PDP Crisis: Party Leaders Plot Change Of Name, Merger With Smaller Parties - Politics

 

Top shots of the Peoples Democratic Party have set plans in motion to dissolve the party and merge with other parties with “similar ideology” to form a stronger and fresher coalition after the handover of power on May 29.

The PDP, which has ruled Nigeria since 1999, lost the March 28 presidential election to the opposition All Progressives Congress.

The party also lost its majority position in the two houses of the National Assembly, as well as governorship elections in many states especially in
the north where it could only retain Gombe and Taraba states.
The party’s victory in Rivers and Akwa Ibom state is also being threatened by a strong set of evidence of rigging in the April 11 governorship election in
the two states.

PREMIUM TIMES investigations revealed that Governors Sule Lamido, Godswill Akpabio, Muazu Aliyu and a few other governors are pushing towards forming an alliance with other parties.

Top PDP members of the party, such former defence chief, Theophilus Danjuma, former finance minister,
Adamu Ciroma, and others, are in the lead.

A source, familiar with the moves, informed PREMIUM TIMES that the PDP is planning to merge with the All Progressive Grand Alliance, Labour Party, Kowa, Hope Party and others to form a mega opposition party to challenge the APC.

“There will be a special convention after the handover on May 29 where a formal merger process will start,” he said.

The spokesperson to Governor Muazu Aliyu of Niger state, Israel Ebije, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that Mr. Aliyu is working alongside other colleagues to “take over” the party.

“You are right,” Mr. Ebije said. “There are moves
going on along this direction and the plan is to
transform the party into a very formidable opposition. Many individuals and of course political
parties of like minds would be invited to be on board.”

He also said Governors Lamido and Aliyu decided to
stay in the PDP as a matter of principle.

“They cannot leave a house they built to tenants to
take over,” he said.

Mr. Ebije said the plan for a new, stronger party
may not come as soon as power is handed over.

“The PDP convention will take place on May 15,
2016 and the plan is to take over the leadership
with people who can deliver,” he said.

He also said that those pushing for the agenda have
concluded that the word PDP has become toxic to
Nigerians and that it will be counterproductive to
continue to use it as a viable opposition party.

“PDP may go and a new party may emerge, that is
the way to go,” he said.

Our source added that the new party would engage
in aggressive membership drive as soon as it comes
on board. He said the new party will monitor events
in the APC and is hoping that after the President
elect, Muhammadu Buhari, forms his cabinet, a few
people who have no place will feel disappointed and
would join the opposition.

The APC was formed through the merger of three
main opposition parties, the Action Congress of
Nigeria, the All Nigeria Peoples Party, and the Congress for Progressive Change, as well as a
faction of APGA in 2013.

The formation of the APC brought about a strong
challenge to the PDP, which had been in power
since the return to democratic rule in 1998.

The new party’s efforts were helped by the
defection of five governors and former Vice
President Atiku Abubakar from the PDP after they
staged a walkout at the national convention of the
party in Abuja in 2013.

Speaking on Saturday, our source said the new
party, when formed, also plans to court as many
retired Nigerians as possible, particularly those
seen as “apolitical”, to swell its ranks and put it on
a strong pedestal to challenge the APC.

NWC kicks

The latest move to dissolve the PDP appears not to
have the backing of the party’s National Working
Committee.

The spokesperson of the party, Olisa Metuh who
spoke with PREMIUM TIMES over the telephone on
Saturday accused those “who are refusing to see
that the party leadership is in charge” of trying yet
again to create crisis in the party.

“I can tell you authoritatively that there is no such
thing on the card,” he said

Mr. Metuh said the problems of the party are over
and that the NWC is focused on repositioning the
party.

He said the NWC is presently engaged in ensuring
that the PDP does not lose more states to the APC
through election petition tribunals.

“What is occupying our minds now is to make sure
that APC propaganda does not work in states that
we have won to affect our efforts at the tribunals,”
Mr. Metuh said.

He also denied talks of any merger with other
political parties.

“What is happening is that people don’t seem to
appreciate that we are the administrators of this
party and we have the capacity and competence to
lead the PDP back to power,” he said.

The PDP had been embroiled in controversy since
losing the presidential election. Many top members
of the party including governors elected under the
platform of the party accused the National Working
Committee of leading the party to its most
disastrous outing and therefore asked the NWC
members to resign their positions.

Those pushing for the sack of the leadership of the
party also accused the leaders of siphoning
campaign funds. The NWC members were accused
of collecting N300 million each but failed to do
anything for the victory of its candidate, Goodluck
Jonathan.

The NWC on the other hand accused the presidential campaign organisation of causing the
defeat of Mr. Jonathan by carrying out hate speech
against the APC candidate, Mr. Buhari and the
people of the north.

Mr. Metuh had penultimate week addressed a
press conference in his office and said the money
given to NWC members were the backlog of
allowances that had not been paid for two years.

He also said instead of embezzling campaign funds,
the party spent the over N9 billion it generated on
the sale of nomination forms on the presidential as
well as governorship and assembly campaigns.

Mr. Metuh also said the NWC was side-lined during
the campaign and that no money was given to it
and could not therefore, have embezzled what was
not given in the first place.

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