The Strategy Review and Inter party Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by former minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, met some founding fathers of the party this week, CHIBUZO UKAIBE, writes on the encounter and what it portends for the party.he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been basking in the report of the PDP Strategy Review and Inter party Committee, led by former minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana.Goaded by the seemingly wide acceptance the report got at its submission last week, a delegation of the committee had on Monday visited some of the founding fathers of the party and leaders of the party and presented them a copy of the report.In Abuja, they visited former President Goodluck Jonathan, former chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and Chief Tony Anenih. The delegation had visited Tukur and Anenih despite their resignation from partisan politics.Their scheduled trip same day, to former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, in Minna, Niger State, was however cancelled. While it was gathered that the trip would be rescheduled, the former military president, had interestingly, received former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, at his residence in Minna Niger State.Undeterred, the strategy team traveled to Enugu to meet former Vice President, Alex Ekwueme.In all, the responses by from the trip, were a mixture of hope, regret, concern and a scintilla of doubt.Former President Goodluck Jonathan, was hopeful of PDPs ability to bounce back. He declared that despite the defeat of PDP at the 2015 general election, it remains the biggest and strongest party in Nigeria.He further declared the party will bounce back in 2019, stressing that the outcome of the last General election was a minor setback which didnt diminish the party.He however advocated for the strengthening of institutions in the country, while responding to a complaint over the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under this administration.But he was more concerned about how to address the perennial challenge of party primaries, which has been PDPs major problem.Party primaries in Nigeria, especially since 1999, has been open to abuse and manipulation by presidential and governorship candidates, particularly when they are incumbents.In a bid to either secure a return to office or impose an aspirant on the party, the use of delegate system had been abused such that the delegates are usual influenced financially, a situation which snowballed into PDP loss of guber seats particularly in the Northern states.As such the strategy team recommended direct primaries.But Jonathan while pointing out the difficulty in having direct primaries in presidential contest, advocated the use of more statutory delegates for the partys primaries to check imposition of candidates.He said Direct primaries is the ultimate, it is the best way of selecting candidates but the greatest problem society has is how to manage direct primaries.It means if you want to elect president or governor, you cannot bring everybody to one place. It means that voting will take place from ward level or local government level and whatever and a party like PDP where there is no polling units where we dont have a true members.The best way to stop imposition is to make sure that people dont control the delegates. If we go by delegate election, it will be easiest to manage. How to select delegate is that at least 70 percent of the delegates should not be under the control not anybody.I will say that if you cannot do direct primaries let us make sure that we increase the number of statutory delegates, people who have held offices in the party at different levels, even if it is the level of counselors, the former president said.He also endorsed the alliance-talks between PDP and other political parties.Tukur, also noted that PDP remains the largest party far beyond the shores of Nigeria. He however lambasted those defecting on a perceived promise of better future, likening them to those running to Europe for a better future that is not true.He however was concerned about the implementation of the recommendations in the report. Having served as chairman of the party at its most rancorous moment, he knows all to well how difficult it was for interests in the party to accept far-reaching reforms in the party.Anenih, on his part, blamed selfishness among some party leaders for the state of the party today. He said the party could have gone beyond its present status but for the selfishness among some party leaders.While he charged the party leadership to engage in constructive criticism, he advised that the party put its house in order before embarking on any form of electoral challenge.He however shocked some party faithful when he advocated that they allow President Muhammadu Buhari to finish his tenure.Second Republic Vice President and founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, has noted that the PDP came to its present predicament because some members of the party, whom he said do not know the original philosophy of the party wanted to take control of the party and subjected it to their whims and caprices. He particularly said that the genesis of the destruction of the party was when the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo ordered for re-registration of its membership, with the intent to sack some members from