Theophilus Abbah
16 November 2008
analysis
Formed out of the political commitment by the group that later became known as G-34 to entrench internal democracy and bring to an end the persistent military interventions in the nation's corridors of power, the meeting of July, 22 1998, among some prominent Nigerians led by former Vice President Alex Ekwueme was to finalise the formation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
It culminated in the formal presentation of the party to the public on August 08, 1998 at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers.
According to the former vice president, the formation of the PDP was aimed at creating a broad- based party that would be open to all Nigerians irrespective of ethnicity, religion and social factors. The overwhelming support enjoyed by the party in 1998 was to take it to victory at the polls with the election of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999.
Shortly after the inauguration of the then new democracy by General Abdulsalami Abubakar military regime in May, 1999, Chief Obasanjo, a man more known for his civil war exploits than his disposition to respect the rules of the game, suddenly turned himself into a dictator of sorts. Obasanjo's attempt to subjugate party's machinery to suit his machination later ended the reign of Chief Solomon Lar as the first national chairman of the party.
When Chief Sunday Awoniyi who co-founded the PDP with other notable Nigerians sought to become the national chairman of the PDP, though Obasanjo openly supported his ambition but his men were surreptitiously engaged in truncating his ambition. Ahead of the convention to elect a new national chairman, Malam Adamu Ciroma supported Awoniyi, while Obasanjo men supported Gemade. The emergence of Chief Barnabas Gemade and later, Audu Ogbeh, to lead the ruling party culminated in the attempts by the former military Head of state turned President to subject the PDP to his control.
Ten years after the formation of the PDP, many political pundits are still engrossed in assessing the challenges that face the party. Having witnessed years of party indiscipline, disaffection by founding members which led to several party men and women leaving the PDP, including former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, not a few are considering the need for the PDP to assess its present status in the light of the various difficulties that have trailed its existence in the past 10 years.
Chief Lar, who is a founding chairman of the PDP, lamented the condition of the party in the last eight years of Obasanjo administration. But he noted in an interview that since the present government is a listening one, the future for the party seems bright.
According to him, " The unfortunate thing is that the PDP which was founded by well meaning Nigerians who had the idea of how this country should be governed, somehow somewhere along the way, the founders were edged out by the Obasanjo administration. This simply was so because he wanted a third term. That was the danger of everything, otherwise he did well. The third term blinded their eyes and destroyed every good thing that had been done by his administration. I am sure he himself (Obasanjo) is regretting now.
On the choice of its presidential candidate in 1999, Lar accepted that the PDP was under serious pressure from the South west after the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, which was presumed to have been won by Chief MKO Abiola.
"So, we wanted to give the presidency to the west. Bola Ige told me that the Yorubas were not interested in the PDP. However, we later got to know that was not the view of the Yorubas. Some of us felt that Dr. Alex Ekwueme could be given the party's flag because we had all agreed that power should go to the south. But pressure from some retired military officers and sympathy for the West did the whole trick and so we were boxed to the corner because of June 12.
"Some of us again said that we wanted Olu Falae if it must go to the West. Chief Falae said he had been offered a place in the AD and we told him AD will not take him anywhere, but he insisted that it will not be proper and safe for him, so we went for Gen. Obasanjo," recalled Lar.
Former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, once pointed out that the greatest problem of the party is indiscipline and the attempt by a few people in the party to subjugate the supremacy of the party. Speaking at a seminar to celebrate the party at three years, Anyim had singled out party indiscipline as one of its greatest problem and declared that any party that ignores party indiscipline stands the risk of being weakened.
True to Anyim's prediction, the PDP had witnessed unprecedented crises in its fold, with many of its founding fathers leaving the party to form new political platforms to realise their political ambitions. The refusal by political office holders under the PDP to honour and respect the party also contributed to some of the problems besetting the party. Not only have some of these office holders rejected the attempt at reconciliation with opposing camps in the state; Anyim said that some of these political office holders perform their duties in complete disregard to the national headquarters of the PDP.
According to Chief Tony Anineh, former chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, several challenges are confronting the PDP. Apart from the challenge of ensuring that democracy dividends are felt by the electorate, the Ishan born politician noted that the PDP "has an abiding responsibility to continue to do so 'in justice, probity and eloquent and glaring performance.
"One can safely say that the PDP Federal Government is already doing this in executing the various programmes of this administration, viz: the crusade for good governance, the full and complete re-integration of our country into the international community and the restoration of its position as a key player in sub-regional, regional and global diplomacy, the recovery' of looted assets and the relentless and sustained campaign for debt remission, the poverty alleviation and eradication programmes, the pursuit of a variety of programmes to attain National food security, the improvement and enhancement of the power supply situation, the rehabilitation of refineries and the resolution of the vexed issue of fuel shortages, the rehabilitation of steel plants and machinery, the resuscitation of neglected and decaying educational infrastructure and standards, the rehabilitation of health facilities and campaigns against the scourge of HIV / AIDS, malaria and other childhood diseases, the expansive roads rehabilitation and construction programme, provision of urban, semi-urban and rural water supplies, the comprehensive policy on urban development and housing, the privatisation programme, etc."
The need to sustain the present democratic culture and ensuring its deepening structure has also been identified as crucial to the sustenance of party democracy. This, according to Anineh, can be realised through an evolving required culture and avoiding a culture of confusion that has the capacity to weaken the party and expose it to the intrigues perpetrated by enemies of the PDP.
"Thirdly, the PDP must continue to foster dialogue, formally and informally with officials and members of the other political parties. The maintenance of an open-door policy for the exchange of views and ideas on the options and alternatives for satisfying the yearnings of the people can only enrich the party and not undermine it. Besides, it has the merit to create opportunities for members of the opposition to make quality contributions and participate in the process of good governance. The other parties must create an enabling environment for this. However, members of the PDP must put themselves under pressure in making contact with others; in thinking of new ideas; in watching our opponents and anticipating what they are up to; in thinking of what must be done at all times to hold on to our supporters and, of course, thinking on how to outsmart our opponents."
Having 27 states in its control and hundreds of local governments in its kitty, the emergence of President Umar Yar'adua in 2007 to continue with the art of governance, has provided the party with a fresh opportunity to undo whatever harms that have been experienced in the last 10 years. With the firm commitment of the Vincent Ogbulafor-led exco to return to the original vision of the founding fathers of the PDP, the present crop of leaders is expected to provide roadmap to the final reconciliation among feuding members of the PDP.
During its 10th year anniversary roundtable held in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital, some of the founding members of the party who had left the PDP attended the occasion. The presence of someone like Lar and other prominent politicians at the occasion was an indication of the new wind of change blowing the party. The question on many lips is: can the PDP undo the intrigues that had made its problems a threat to Nigeria's democracy? Only time will tell.
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