The Nigerian Village Square - PDP’s Date With History

PDP’s Date With History

Written by Uche Ohia

Saturday, 08 March 2008

PDP’s Date With History

Who is Mike Duncan? If you do not know, you are not alone. Even in his own country, the United States of America, Mike Duncan’s name does not ring a bell. But Mike Duncan is the national chairman of the Republican Party or, by American parlance, chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC). And the fact that US President George W. Bush is a Republican makes Duncan chairman of the ruling party. In Nigeria, the name of the national chairman of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmadu Ali, rings a giant sized bell and he moves about with equal aplomb. But all that is about to end: the purpose of the 2008 special national convention of the PDP taking place in Abuja on March 8 is to replace Ali and other fat cats in the party’s national executive committe.

The (s)election of the national chairman of the PDP has never been a tidy affair since the ouster of the pioneer chairman, Chief Solomon Lar. From Chief Barnabas Gemade to Chief Audu Ogbe to Ahmadu Ali, former president Olusegun Obasanjo spared no effort to subdue the party and to place it under the temperamental apron strings of his presidency. Under Ahmadu Ali, PDP lost all vestiges of a democratic organization. Loyalty to the party became supplanted with loyalty to Obasanjo. Internal democracy within the party was stifled and a military type garrison command structure established. Today PDP rests - not on the state branches but - on handpicked men of brawn across the federation such that the party can best be described as a confederation of powerful warlords.

There are many reasons why this PDP convention is attracting so much attention. This is the first time since the party was formed in 1998 that national offices will be swapped by the geopolitical zones in accordance with the party’s zoning formula. For President Yar’Adua, the convention is a litmus test for the commitment of his administration to electoral reforms, the rule of law and the sanctity of the ballot. By implication, the party officers elected at the convention would be the ones to organise the general elections in 2011. For this reason, the party is expected to ensure the emergence of credible and capable persons through a transparent process. As the leading party, PDP ought to set a good example in democratic practice for other political parties and for the electorate who accuse the party of evasion of the ballot box even in intra party affairs.

The PDP congresses so far give no cause to cheer: they were characterized by bickering, boycotts, parallel congresses, violence, impositions, and litigations. The frequency with which members took the party to court suggests a breakdown of party discipline, and places a question mark on the internal mechanism of the party for conflict resolution. In Abuja, three members (?) of the party even took out an action at the Federal High Court seeking a court order to stop the March 8 convention from holding! From whichever angle one looks at it, PDP comes across as a party that is perpetually at war with itself or, worse still, a party that has lost it’s soul! This has made many people to ask whether this PDP is the same party that was midwifed by G-34, the great patriots that confronted the despotic Abacha regime at the risk of their own lives. In the political history of Nigeria, no political formation has begun with so much promise or enjoyed so much support and goodwill but lost it all to a progressively undemocratic modus operandi.

Despite the cocktail of reforms initiated by his administration some of which have contributed substantially in restoring Nigeria to the path of economic progress, Obasanjo is rightly seen as the single most destabilising factor in PDP. Much of the intrigues surrounding the 2008 convention border on how to curtail his influence which, to consolidate his position as chairman of the BOT, he is eager to maintain. Today, the commonest feature of PDP in most states of the federation is the existence of factions. “Ratification” and “consensus” have become the rule rather than the exception. In most states, PDP operates without standing committees; meetings at all levels are rare and membership drives are out of the question. Because the ward membership registers of the party often serve the purpose of exclusion rather than inclusion, names appear or diappear as occasion demands. The will of party members no longer counts: party ‘leaders’ or ‘elders’ (a synonym for influential members of the party with little grassroot following) take all the decisions including those which, under the party’s constitution, ought to be taken by the party in congress.

Nigerians are watching out for even the faintest sign that PDP is still driven by democratic principles. The rumour in town is that most of the delegates came into Abuja to see who will offer the highest consideration in exchange for their votes. Many are also curious to see the chairmanship candidate that will receive Yar’Adua’s nod. Of course, it is not unusual for a president in office especially in his first term to nominate the chairman of the party. By convention, the chairman of the RNC is nominated by the President when the Republicans are in occupation of the White House. Otherwise, he is elected by the delegates from the states. But such nominees are always die in the wool party men and not hatchetmen chosen simply to execute the president’s agenda. For instance, before his election, Duncan had served the Republican Party at every level from precinct captain, county chairman, state chairman, national treasurer and General Counsel (the equivalent of National Legal Adviser). He had also been a delegate to the 1972, 1976, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 Republican National Conventions and had worked in various campaign positions for Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush.

