Since the formation of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nigeria, it is yet to cross successfully the roads of conflicts and stand united in addressing its primordial challenges that have continued to keep them far away from the power it held for 16 years.
The party that is hoping to make a return to power in next year’s general elections is confronted with internal challenges and looming crisis that if not resolve the party may vanish completely from the democratic surface of Nigeria. Although, losing power in 2015 is still hurting the party especially now that they are preparing to retake power.
The concept of zoning in PDP has been of great concern not just to the party but even to the electorate who are now left in a dilemma of either supporting the continuity of the current APC government or to back resurgence of PDP at the centre.
Adopting the concept of zoning from inception, aimed at promoting national unity, is now a subject of confusion because even the party presidential aspirants are still contemplating on which direction to follow.Those who opposed zoning in 2011 are now banking on it for the PDP ticket and those who stood with the principle are asking for the national working committee to throw it open.
To back the principle of zoning, Section 7 (2) (c) of the party’s constitution states: “In pursuance of the principle of equity, justice and fairness, the party shall adhere to the policy of rotation and zoning of the party and public executive offices”. It is no longer news that this section could not survive the supremacy of the Nigerian constitution when former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan contested amidst protest from the Northern PDP power blocks in 2011. By implications,those calling for the adoption of this principle that was described as unconstitutional and undemocratic by the Constitution of the Federal Republic will still lose the game.
This unhealthy policy of zoning that only gave birth to politics of regionalism, ethnicity and religious dimensions was not a PDP creation because at the dawn of the Second Republic in 1978, the NPN had introduced zoning as a power-sharing arrangement between the North and South.
It nominated Shehu Shagari from Sokoto state as its presidential candidate, who went on to nominate Alex Ekwueme from Anambra state as his running mate. Since then,it keeps balancing party’s presidential tickets between the Muslim North and the Christian South chasing completely credibility and competency in our democratic institutions.
In 1999 when the PDP adopted the policy, it chased away prominent northern aspirants like Adamu Ciroma, Bamanga Tukur and Atiku Abubakar to allow the new party choose principally between a former military head of state, Olusegun Obasanjo, and Second Republic Vice President, Ekwueme.
Radical Kano politician, late Abubakar Rimi, who rebelled against the decision, was eventually persuaded by his northern contemporaries. It is now a norm that all political parties must adopt this unhealthy policy of zoning between the North and South because when Obafemi Awolowo chose to run with Philip Umeadi from told Anambra state, termed as South-south ticket in 1979, he lost woefully.
The party needs to put its house in order and ensure that their personal ambitions do not form their priorities in deciding their political fate as they confront the mighty ruling All Progressives Congress. The recommendation of the 37-member committee led by Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state that suggested the presidential ticket be left open should be adopted in the party’s coming NEC meeting as it will heal among other things the wound created by former President Jonathan. Both the aspirants and the stakeholders must work together to support whoever may emerge at the party’s primaries.
I subscrib to the idea of the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Reno Omokri, Raymond Dokpesi and Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state that Nigerians are yearning for a Nigerian president. Should a northern candidate emerge then the uncertainty created by the zoning syndrome will end up bringing the country together even if the PDP fails in its bid to return to power.
Governor Nyeson Wike of Rivers state, who is leading the campaign on the need to zone the PDP ticket to the South even when he vehemently opposed the principle in favour of his boss former President Jonathan in 2011, seems to shifting ground to support whoever emerges at the primaries.
Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state suggested that the PDP must for now focus on wining the elections by adopting the APC synergy that has President Muhammadu Buhari flying the ticket considering his popularity, acceptability in the North and acclaimed integrity he commanded for decades. This was the basis of their campaign that led to the defeat of the PDP in 2015. The PDP must ensure that whoever may fly their ticket must share similar perception of Buhari’s and can burst up political connections in the 36 states and Abuja.
Another looming crisis in PDP is the acclaimed northern consensus that produced Senator Bala Mohammed from the North-east and Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki from the North-central. Atiku Abubakar who was never part of the deal has distanced himself from this arrangement led by Professor Ango Abdullahi.
Tambuwal and Lamido have equally critiicised this arrangement describing it as an opinion of those in the scene. The consensus candidate can only emerge if the contestants sign and agree to the said arrangement like happened during the just concluded APC national convention. Atiku Abubakar, a beneficiary of consensus in 2011 against the former military President Ibrahim Babangida, is against this move owing to the fact that this may be his last chance to run for presidency.
The Atiku consensus scenario has all the directors of other aspirants signing the pack including Babangida himself. As long as the Bala/Saraki consensus should stand then Atiku Abubakar, Tambuwal and Hayattudeen must sign the agreement otherwise such arrangement is an illusion. If PDP fails to settle its current zoning and northern consensus conflict, then Wike’s and Atiku’s prediction that PDP may finally collapse is inevitable. The rumour Jonathan running or returning to the ruling APC is another big blow for the opposition PDP and losing the likes of Atiku Abubakar and Tambuwal from the North-east is very dangerous signal to their dream of returning to Aso Rock in 2023.
Danaudi, National President of Arewa Youths advocate for Peace and Unity Initiative, writes from Bauchi via [email protected].
