By Godswill Eketabubu
The above caption may seem unusual given the well-publicized succession of political problems that have afflicted the PDP since 2015, problems that were further exacerbated during the 2023 presidential election cycle.
Yet, as grave as these political maladies may appear, they currently pale into relative insignificance when compared to the complex legal challenge the party is now facing.
My theory is simple: tackle and resolve this knotty legal challenge, and the party’s political pathologies will begin to dissipate rapidly.
Ignore it, throw it under the bus, or address it half-heartedly, and the envisaged political solution being canvassed will only bring temporary relief.
PDP’s 2023 Political Wahala
The magnitude of the political crises that crippled the PDP during the 2023 presidential election season is well known.
From the party’s ambiguous stance on zoning the presidential ticket, to the refusal of then-National Chairman Dr. Iyorcha Ayu to resign, and the open rebellion led by Nyesom Wike and the G-5 Governors, the party’s fate was quickly sealed.
Its perennial candidate, Atiku Abubakar, lost the presidential election; Wike landed the top job as President Bola Tinubu’s Minister of the FCT; and a vicious political war was unleashed at the heart of the party’s ability to function as a coherent political apparatus.
Those aggrieved by the party’s actions in 2023 resolved to exact revenge. To achieve this, the party must be taught a lesson, one painful enough to break it into many pieces before 2027, thus paving the way for President Tinubu’s leisurely return to office.
At this stage, the driving force in the party’s persistent crises is political contestation: Who controls the party’s machinery? Who determines its direction? What purpose will it serve? There are three major forces in this rofo-rofo:
1. Those insisting that the party must remain autonomous and free from external control so it can wage and possibly win the 2027 political battle;
2. Those who want the party to be tied to the apron strings of President Tinubu and the ruling APC;
3. And those who neither want the party to be strong and united because “they have no portion in it again,” nor want Tinubu to have anything to do with it.
Without a shadow of doubt, the Governor of Bauchi State and Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Sen. Bala Mohammed, best exemplifies the first tendency.
He has recently been joined by the Acting National Chairman of the party, Amb. Illiya Damagun, whose loyalty to the party was initially seen as questionable.
PDP Lands Itself in a Legal Quagmire
The political noise was so loud that scant attention was paid to the legal challenge that crept into the party’s core: the epic battle over the National Secretary position.
Why is this struggle existential for the party? Not just because of the perception of institutional disorder, but because unless it is resolved, the party’s future is in grave danger.
The situation is straightforward: three claimants are vying for the position—
The elected National Secretary, Sen. SamDaddy Anyanwu;
Comrade Ude Okoye, nominated by the South East Caucus after Anyanwu contested the Imo State governorship;
Setonji Kosheodo, Deputy National Secretary, who emerged as Acting National Secretary to mediate between the two.
Any party member or leader who fails to recognize the centrality of this legal tussle to the party’s survival is either being mischievous or is downright clueless and politically naïve.
If resolved quickly, the party can convene a valid NEC, ratify legally sound appointments and zoning committees, hold a lawful National Convention to elect a new NWC, and in 2026, conduct presidential primaries to produce its candidate for the 2027 general elections.
However, if the party mishandles the National Secretary position, by retaining the wrong person, and proceeds with those processes, it will suffer the same fate as the APC in Zamfara in 2019.
This won’t just affect off-season elections, but will legally undermine all PDP candidates in the 2027 general elections, governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives, and state assemblies alike. Period.
INEC Holds the Ace in Resolving PDP’s Legal Problem
Many have argued that it’s improper for the party to seek INEC’s intervention, or that INEC should not interfere or summon its leaders to a meeting.
Some insist that the June 30th NEC meeting is sacrosanct and must hold, and that Sen. Anyanwu can never return as National Secretary.
While it’s understandable that people want to vent, reality must be approached rationally, not emotionally. Only through deliberate, logical action can the party escape this quagmire.
In Nigeria’s constitutional democracy, especially under its multiparty system, INEC is the Alpha and Omega. As uncomfortable as this may sound, it’s true.
As a regulator, INEC has powers that few people fully understand. Its legal team is formidable, given the volume of litigation it faces daily.
I would trust INEC’s interpretation of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the National Secretary issue over that of 100 SANs combined!
INEC has spoken. As regrettable and odious as that may seem to some, its stance is final. If the PDP acts otherwise, trust me, it will mark the beginning of its end, especially if it manages to dethrone President Tinubu.
So, what is INEC’s position?
The June 30 NEC meeting was illegally convened and cannot hold;
The National Secretary was supposed to co-sign the notice with the Acting National Chairman;
Sen. Anyanwu remains the valid National Secretary until the next elective convention;
Any attempt to sidestep this will result in legal catastrophe.
Even if INEC hasn’t said all this in a press conference, a visit to its records makes this position abundantly clear.
Gov. Bala Mohammed’s Rescue Mission
Gov. Bala Mohammed seems to have understood this reality. His relentless efforts, hosting countless meetings, pushing for compromise, show his commitment to rescuing the party.
He appears to have realized that Sen. Anyanwu’s refusal to resign after becoming a gubernatorial candidate or the friends he keeps are irrelevant in this context. What matters is legal compliance, not emotional sentiment.
The Acting National Chairman, Amb. Damagun, seems to share this perspective, as seen in the postponement of the June 30 NEC and the move to reinstate Sen. Anyanwu.
Sen. Bukola Saraki, Chairman of the Reconciliation Committee, also appears to be working toward this sound outcome.
My appeal to all PDP members, sympathizers like myself, and lovers of multiparty democracy, under pressure from a frightened APC and an ambitious presidency, is to rally around these efforts.
If someone like Gov. Bala Mohammed were to turn his back on the party now, one wonders what would become of it.
Rather than vilify him or others, party faithful should support the urgent mission of pulling the PDP from the jaws of APC sharks.
Plea To South East Party Leaders
To the South East leaders of the party, particularly the dynamic Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State and Sen. Adolphus Wabara, BOT Chairman, I appeal to you as a neighbour from the South-South and long-time PDP sympathizer: calm down.
Rise above your righteous anger over Anyanwu’s perceived betrayal and let peace reign. You cannot destroy what you helped build.
You cannot win this case in INEC’s eyes, and INEC’s eyes are the law in this instance. It may sound harsh and defeatist, but it’s the truth. Unless you have other reasons to leave the party, it should not be over Sen. Anyanwu, whose tenure lapses in November.
What good will it do to burn it all down when all that’s needed is patience for three or four months? Demand that the party rezone the position to the South East at the next convention and put your preferred candidate there for a full four-year term.
South East leaders have everything to gain by cooperating with Damagun and Gov. Bala Mohammed to finally resolve the National Secretary issue, abandon the illusion of a June 30 NEC meeting, and reframe that gathering as an Expanded National Caucus.
There, the date for a legitimate NEC and the National Convention can be decided.
To do otherwise is to hand victory to the party’s enemies—and contribute to its eventual ruin.
Dr. Eketabubu wrote from Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