the party.Ekwueme said: The story of PDP makes me sometimes to weep. When our founding fathers said the party will be in charge for 60 years or more, some thought they were just bragging, PDP was packaged to be a mass movement of all Nigerians just like the ANC of south africa.While the Sen Ahmed Makarfi-led PDP, upon whose mandate, Gana team, met the founding fathers of the party, Sen Ali Modu Sheriff, had been busy in the South west.On Sunday, a day before the Gana team set out on the visitations, Sheriff was lapping up the endorsement of his leadership by some stakeholders of the party in the zone. Clearly, he needed to let the other group know he was not going to just fizzle away.Passing a vote of confidence on Senator Sherrif as the national chairman of the party, the expanded South- West PDP Committee who met at Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State, commended his efforts aimed at repositioning it.The National Vice-Chairman/Zonal Chairman of PDP in the South West, Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe, warned that if they failed to solve the leadership crisis rocking the party, it might not making any impact in the forth coming elections in Ekiti and Osun in 2018.He said, The greatest problem bedeviling our party is uncontrollable act of impunity exhibited by very few individuals entrusted with leadership and power.As we approach Ekiti and Osun electoral engagements, we dont want to suffer the same fate as in the recent past. Posterity will not forgive us because no political party remains in circulation without electoral success.If our party leaders decided to pay just a lip service to the current intra-party differences, then a period of damaging consequences will be unavoidable.In his remark, Senator Sheriff said he would continue to work for the progress of the party and return it to the grassroots.He said he would not be provoked by the statement of the partys Chairman of the Strategy Review Committee, Prof. Jerry Gana, adding that he would not allow any individual who might want to corner the party for selfish reasons.However while the infighting caused by leadership crisis rage pending a final judgement by the court, the prospects of PDP coming back as propounded by Jonathan has come under attack.This is in light of the plans to build a coalition of sorts with other political parties to retain their footing ahead of the 2019 election.Expectedly, the APC, describes the move by PDP as a huge joke, amidst conflicting signals by some of the parties said to be in talks with the PDP, like the Accord Party.Still, other political parties, bent on taking the spot as the most viable opposition party are not buying into the narrative that PDP remains the strongest party.National chairman of self acclaimed mega party, National Unity Party (NUP), Chief Perry Opara, while disagreeing with Jonathan on the status of PDP added that the former ruling party is dead for good.Opara, a former member of PDP, who blamed Jonathan for the loss suffered by PDP in 2015, stressed that the former ruling party died the day one of its former President Olusegun Obasanjo, supervised the tearing of his membership card of the party.Opara who was a director in Jonathans presidential campaign in 2011 said I totally disagree with former President Jonathan. In the first place, he caused PDPs defeat in 2015. He should not have contested in 2015.He should have allowed Dr. Tafawa Balewa and others to compete with him in 2015 PDP presidential primary. Jonathan is a good man but not a courageous leader. Courageous leaders straighten institutions to make them strong. Weak leaders dont make institutions strong.PDP is gone and gone forever. PDP died the day Obasanjo tore his membership card. Jonathan woke-up from his political slumber very late in the day. When he lost election in April 2015, leaders of PDP went to him severally to re-organize the party but he could not do that until he left office. Even after leaving office he could not do anything for PDP. He ran away.Two (2) years after, he has realized his mistakes to re-organize PDP when things have gone bad. No way. It is late. His entry into PDP now will create the 3rd faction in the party. He should step back and enjoy his retirement. The soul of PDP has left and will never come back.While the former president was out office he could not raise a finger for any of his aides or associates. All his campaign directors in 2011 were pushed out before 2015 elections. Not even one of them participated in his 2015 re-election. You dont change a winning team. His structures in the party were dismantled before 2015 re-election yet he couldnt do anything.He was not in charge.Instead of campaign on issues, they campaigned with money and left the substance. He resorted to campaign of calumny against Buhari. How do you convince Nigerians that such a corrupt group should come back in 2019. Never! Forget it.For what it is worth, the strategy report by the Gana committee, like other reports, has elicited excitement within the party. Still, the hopes and concerns expressed by the partys founding fathers are entrenched in the ability of the major stakeholders to implement the recommendations judiciously.Many party watchers aver that the overbearing influence of the governors (who powers would have to be whittled) has been put on the spot just as the alienation of youths by party leaders would be counter productive.
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