PDP Vs PDP: Party In-fighting Threatens The Giant
The power play witnessed last week between governors of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the one hand, its national chairman Bamanga Tukur and members of his National Working Committee (NWC) on the other, suggests that the umbrella is being torn at the sides. STANLEY NKWOCHA examines the intrigues.
In The Beginning
The signs came early in the day. Just a few weeks after he had become the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and took over the Wadata Plaza national secretariat of the party, Abuja, Dr. Bamanga Tukur had called a meeting between the NWC and the PDP governors. Of the about 23 governors of the party, only Governors Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Jonah Jang (Plateau),Sullivan Chime (Enugu), Late Patrick Yakowa (Kaduna), Captain Idris Wada (Kogi) and Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta) attended with few deputy governors.
The signs came early in the day. Just a few weeks after he had become the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and took over the Wadata Plaza national secretariat of the party, Abuja, Dr. Bamanga Tukur had called a meeting between the NWC and the PDP governors. Of the about 23 governors of the party, only Governors Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Jonah Jang (Plateau),Sullivan Chime (Enugu), Late Patrick Yakowa (Kaduna), Captain Idris Wada (Kogi) and Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta) attended with few deputy governors.
Others simply turned a blind eye to the invitation even when it was ascertained that some were in Abuja. This forced the chairman to postpone what was supposed to be an interactive session. Giving an excuse for the decision of the governors to shun the meeting, Tukur said many of the governors could not attend the meeting because they travelled with President Goodluck Jonathan out of the country, adding that the meeting would have to be rescheduled for a later date to get a full attendance.
“We shall delay some of the things we want to say, until we have a full house. This isn’t a right forum. I seek your indulgence to put this meeting to another day,” Tukur had explained. While the news in town was that the governors were yet to come to terms with a Bamanga leadership of the PDP, having kicked against his candidacy (especially governors of the North Eastern extraction) in the beginning, this was however, termed an understandable anomaly.
If that was wished away, perhaps the dismal attendance of only three out of the 23 governors that graced the book launch of Tukur, in Abuja few months afterwards, again rubbed in the fact that perhaps oil was fast being rubbed into the squeaky wheels of the party. The three governors included Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna (now late), Theodore Orji of Abia and their counterpart from Bauchi State, Isa Yuguda. This was even as President Goodluck Jonathan was in attendance.
The Adamawa Showpiece
That Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State vehemently kicked against the nomination and eventual secession of his fellow kinsman, Dr. Bamanga Tukur to become the national chairman of the PDP is no news. But the speed with which Tukur sought to neutralise the grip of Nyako on the state’s PDP suggested a long drawn battle, thus setting the stage for what is to become Tukur’s first and real baptism of fire; a move which indeed shook him.
That Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State vehemently kicked against the nomination and eventual secession of his fellow kinsman, Dr. Bamanga Tukur to become the national chairman of the PDP is no news. But the speed with which Tukur sought to neutralise the grip of Nyako on the state’s PDP suggested a long drawn battle, thus setting the stage for what is to become Tukur’s first and real baptism of fire; a move which indeed shook him.
Whether the Mijinyawa Kaugama-led state executive of the PDP had overstayed its welcome and had become a stumbling block to peace moves in the state as the party got divided into two camps was an issue on one hand, but with the stories making the round that Tukur wanted to impose his son, Auwal as governor of the state come 2015 became a radiating spinning point of controversy.
The crisis rocking the Adamawa State chapter of the PDP reached its elastic limit when the party’s headquarters dissolved its Adamawa Chapter. The National Publicity Secretary Olisa Metuh said a Caretaker Committee had been set up to manage the affairs of the party in the state pending further directives. He cited Article 31, Section 2(e) and 29, 2 (b) of the 2012 amended constitution of the Party, adding that the dissolution took place after repeated breaches of the constitution by the Adamawa State Chapter.
The article quoted by the party’s leadership states that “where necessary, dissolve a State Executive Committee and appoint a caretaker committee to run the Party until another Executive Committee is elected, provided that the period from the dissolution to the election of the new Executive shall not exceed 3 months.
“The dissolved Exco was expressly advised by the National Working Committee (NWC) to halt further steps towards the conduct of Local Government Elections as agreed at a meeting of October 9, 2012 between the NWC and the Adamawa State Working Committee. “However, the EXCO did not only go ahead with the process, it submitted a list of candidates to the State Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) without the approval of the NWC,” the party said.
