The Wike Albatross Around PDP’s Neck

Agency reports,

2023, Political watch…..

Last Wednesday, the embattled National Chairman of the opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, presided over a very stormy meeting of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party and on the agenda was the issue of monies returned its coffers by top officials of the party. The amount, totaling over N122m, was returned by among others, the Deputy National Chairman (South), Taofeek Arapaja, a known ally of Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.

A national newspaper (Not Tracknews Nigeria ) had reported that the monies were bribes by the National Chairman of the party to stave off impeachment or removal from office going by the pressure from some influential members of the party led by the Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike. Though facts later emerged that the monies had been disbursed even before any meeting to that effect took place.

It is obvious to all and sundry that Wike has become an albatross for the party and its leadership. One major highlight of the feud is the fact that he has been able to win some other governors on the platform of the party to his side. Such governors include Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Samuel Ortom of Benue State. Coupled with the fact that some governors of the ruling party have also visited the outspoken governor. They included Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, outgoing governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, and the current governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. In fact, the Lagos State governor even commissioned some projects in Wike’s Rivers State ostensibly to spite his party leaders.

It was however a little surprising when Ortom, the Benue State governor, announced recently that he would no longer be part of the moves to remove the embattled National Chairman of the party and former Senate President, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, from office. The Benue governor was reacting to an accusation by a group, Jemgbagh Development Association, Abuja, that he (Ortom) was plotting the downfall of his fellow Benue man. Ortom said he was one of those who worked tirelessly to ensure the emergence of Ayu as the National Chairman of the party and he remained confident that the former Senate President had the wherewithal to lead the party to victory.

A statement signed by Ortom’s Chief Press Secretary, Nathaniel Ikyur, read in part:

“Governor Ortom vouched for the integrity and capacity of Dr. Iyorchia Ayu to lead and rebuild the PDP to victory and rescue Nigeria from the misrule of the APC maladministration. That is why Ayu was returned unopposed by the northern caucus of the party and got elected as the national chairman of the PDP at the party’s convention. Where was Jemgbagh Development Association, when Governor Ortom galvanised support from across the leaders of the party to make Dr. Ayu PDP’s National Chairman? What was their contribution to that project that they now want to use clannish stance to blackmail the governor? This amorphous and emergency Jemgbagh Development Association, Abuja, which has never been heard of before, is now masquerading as the voice of Jemgbagh to embark on campaign of calumny against Governor Ortom, who has worked selflessly for the people of Benue State.”

Wike, while holding a special press briefing recently, had accused Ayu of collecting the sum of one billion naira from one of the then presidential aspirants of the party prior to the presidential convention late May. He also accused him of partiality and that he even threatened to resign if Atiku did not emerge as the presidential candidate of the party.

It could be recalled that Atiku beat Wike to the PDP presidential ticket and since then, the party has known no peace with the Rivers governor insisting that Ayu must resign to create balance between the North and the South within the party since the North had already picked the presidential ticket of the party, the National Chairman’s position should come to the South. Atiku has repeatedly insisted that he was not in any position to force Ayu to resign.

Many analysts have opined that while Wike has been creating the impression that he is fighting for the interest of the South, the fact is that he is probably playing the politics of 2027 with the move to install a pliable leader of the party. Many have pointed to the fact that he was the one who practically installed Uche Secondus as the National Chairman of the party before he (Wike) led the moves that led to his removal from office. Now, his latest battle is to remove Ayu with many insisting that such moves when campaigns for the 2023 general election have started is not only ill-timed, but also inimical to the interest of the party.

And Ortom is not alone in abandoning Wike. Former governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, (a known strong ally of Wike) who has practically turned Port-Harcourt, the Rivers State capital into his second home, seems to have also retraced his steps and decided to work for the party. Recently, he hosted a stakeholders’ meeting in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, and vowed to work for the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

As for Makinde, the Oyo State governor, he too seems to have mellowed down, bearing in mind that he is seeking a second term in office as governor. And he is fully aware that his re-election would be strongly dependent on the fortunes of the PDP at the presidential election which will be coming before the governorship polls.

If Ortom, Fayose and Makinde actually retrace their steps and align with the leadership of the party, Wike might end up becoming what many have always thought he would become: a lone ranger. Stay tuned.

Makindes Re-Election Gamble

While the crisis within the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP festers, one prominent name from the South-west that has been featuring is that of businessman and the current governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde. He had aligned with the fiery governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, and was part of prominent top members of the party, especially from the southern part of the country, asking for the resignation of the National Chairman of the party and former Senate President, Iyorchia Ayu. Their argument was that since the North had picked the presidential ticket of the party, the leadership of the party should be ceded to the South.

While Wike led the charge, the likes of Makinde, Ortom of Benue State, former Governor Ayo Fayose, former military governor of old Ondo State, Rear Admiral Bode George, (rtd) and others served as foot soldiers.

Of all these personalities, one person many political watchers felt was taking an unnecessary risk was Makinde. Because of all the lot, he is the only one seeking a second term in office. Even Wike, who is leading the battle, is already reaching the twilight of his second term in office.

