PDP crisis: Is Saraki-led c’ttee walking a tight rope?

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) National Reconciliation Committee led by former Senate president, Bukola Saraki, appears to be walking a tight rope in a bid to resolve the contentious issues and stabilise the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The PDP had been embroiled in another round of crisis after the conduct of the presidential primary for the 2023 election which produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its candidate.

Former governor of Rivers State who is currently the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike,  contested the primary but lost to Atiku.  He equally craved for the vice-presidential slot, but was unsuccessful as Atiku picked a former governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate.

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The development sparked a serious crisis that led to the formation of the G-5, the “rebel governors” led by Wike, who worked collectively to ensure the party lost the 2023 presidential poll.

Since then, the PDP has been struggling to reconcile aggrieved members and reposition to reclaim power in 2027.

One of the efforts was the setting up of the Saraki-led committee to reconcile aggrieved members and prepare the party for victory in the next general election.

One of the contentious issues which is the battle for the party’s secretaryship emerged with Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Sunday Udeh-Okoye both laying claims to the seat. Their rivalry has led to litigation and several meetings of critical organs of the party, but no solution has been reached.

How Saraki c’ttee was formed

As part of efforts to resolve the issue of who takes the party’s secretaryship among others, a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC), the PDP governors and former governors who are members of the party was held at the Bauchi State Governors’ Lodge in Abuja.

The meeting was attended by the majority of the governors led by Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State who is Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, and former governors as well as Wike.

Also in attendance were members of the National Assembly Caucus and members of the National Working Committee (NWC). But all efforts to resolve the crisis failed.

Daily Trust gathered that parties in the crisis refused to shift grounds as Wike insisted on Anyanwu retaining his position as secretary, with the governors aligning with Ude-Okoye.

Not giving up on reconciliation efforts, the meeting set up a seven-man committee headed by Saraki and saddled with the responsibility of ensuring a rancour-free NEC meeting and the national convention slated for August.

Governors Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), Caleb Muftwang (Plateau) and Peter Mba (Enugu) were appointed into the committee. Others were Senators Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa West), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe North), and former governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu.

The huddles

Efforts by the committee to rally aggrieved members to attend the last NEC meeting held on the 27th of last month were not successful as Wike and some of his loyalists stayed away.

Less than 24 hours to the NEC, the PDP National Secretariat, popularly known as the Wadata Plaza, was sealed by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for non-payment of ground rent.

The Wike group within the party however called the NEC meeting a stakeholders’ gathering, noting that the notice of the meeting was not signed by Senator Anyanwu.

Our correspondent gathered from credible sources that the Saraki-led committee has met with Wike and some key members of the NWC as part of efforts to resolve the ongoing issues.

It was also gathered that the committee had met with the Enugu and Oyo State governors to find a solution to the crisis.

But a highly placed source within the party hierarchy told Daily Trust that both parties have refused to shift grounds.

He said while Wike and his group are insisting on Anyanwu, the governors of Enugu and Oyo states told the committee that Ude-Okoye must be recognised as the party’s national secretary.

“The main problem now is that while the Wike group believes that Anyanwu should be secretary because of the Supreme Court ruling, the governors who are insisting that the Supreme Court ruling had given the party the power to select its leaders, pointing out that that is why they asked the South East Caucus to come up with a nomination.

“The issue is that both parties believed the judgement was in their favour and they are insisting that the situation should go their way.

“The Saraki-led committee had initially recommended that Anyanwu should resume his position because he was still recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),” he said.

“But some of the governors were not happy about that. I believe with the National Convention fast approaching, the parties might come together and resolve the issues as one family,” he added.

Another source within the party hinted to our correspondent that the governors were not happy with the Saraki-led committee, with some of them saying he was pandering to the Wike group.

Wike group gives conditions for peace

As the battle for the control of the party’s structure rages, the FCT minister has met with members of his camp in Abuja to fine-tune their strategies.

The meeting gave two key conditions for peace to reign. One of the conditions was that the party zones the 2027 presidential ticket to the South. The second condition was that Anyanwu must be reinstated as national secretary.

Those present at the meeting were members of the G-5 – former Enugu State governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; former Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu and former Benue governor, Samuel Ortom.

Others were former Senate Minority Leader, Senator Philip Aduda, embattled National Secretary, Anyanwu, serving and former members of the National Assembly and other loyalists of the FCT minister in the PDP.

The meeting which was tagged, “PDP eminent stakeholders and concerned leaders” resolved that to finally “arrest the inexorable drift towards extinction in our party, the party must, without further delay, respect the judgment of the Supreme Court.

“We, therefore, unequivocally reaffirm Senator Sam Anyanwu as the duly elected and substantive National Secretary of our great party.

“In the spirit of fairness, inclusion, Federal Character Principle and respect for our party constitution, the party must make an unequivocal pronouncement zoning its presidential candidate to the South in the 2027 elections after the unbroken years of a northern president under President Muhammadu Buhari.

“In line with the provisions of our party constitution, only the National Secretary, Senator Sam Anyanwu, can issue notices of meeting of the National Convention, National Executive Committee, National Caucus and the National Working Committee and to this end all notices not issued by him and actions founded on them, including correspondences to INEC are null and void and of no effect whatsoever,” it said.

Analysts say the Saraki-led committee is in a tight corner as both parties have refused to sheathe their swords.

Reconciliation yielding results – Saraki

Responding to a question on whether the committee is walking a tight rope, Saraki’s spokesperson, Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu, told Daily Trust that the efforts of the committee were yielding positive results.

“There is a sign that there is progress, and that is what the committee was constituted to do. It was to bring about a rancour-free NEC meeting and National Convention.

“On May 27, against all odds, the NEC meeting was held, another NEC meeting is being planned for June 30, and it will be held and even more robust and successful where far reaching decisions will be taken towards the National Convention.

“So let us wait for the committee to conclude its assignment. But the signs are there and he is reaching out to all the stakeholders to make sure that the right thing is done,” he said.

Recall that after a meeting with the Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah; Senators Seriake Dickson and Ibrahim Dankwambo in Enugu recently, Saraki admitted that the task given to his committee was not an easy one, but said it would deliver on its mandate.

“The road ahead won’t be easy. It will test us and demand more from each of us,” Saraki said.

Analyst weights in

But a political analyst, Jackson Lekan Ojo, said, “There is nothing the Saraki-led committee can do.  The crisis is irreconcilable because people have been sponsored to do what they are doing.”

Ojo said the political bigwigs at the centre of the crisis must be expelled by the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the National Convention for peace to return.

“I don’t know why the party has not expelled Wike, Anyanwu and Damagum up till now. What they are doing is to destroy the party,” he said.

The analyst said for the PDP to genuinely bounce back, there must be expulsion of some members who do not have the interest of the party and Nigerians at heart, but their personal interest.