ONYEKACHI EZE writes on the recent defections in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the likely effect on opposition politics in Nigeria.
Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, last week, became the third President of the Senate to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to another political party. The other two were Senators Chuba Okadigbo and Ken Nnamani.
Okadigbo joined the now defunct All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) where he was nominated as Muhammadu Buhari running mate in the 2003 presidential election, while Nnamani joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) shortly after PDP lost the 2015 election. Anyim has already declared for the APC.
PDP has suffered steady loss of its members since the 2023 general election in almost all the states of the country, including Imo, Abia, Katsina, Benue, Ondo, Niger, Ebonyi, Anambra among others.
In Imo, former Governor Emeka Ihedioha, left in April, together with his deputy Gerald Irona, two former ministers Charles Ugwu and Chima Odom, former lawmakers and council chairmen.
Those who left included South-East zonal executive committee members – Chief Ekezie and Chief Augustine Elochukwu; two senatorial candidates in the 2023 general election, four House of Representatives candidates in the last election, former Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly, Lawman Duruji, and Okey Onyekamma, 24 former local council chairmen, and about 291 interim management committee members, who served under the Ihedioha administration.
About 2,277 top leaders and financiers of the party across the state were said to have left with the former governor, among them were 29 out of 39 members of the state executive committee; 13 out of 27 PDP council chairmen; 267 out of 432 PDP council officers; 243 out of 305 ward chairmen; over 3,888 ward executives. In other words, PDP is like empty shell in Imo State.
They are however yet to declare any political affiliation. Ihedioha had cited PDP’s failure to offer credible opposition to the ruling APC, and failure to carry out internal reforms, drift from the ideals upon which the party was founded, and the party’s inability to enforce its own rules and constitution, as some of the reasons for leaving the party.
The galore of defections that hit the party claimed former Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Chief Chinedum Orji; former deputy speaker, Cosmos Ndukwe; former member of the House of Assembly, Chief Jerry Uzosike; former commissioners, Eze Chikamnayo, and Ndukwe Adindu, as well as former Chief of Staff, Prof Anthony Agbazuere, among others.
The entire executive members of Ward C in Item, Bende Local Government Area resigned and joined APC. They said their actions were due to the “disorderliness in the national leadership of PDP.” In fact, the immediate former governor of the state Okezie Ikpeazu is believed to be the only few notable figures of the PDP left in Abia State.
In Katsina State, Ibrahim Shema, two-time governor of the state on PDP platform, left in March. Shema has been having frosty relationship with the party since 2023 when he was suspended for anti-party activities. The former governor was accused of working for the candidates of the APC in the 2023 general election.
The defection of former Senator Matthew Urhoghide who represented Edo South in the 9th Senate, to APC, was more or less, a return home; he was a foundation member of APC.
Indeed, the list seemed to be endless. Perhaps, since it went into opposition in 2015, after 16 years in power, PDP have not witnessed the avalanche of defection like it is presently experiencing, not even during the over 12 months protracted leadership tussle with Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.
Former Jigawa governor Alhaji Sule Lamido, blamed frustration in the leadership as reason why members are leaving the party.
PDP seemed to lack purposeful leadership since March 2023 when the former National Chairman Senator Iyorchia Ayu was sacked. Since then, Ambassador Umar Damagum who was Deputy National Chairman (North), has been holding fort in acting capacity. This is not only the first time the party does not have a substantive National Chairman for over a year, but a leadership without direction.
Last April, some PDP members in the House of Representatives led by Ikenga Ugochinyere, demanded Damagum’s removal as acting National Chairman, because of alleged plan to impose APC interest in PDP. Damagum is believed to be serving the interest of Nyesom Wike who is now a minister in APC government. The acting National Chairman is also accused of doing Wike’s biddings and siding him in the ongoing crisis between him and the state governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The National Working Committee (NWC) led by Damagum sometime in April, released a list of PDP caretaker committee members for Rivers State, which was rejected by Fubara, because “we agreed that, not just in Rivers State, but in all the states affected, (that) the executive councils should be extended for three months.”
