The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), a major opposition party in Nigeria, is troubled on every side. While it claims to initiate a reconciliatory drive, it is also wielding a cane against certain elements it says are the troublers of the party. It is left to be seen how these two big projects will successfully run in pari-passu.
You must have heard the threat by the Julius Abure faction of the Labour Party (LP) that there would be no automatic ticket for Peter Obi and Governor Alex Otti in 2027. The question to ask is, Where is the head without the neck?
The political class in Nigeria has proven to be lovers of violence and corner-cutting. Innovations aimed at helping the electoral process in the country are frustrated. This is why the peace accord signing exercise has become a mere fulfilment of all righteousness. Will that tame the several decibels of voices of violence that are already sounding in Edo? The days ahead will prove.
“Up till this moment, the party is still lying prostrate, still being pummelling by the forces that were responsible for its disastrous outing at the polls.”
Read also: PDP: Troubled, Tired and Terrified
PDP in fence-mending gambit
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is troubled on many sides. The party’s future does not seem bright except decisive steps are taken urgently. The party became brutally fractured in the run-up to the 2023 general election. The choice of presidential candidate was one of the deadliest decisions that has left the umbrella organisation in tatters. Apart from the open declaration of rebellion led by Nyesom Wike, there were also many faceless fifth columnists who masqueraded as PDP in the day but dined with the party’s worst enemies at night.
The party managed to go into the election but suffered painfully through the instrumentality of some of those it thought were members. Up till this moment, the party is still lying prostrate, still being pummelling by the forces that were responsible for its disastrous outing at the polls.
Efforts at repackaging the party have been wishy-washy. On one hand, the party says it is pursuing reconciliation, but on the other hand, it is brandishing long cane.
Some of those appointed as members of the reconciliatory committees have pulled out. Allegations are rife that some of the party’s chieftains are acting as moles for the ruling party. Their public utterances have fuelled the allegation that they are more comfortable seeing the party dead than otherwise.
The question that agitates the minds of many is: Can the party leadership muster the courage to look eyeball to eyeball with the real troublers of PDP and tell them, “Thou art the man!”
Fingers are crossed as to what to expect from the party in the days to come. What is obvious is that as the date for the next round of the general election approaches, many more strange bedfellows would empty themselves into the party as a vehicle to realise their political ambitions. This is Naija!
Read also: 2027 elections: No automatic ticket for Obi, Otti, others — LP
Labour Party on the cross
The Labour Party (LP) appears to be on the road to Golgotha. The party has been embroiled in a terrible crisis since after the general election. Before the entrance and adoption of the party by Peter Obi as a vehicle to prosecute his presidential ambition in 2023, LP was in the backwaters. Not many Nigerians knew about its existence. But as soon as Obi breathed life into it, all manner of interest groups began to spring up to claim ownership of the party. The money that was generated to prosecute the elections became the target of the portfolio politicians. Since the election in May last year, Julius Abure has not rested. He has been dragged here and there by interests that believed he was making a kill through the platform. And Abure himself, having tasted the sweetness of limelight, apparently hiding under the shadows of the party’s presidential candidate, began to overreach himself.
In the course of the fight in the LP, Nigerians have heard names like Lamidi Apapa, who emerged from nowhere to do battle against Abure.
At a point also, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), led by Joe Ajaero, tried to force Abure out of office, alleging that the man had overstayed his welcome. They accused the man of plotting a secret convention where he would anoint himself as re-elected chairman.
The crisis took a new turn recently, when the only governor on the party’s platform, Alex Otti, with the support of Peter Obi, staged what could pass off as a coup against Abure.
At a meeting held in Umuahia, a carer committee was appointed, headed by Nenadi Usman.
Riled by the development, Abure’s faction announced that there would be no automatic ticket for Obi and Otti in 2027.
But observers have said that the future of the party is not even guaranteed, as neither Otti nor Obi could be said to be nursing an ambition to hang in LP.
With the shifting cultivation farming method being adopted by Nigerian politicians and the much-rumoured merger talks, nobody is sure the platform on which Obi would want to contest next time around.
In light of this, many think that it is the Labour Party that should bother about its political future, as it would amount to political ‘hara-kiri’ for the party after making history in 2023 to recede into oblivion before or by 2027.
It would be in the interest of the party to rebuild its broken walls and strengthen everything that has died in them. Only these would save the party from the imminent atrophy.
Read also: Edo election: PDP raises alarm over plans to rig election
Peace accord on test in Edo
Many Nigerians have continued to wonder about the benefit of the peace accords being signed by candidates and their parties before major elections in the country. The signing of the peace accord was initiated by Abdulsalam Abubakar, a former head of state, and convened by Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah.
This has, for years, been promoted through The Kukah Centre, joined by other partners, including Samson Itodo-led Yiaga Africa.
It would seem that this well-meaning initiative has remained a fulfilment of all righteousness, as it has neither checked electoral violence nor all manner of malfeasance being sponsored by political actors.
There has been brazen deployment of thugs by political actors who not only scare away prospective voters from the polling centres but also level all manner of attacks on supporters of opponents. It is not clear what the peace accord signing has achieved since its birth. Despite the so much publicity that was given to the activities of that body in the run-up to the elections in 2023, there was widespread violence, voter intimidation, bare-faced vote-buying, and killings carried out by paid agents of the same politicians that signed the peace accord. Yet, no repercussions; no sanctions whatsoever.
Ahead of the off-season gubernatorial election in Edo State, the promoters of the peace accord are at it again, rallying the political practitioners and their parties for peace.
The media is awash with reports of brewing violence, indiscriminate arrest of party members by security agents, intimidation of candidates and their supporters, and caustic use of words that are capable of inciting anarchy.
The question is, how are the promoters of the peace accord engaging with the security agencies? Is there any willingness on the part of the security agents to ensure that the lives and property of the people are secured, particularly those who would go out on the election day to cast their votes?
If after the much-talked-about peace accord this time around and Edo still boils, the Kukah Centre would then need to either rethink its strategy or stop wasting their time!
