Facts have emerged why the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reconstituted its National Reconciliation and Disciplinary Committees.
The party had, after its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in April (after more than two years), named former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, as Chairman of the National Reconciliation Committee, and former Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, Chairman of Disciplinary Committee.
Another committee on Constitution Amendment was also constituted with PDP National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), as Chairman.
But in a statement last week, the party replaced Saraki with former Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, while former Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Tom Ikimi, who was occupying the position before, was returned as Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee.
The party said the two committees would be inaugurated on Wednesday this week.
Saraki was appointed the PDP six-man National Reconciliation Committee in 2020 by the party’s former National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, to replace former Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Seriake Dickson.
No reason was given why the committees were not inaugurated four months after they were reconstituted, or why the leaderships were changed.
A National Working Committee member of the party, who doesn’t want to be named, however disclosed that Saraki was replaced as National Reconciliation Committee chairman because he was no longer interested.
“He believes he will be used to achieve other people’s interests. They went to him over and over and he rejected the proposal,” the former NWC member added.
Saraki seemed not have shown much commitment in reconciling aggrieved PDP members, unlike when Dickson occupied that position.
Although, the present National Working Committee (NWC) members of the party emerged mostly through consensus after the 2021 National Convention, the Saraki-led National Reconciliation Committee did nothing to calm the frayed nerves that followed the May 2022 presidential primaries.
The disaffection arising from the primary election was believed to have led to the party’s loss of the presidential election, because it was not well handled.
“We expected the National Reconciliation Committee to reach out to Nyesom Wike and other aggrieved members, but nothing happened.
“This was part of the reasons why PDP lost the presidential election because there was no unity in the party. Every party was supporting candidate of his choice and nobody was talking to anyone,” a member of the party stated.
Saraki was also one of the presidential aspirants, who lost the party’s ticket to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Many PDP leaders still believed that if Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso did not leave the party and contested the presidential election on different party platforms, PDP would have won the 2023 presidential election.
Another source, however, told Sunday Telegraph that many party stakeholders don’t want Saraki to retain the chairmanship position because he used it to advance his presidential ambition the last time.
He dismissed the argument that he rejected the offer, noting that, “he used the position to his advantage when he contested the last presidential primaries.
“We want someone who does not have presidential ambition to be the chairman. This is to give every aspirant a level playing field.”
The source disclosed that the mandate of the Disciplinary Committee does not include those who played anti-party activities during the 2023 general elections.
According to him: “The committee is not expected to open old wounds. We want the bygone to be bygone. Let’s draw a line.”
National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, had at a stakeholders’ meeting earlier in the year, challenged every member of the party to state the role he or she played during the election before condemning others.
“If you rise to speak, I beg you to spell out your own role in 2023 elections, either positive or negative before you jump to accuse someone else either negatively or positively.
“Everybody had a role to play. We contributed both individually and collectively.
“You can accuse anybody here for playing pro or anti-party activities.
“We believe there are people here who will accuse some of our elders of certain roles they played.
“In my state, somebody suggested that we should suspend a member but I said no; he is free to go to anywhere he wants to go. Suspending him means you are acknowledging that he has done something bad to the party.
“Suspension is not an answer to a bad behaviour towards the party,” he said.
The PDP source said reconstituting the committees was to assuage the feelings of party members and “correct the perception that the party is in (Nyesom) Wike’s pocket.
“There is the mistrust between some stakeholders and some governors, who are in their second term, that they want to use the party structure to further their political ambition.
“That is what the reconciliation essentially is seeking to correct.”
He stated that Atiku’s position is simply to wait and see how the whole thing plays out.
“But I believe that Atiku cannot be stopped. Wike and his boys are not capable to deny him access to the party.”
