was also against the widely published position taken by the Board of Trustees (BOT), calling for peace until a committee set up had deliberated on the controversies.
“This bad press, caused the party at this critical time is most uncalled for, needless and wanton, and must be discontinued if we are mindful of the interest of the party.”