The PDP leadership said the action by the state leadership was “contrary to the provisions of section 50(1) of the Constitution of the Party which among others states emphatically that the National Executive Committee which the NWC acts on behalf of in this respect, is the final authority for the formulation of guidelines and regulations for the nomination of candidates for election into public offices at all levels and conveying same to INEC or any other authority to whom it may concern.”
Another reason, for which the Adamawa PDP was dissolved, according to the national leadership of the party, is the failure of the state chapter to address the issue of zoning of elective positions. “The NWC also referred to complaints and petitions from principal stakeholders of the party in Adamawa State on various unconstitutional acts of the dissolved State EXCO, especially the principle of zoning as enshrined in Article 7(3) (e) of the party constitution as well as several letters from INEC complaining of non-compliance with relevant laws in the conduct of the Adamawa State Congresses,” the party raged.
The PDP leadership then appointed a nine-member caretaker committee headed by Umar Damagun from Yobe State.
The PDP leadership then appointed a nine-member caretaker committee headed by Umar Damagun from Yobe State.
The U-Turn
Rising from a meeting presided over by the Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, last Tuesday, the 10-man National Working Committee, in what could aptly be described as a palace coup, rescinded its decision on the caretaker committee and further screwed it in that the congresses it had conducted were null, void and of no effect. It said the ward and local government levels congresses in the state were never authorised.
Rising from a meeting presided over by the Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, last Tuesday, the 10-man National Working Committee, in what could aptly be described as a palace coup, rescinded its decision on the caretaker committee and further screwed it in that the congresses it had conducted were null, void and of no effect. It said the ward and local government levels congresses in the state were never authorised.
Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja said they rescinded the dissolution of the Adamawa State executive, as it was never the decision of the party in the first place to conduct the congresses. Jaja, however, said the NWC at its 315th meeting on December 12, 2012, had agreed to reverse the dissolution of the Adamawa State executive of the party that was dissolved on October 17, 2012. He said but for the helicopter crash that led to the death of Kaduna State Governor, Mr. Patrick Yakowa and others, it would have been announced.
Said Jaja; “The NWC in its 315th meeting of Wednesday, 12th December 2012, had rescinded the dissolution of the PDP Adamawa State executive. The NWC had earlier dissolved the Adamawa State executive under Article 29(2)(b) wherein we acted on behalf of Article 31(2)(e) powers of the NEC. But it is instructive to note that the ward and local government executives of Adamawa State were never dissolved.
“In fact, at its 314th meeting of 29th August 2012, the NWC had upheld the March 2012 ward and local government executives except for one LGA which was later ratified. The NWC is therefore surprised, shocked and embarrassed to read in the newspapers of the purported ward, local government and state congresses said to be ongoing in Adamawa State. “For the record, the National Working Committee hereby dissociates the party leadership from the purported congresses which were neither authorised by the NWC nor monitored and/or supervised by the national secretariat.
“In the history of the PDP, only the national secretariat of the PDP conducts state congresses. Based upon the above therefore, the NWC hereby declares the purported congresses null, void and of no effect whatsoever. Consequently, we hereby declare that the only state executive committee constitutionally recognised by this party is the Kaugama executive lawfully elected in March, 2012 and endorsed by the national convention,” Jaja said.
Tukur’s Fight back
National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur said that he felt betrayed by the actions of some members of the NWC as he had opted to stay away in all matters that affected Adamawa State. “This is just a case of betrayal of trust. The documentations and correspondences in this matter will justify that the congresses in the state was approved by the NWC”, Bamanga stated.
National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur said that he felt betrayed by the actions of some members of the NWC as he had opted to stay away in all matters that affected Adamawa State. “This is just a case of betrayal of trust. The documentations and correspondences in this matter will justify that the congresses in the state was approved by the NWC”, Bamanga stated.
On December 5, 2012, in a letter, signed by both the national chairman and national secretary of the PDP, and addressed to the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, the party’s NWC had notified the commission of the various dates for the congresses commencing from December 27, 2012 to January 8, 2013.
State of Affairs
Embarassed with the situation, an obviously jittery President Goodluck Jonathan summoned a meeting of party caucus, governors and NWC members in a resolve to calm nerves down.
Embarassed with the situation, an obviously jittery President Goodluck Jonathan summoned a meeting of party caucus, governors and NWC members in a resolve to calm nerves down.
Even as reports suggests that truce has been reached and a vote of confidence passed on Tukur, feelers from the party suggest that Tukur may need more than mother luck to stay on as it seems that chickens are gradually coming home to roost and the governors are calling the shots.
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