Ugochinyere, the leader of the 60 federal lawmakers demanding the sack of the acting National Chairman, stated that “Despite the decision to retain everybody, Damagun went ahead and received a list of APC agents and announced them as members and leaders of the PDP Local Government Caretaker Committees wholly in Rivers State and partially in at least ten other states. This is a direct attempt to kill the PDP and ensure it goes into extinction.
“Let the world know that why they are hell-bent on imposing APC officials as our party caretaker members is to fulfil a planned bigger plot.”
Many PDP members are not happy that no disciplinary action was taken against party members who openly campaigned for opposition candidates and worked against PDP candidates at national and state levels in the 2023 general election. Instead, some of them are still dictating what is happening in the party. Perhaps, this was one of the reasons cited by Ihedioha for leaving the party, when he stated that PDP failed to carry out internal reforms and enforce its own rules and constitution.
Few weeks ago, Governor Fubara said PDP has abandoned him and the state chapter in the battle over impeachment by lawmakers loyal to Wike.
PDP under Damagum has not intervened in states where there is internal crisis, or where the ruling party is trying to muzzle PDP governor out of office through the court. Rivers State is a practical example. The party leadership has not attempted to bring the governor and his traducers to a round table to resolve the differences. Instead, it was President Bola Tinubu who is an APC member that initiated a truce, even though it failed to resolve the differences. Some people are telling Governor Fubara to leave the PDP because of the attitude of the leadership to the crisis in the state.
Apart from Rivers, there is also the case of Plateau State where PDP lost majority in the House of Assembly after the Court of Appeal sacked PDP lawmakers in what the party believed to be skewed judgements against the its elected candidates. Apart from occasional press statements, the party leadership did not deem it fit to visit the state in solidarity to the affected lawmakers.
Edo State is another case. While the state governor Godwin Obaseki was having issues with his deputy, Philip Shaibu leading to the deputy governor’s impeachment by the State House of Assembly, the party leadership felt unconcerned. Now the party has been embarrassed with the reversal of impeachment by the court. Already, Shaibu has declared support and is working for APC candidate for the September 21 Edo governorship election.
PDP lost the 2023 presidential election due to lack of internal democracy. Mr. Peter Obi and Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso who contested the presidential election on Labour Party and New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) respectively, left PDP because the leadership failed to allow level playing field in the 2022 presidential primary. Obi got over six million votes and Kwankwaso, over two million votes. Their combined votes together with Atiku Abubakar’s over seven million votes would have given PDP undisputed victory in the 2023 presidential election.
The party is planning to hold congresses in about 26 states. This is another avenue for conflicts and disaffections.
PDP had accused the APC of plot for one-party state by emasculating institutions of democracy – the legislature, the judiciary and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Nigeria seems to be moving towards totalitarian regime. Opposition has been silenced and the National Assembly, which is expected to check the excesses of the executive, has capitulated.
Former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar Nigeria’s democracy is being compromised by the unholy alliance between the executive and the legislature. The two chambers are doing the biddings of the president, and any voice of dissent is punished.
Last week, Senator Ali Ndume who represents Borno South in the Senate, was removed as Chief Whip and replaced with Senator Mohammed Monguno. Ndume’s offence was because he spoke against the economic policy of President Tinubu, which he said, is hurting Nigerians.
Before him was Senator Abdul Ningi, who was suspended after he raised alarm over the 2024 budget padded.
According to Atiku, “Democracy in Nigeria in the current administration of President Bola Tinubu has become an anathema to that general principle of democracy as providing primary protection for the people against executive excesses.
“This ugly tendency is being manifested by the steady posturing of our National Assembly, especially the Senate, of taking a reverse course in its core function and becoming a puppet in the hands of the President.
Some of these defections to the ruling party may be for economic benefit, or fear of the government using the state apparati against them. Former APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole, had advised politicians being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to join APC and their sins would be forgiven.