14 March 2008
Lagos — Last Saturday, after intense political horse trading and intrigues, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), at its national convention in Abuja, settled for consensus candidates thus foreclosing the emergence of its new officers through competitive elections. In the process some candidates, hitherto touted as the front-runners, were schemed out by the new powerful elements in the party marshaled by the party's governors. Ademola Adeyemo reports that with the new development, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the party's Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman, seems to have lost control of affairs in the party. He also explores the options available to Obasanjo to rehabilitate himself politically
When former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) woke up last Saturday, he was a happy man having been assured by his contact men on the field that his plan to further increase his grip on the party through the installation of his men Dr. Sam Egwu, former Ebonyi State governor as the new National Chairman of PDP and Senator Tunde Ogbeha as his Secretary was on course.
Obasanjo had no reason to entertain any fear, after all he had succeeded in crushing the opposition before when he installed President Umaru Yar'Adua, Senator David Mark as Senate President and Hon. Patricia Etteh as the first Woman Speaker of the House of Representatives. However, these were achieved at the detriment of other party members' interests.
At last Saturday's convention, unknown to the former president, the final chapter of his era was being written somewhere in Abuja as the coup to remove his overbearing influence on the party had been hatched by the PDP governors who had resolved to drop Obasanjo's man and instead backed a neutral candidate. The 26 governors led by Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara State had also got the approval of President Umaru Yar'adua for the project.
When the governors' plan was leaked to Obasanjo, he made a desperate effort to thwart the plot including lobbying President Yar'Adua to support Egwu or shift the convention. All these came to naught. Obasanjo's power caved in under the heavy bombardment of the governors. They succeeded in installing their man, Prince Vincent Eze Ogbulafor as the new national chairman of the party thus heralding a new order in the PDP.
Signs that the era of Obasanjo in the PDP would soon come to an end started emerging shortly after he left office last year when startling revelations of how he used his power as the president to suppress internal democracy and how he enthroned the culture of imposition in the party came out.
No doubt that the former president made many enemies than friends as his politics of vindictiveness led to the exit of many members including some founding fathers of the party to another party.
So it was not surprising when these aggrieved party men and women under the aegis of G-21 ganged up to form anti-Obasanjo group pushing for amendment of the party's constitution in order to pave way for the removal of Obasanjo as the BoT chairman.
To stop the BoT chairman's bid to install his loyalist as the chairman of the party, the group raised its own candidate in the person of the former Senate President, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim to take over the mantle of leadership in the party.
Apart from G-21, the PDP governors also wanted an end to Obasanjo's unlimited power in the party. He had deployed the awesome power for eight years to suppress opponents of his ambition to secure a third term in office. So to actualise this, the governors sought and got the support of President Yar'Adua to stop Obasanjo by dumping Egwu and Ogbeha. They were able to convince the President that the only way to save the party from self-destruction was to dump both Egwu and Anyim and shop for a neutral candidate.
The odd favoured Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, former national secretary of the party (2001-2005) from Abia State whom they described as less controversial and experienced in party management. Ogbulafor was allegedly forced out of office by Obasanjo because of his opposition to the third term project.
The governors were also of the opinion that Ogbulafor will flow with Yar' Adua's policy of due process and rule of law. They were banking on the assurance that the new Chairman may not have the capacity to hijack the party and become dictatorial. Also that he will not likely be an Obasanjo's stooge and so the PDP will enjoy some peace.
But if Obasanjo has lost grip of the PDP, one of the groups that opposed him, the G-21, led by former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, also failed to take over the control of the party as neither Ogbulafor nor Baraje is their candidate.
The group's frustration and disappointment on the outcome of the convention was expressed by one of its members and former House of Representatives leader, Alhaji Abdul Ahmed Ningi. He said that the convention "fell short of the group's expectation because it did not show any element of democratic ideals which the group has been calling for." According to Ningi, G-21 believes that there was no element of popular participation in the election of the party officers.
Although the group has no serious opposition to the emergence of Ogbulafor but it contends that there was no proper election in the exercise which threw him up. According to Ningi, the G-21 was not against or has special support for any of the chairmanship candidates other than that the national convention should be organised properly and things be allowed to take their normal course. He pointed out that Ogbulafor would still have won if the convention committee had allowed the delegates to show their preferences through voting.
Another member of G-21, Alhaji Abubakir Dan Haili, said he, like most of the leaders who had been agitating for internal democracy in the PDP, was shocked to see that the party's new National Executive Committee (NEC) could still emerge by consensus and affirmation of a few people, which by implication have no mandate of PDP members to lead them.
"Some of us are not happy that our efforts at ward, local government and state congresses are a waste because those who emerged from those exercises were not allowed to vote in Abuja.