Recall that Makinde had earlier had a running battle with Fayose over who should be considered the leader of the PDP family in the South-west. He felt as a serving governor and the highest elected member of the party in the zone, he should be accorded that recognition. Rumours also had it then that he was eyeing the vice-presidential slot of the party. But now that he has been given to current governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, Makinde has no choice than to shift full attention to his second term project. And going by the way elections go in this part of the world, the presidential election which will be coming before the governorship election might have a direct bearing on Makinde’s re-election chances. And going by the position he took as Wike battles the leadership of the party, not a few within the top hierarchy of the party would have felt offended. This, coupled with issues he has to face internally from those who are eyeing his job has prompted the question: will Makinde return to office in May 2023?

Tinubu’s Return Herald of Campaign Council Inauguration?

Many became aware that all was not well with the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) when the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, wrote the presidential candidate and former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to withdraw the list of members of the campaign council he compiled.

Even before then, the Director of Media and Publicity of the Tinubu Presidential Campaign Organisation, Bayo Onanuga, had announced that the inauguration of the campaign council earlier slated for that day (September 26) had been postponed till Wednesday September 28. And just when members of the council were preparing for the special prayers that were to precede the inauguration, another announcement came from the Plateau State governor and Director-General of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Organisation, Simon Lalong, that the inauguration of the campaign council had been postponed indefinitely.

Till now, a new date has not been announced for the inauguration of the campaign council. The reason for the postponement, according to Lalong, was the need to accommodate more stakeholders and interests within the APC family as many have openly complained that the campaign list did not reflect the different shades of interest within the party.

Lalong’s statement read inter alia:

“Recall that we had earlier earmarked a peace walk and prayers for Wednesday, September 28, 2022, to officially kick-off our campaigns for the 2023 Presidential Elections. We had also announced that members of the Campaign Council report at the Campaign Headquarters on that day to collect their letters of appointments. However, due to the expansion of the list to accommodate more stakeholders and interests within the APC family, we have decided to adjust the time-table of these activities in order to ensure everyone is on board before activities officially commence. Consequently, the activities earlier announced for the 28th of September will no longer hold.”

However, information filtering through indicates that there are other serious underlying issues which the party is trying to manage ahead of the campaigns which promise to be hectic. One of the issues is that of northern governors who sources told THISDAY feel Tinubu is not carrying them along in the management of the campaign. The source also claimed that most of the names handed to him for inclusion in the campaign council were dropped by the former Lagos State governor who decided to put most of his loyalists.

The source also said that contrary to claims that both Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, were excused from the campaign council by President Muhammadu Buhari so they could face governance, the duo actually declined to be part of the campaign council over the Muslim-Muslim ticket controversy.

Another disgruntled top figure of the party is the former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who is said to feel seriously slighted by the open romance and wooing of current Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, by the Tinubu camp; knowing full well that there is no love lost between them.

Now that campaigns have officially started and the ruling party has not even been able to inaugurate its campaign council, it remains to be seen how it will be able to focus on the task of retaining power. While it seems Wike is fighting an attritional war with his party, APC’s own headache might dwarf the migraine of PDP. However, let’s hope that the return of Tinubu from the UK will change things for the better.

Obi’s Endless Consultations and ‘Organic Rallies’

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party and former governor of Anambra State, must have been dazed by the way his popularity has grown since he decamped from the PDP and picked the presidential ticket of the Labour Party. In fact, it has gone beyond followership to a movement and the Obidients (as his followers are called) now cut across all shades of the social ladder. It must be noted however that it is mainly made up of young Nigerians who seem to have grown tired and disillusioned with failed promises of both the PDP and APC. In fact, the march held by his supporters in Abuja attested to the fact that it is surely going to be a three-horse race, come February 2023.

This was followed by rallies across the city of Lagos, despite the fact that the police did everything possible to intimidate the organisers into calling them off. From FESTAC to Surulere; from Ikeja to Lekki, supporters of the former governor of Anambra State shut down the city of Lagos with what many of them called “organic rallies.”

One of those who attended the rallies told this reporter that no one coordinated anyone. He said announcements were made on social media and those who were interested showed up. This was despite heavy police and security presence at the Lekki Toll Gate where the Obi supporters wanted to have the rally before it was stopped by the court.

Even in the midst of this, the former Managing Director of Fidelity Bank PLc is still junketing all over the country ‘consulting’ with opinion moulders, traditional rulers and former leaders. Recently, Obi was in Minna, the Niger State capital, where he met two former military rulers, Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Abdusalami Abubakar. Before then, he was in Kano where he met the Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero. After that, he moved to the ancient city of Ile-Ife, Osun State, where he met the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi. He was also in Ondo State where he met the state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, and his wife. He was also in Benin-City, the Edo State capital, where he met Governor Godwin Obaseki. Obi has also met former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who unconfirmed reports say is actually rooting for the former managing director of Fidelity Bank.

Some Obi’s supporters, many of whom are obviously exuberant, have kicked against those consultations; complaining that Obi is hobnobbing with the same people who brought Nigeria to her knees.

But those who are close to Obi are of the opinion that he needed to meet and consult with as many opinion moulders and former leaders as his schedules and time could accommodate.

“While his popularity is growing every day and both the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, see him as a threat, it would be foolish to assume that he would win the presidential election on a platter of gold. In a pluralistic and patriarchal society like ours, winning an election goes beyond the support of the mob”, an analyst wrote on his social media page last week.

As the Obi movement surges on, maybe it is high time the two dominant parties realised that the 2023 presidential election would be a different ball game.