Regardless, if there is anything that should be crystal clear to PDP and other political parties it is the fact that Nigerians are tired of political parties violating the rules of electoral conduct. Whether it is at the level of party congress, convention or general elections, Nigerians are tired of any manipulation that results in the violation of the right of the people to choose those that they want to serve them. It should be embarrassing to PDP that most of the elections that have been nullified by various tribunals and even by the Court of Appeal are those purportedly won by the party’s flagbearers. The 2008 convention provides the right opportunity for the party to show remorse by ensuring transparency. Unless this is done, the seething frustration in the polity will not be assuaged. If the prevalent voter apathy - and disdain for politicians and the political process –becomes higher or voter turn out becomes lower, this democratic dispensation may be stretched to a dangerous limit. As the leading political party, it is incumbent on PDP to elect a team at the convention that will remove its name from the register of political infamy; a team that is capable of reviving the moribund democratic ethos in the party and in the country. All eyes are on PDP – and will remain there in the days ahead.

uchebush at yahoo.com;

Robot Robot is offline
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	# 1 PDP’s Date With History Who is Mike Dunc...Read the full article. Posted by Robot\| 08.03.2008 07:42

Abraxas Abraxas is offline
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	# 2 BREAKING NEWS! ... OBJ De-Mystification Project on Course! Hi, folks! Chief Vincent Ogbulafor is the new PDP Chairman! Source: The Tim... Obrigado. Don Juan-Carlos ABRAXAS (III) (Director of Propaganda & Enlightenment, Special Task Force for the Demystification of OBJ, IBB et al) Posted by Abraxas\| 08.03.2008 12:33

emj emj is offline
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	# 3 =Abraxas;4294994501>BREAKING NEWS! Source: The Times of Nigeria. Hi, folks! Chief Vincent Ogbulafor is the new PDP Chairman! Obrigado. Don Juan-Carlos ABRAXAS (III) We reported yesterday that 28 PDP control states had endorsed the both candidates and forwarded their names to President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua for his consent Looks more like another selection....hmm...so he overtook Anyim amd Egwu. I thought dat Adedibu promised Egwu dat he will get da Post?...hmm:cool: Posted by emj\| 08.03.2008 12:45

Afeni Afeni is offline
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	# 4 Umaru is a shameful person. All his talk about rule of law e.t.c. doesn't amount to anything. One would have expected the idi ot to at least pretend to hold a fair election (i.e. have delegates vote for candidates) instead we get the same nonsense where 24 of the 25 candidates, hours till the convention, come to the realization that they would all rather step-down so that their respective supporters are left with only one choice. This is rubbish. In case anyone needed proof that the 2011 elections would not be free and fair, you have it right here. And for those that are naive enough to think that a no-name man being appointed PDP Chairman spells the end of Obj's control of the party, think again. Top-shots like Egwu and Anyim don't just step-aside unless it is part of an arrangement between Obj, IBB and their likes. The fact of the matter is that Obj, Umaru, David Mark, and just about everyone that was forced on the Nigerian people have an interest in the ruling party remaining intact. Hence they couldn't give the chairmanship to an openly anti-Obj (Anyim) or pro-Obj (Egwu) candidate, so the powers that be decided to push Umaru no.2. Expect nothing different than Ahmadu Ali's with a little less insult. Posted by Afeni\| 08.03.2008 23:34

Abraxas Abraxas is offline
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	# 5 Hi, folks! I commend all the anti-OBJ patriots within the PDP for a job well done. The logical next steps are, firstly, to kick out Baba Senator Iyabo as Chairman, Board of Trustees (PDP), then bring him to justice for acute corruption and massive treasury looting, in his capacity as the president of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007. Chikena! Muchas gracias, mis amigos. Don Juan-Carlos ABRAXAS (III) (Director of Propaganda & Enlightenment, Special Task Force for the Demystification of OBJ, IBB et al) Posted by Abraxas\| 08.03.2008 23:48

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 23 April 2008 )

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