Why is it that our leaders and those who are directly in position of authority within the party could not summon courage to do the right thing that the democratic world will appreciate and acclaim? When they knew that the party will not allow people to cast their votes for candidates of their choice, why did they waste our time and risk our lives by asking us to gather in Abuja? The earlier we start to do things properly, the better for us as a political party and a democratic nation."
However, the reality on the ground now is that finally Obasanjo has lost control of the party since the BoT chairmanship position, which he now occupies, is now merely an advisory office. Also, the new chairman of the party is no longer a member of Obasanjo's camp following their disagreement over the third term issue.
But the former president's points man and immediate past deputy national chairman of the party, Chief Olabode George disagreed saying that Obasanjo has lost out.
According to George, "It was Obasanjo that appointed Ogbulafor as a minister. Ogbulafor became secretary of the party when Baba was still president. Ogbulafor has been in touch with him and every member of the party still regards him as Baba. What has he lost? That is what some 'bad belle' people are spreading. Somebody from the party has emerged as chairman. Baba lost nothing. Didn't you see him dancing out of the stadium yesterday? Those who are spreading these stories are those who are eager to see the PDP disintegrate. They were ashamed at the end of the day. Nobody can win it all. Baba has played his role; he has done his bit."
However, the contending questions now are: What options remain for Obasanjo, the erstwhile power broker of PDP? What roles will he be playing now as the chairman of the Board of Trustees?
According to the 2006 amended constitution of PDP, which threw up Obasanjo as the BoT chairman, the ex-president symbolises the conscience of the party with powers to intervene on crucial issues that threaten the survival of the party. The Board can discipline any erring member of the party. As it is now, Obasanjo cannot be removed as the board chairman because he is the only former president elected on the platform of PDP. The office is reserved for former PDP president(s), an action which anti- Obasanjo elements saw as "a self-serving amendment" aimed at making Obasanjo continue to have overbearing influence on the party even after leaving office.
As it is, the outcome of the last Saturday's convention seems to have caged Obasanjo. The Board which he heads only meets occasionally except on emergency situations. Real power now resides in the National Working Committee (NWC) which will be controlled by the National Chairman, Vincent Ogbulafor, and the National secretary, Abubakar Baraje. Obasanjo is not qualified to attend the NWC meeting, as he is not a member. Also, neither Ogbulafor nor Baraje will be loyal to him since they were not his candidates.
According to Article 13.1 of the PDP constitution: "There shall be a National chairman who shall be the Chief Executive of the party " He is empowered to "summon and preside over the meetings of the national convention, the National Executive Committee (NEC) the national caucus and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party. The national secretary is the Chief administrator of the party.
"He is expected to supervise the day-to-day activities of the party under the directive of the National Chairman. He is also saddled with the task of ensuring the implementation of the decisions and directives of the national convention, National Executive Committee, national caucus and the National Working Committee and ensures that all units of the party carry out their duties promptly and efficiently."
Article 13.25 of the party's constitution provides for removal of any erring officer. Article 14.2 in making provision for a tenure for the national executive states: "A vote of confidence may be moved on any member of the executive committee of the party at any level at any national Convention or Congress of the party two years into the tenure of such member of the executive committee and where such a vote fails, the executive committee member shall be replaced at that National Convention or Congress. Provided that two months notice shall be given to the secretary at the appropriate level who shall circulate it to the relevant chapters one month before the National Convention or Congress."
However, the anti-Obasanjo groups which perceive him as an "Old Fox" are worried that given the former president's pedigree in PDP politics, he may hijack the new leadership and continue his hold on the party. But their fears may be misplaced because with the reality of the present situation, Ogbulafor may not be disposed to be Obasanjo's stooge given his bitter experience in the hands of Obasanjo because of his anti-third term stance which eventually forced him out of office as the party secretary in 2005.
He may not provide his shoulder for the former president to lean on. Besides, Baraje the new secretary, has never been Obasanjo's sympathizer. He was planted by the Saraki-led PDP governors' forum to watch and ensure that the chairman keeps to the spirit of the pact which he reached which his sponsors. Ogbulafor as an experienced politician knows that the forces that got him installed were capable of booting him out of office.
Also Obasanjo may find it difficult to get President Yar'Adua's ears in a bid to rehabilitate himself politically in the party as the president continues to impress it on the party that he will not interfere with the job of the party chairman as he will continue to abide by his principle of allowing the rule of law to guide his acts.
According to the old saying, What is permanent is change. So time has changed for Obsanjo. The governors seem to have taken over the control of the party and together with President Yar' Adua they have emerged as the new power brokers in the party.
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Is Obasanjo not a Nigerian, Nay an African? Is this not the same Obasanjo who is mentioned in court for sleeping with his daughter in law? Is he not the one that is accused of financial crimes daily by one commission after the other? The Option for Obasanjo is simple, pay back the billions he stole and committ suicide later!