Despite the uncertainties that surrounded the holding of the Peoples Democratic Party National convention held over the weekend, the opposing party ma
Despite the uncertainties that surrounded the holding of the Peoples Democratic Party National convention held over the weekend, the opposing party managed to pull off what some has described as a peaceful and productive convention.
Barely 24 hours to the convention, it was still unknown if the convention will go ahead as judgement on the case brought by the ousted chairman, Uche Secondus was still pending at the Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The party before the convention also faced the dilemma of the zoning of the 2023 presidential ticket and the effect it was going to have on forming the structure of the present National Executive Committee of the party.
Supporters of the 2019 presidential candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, had been pushing for his adoption as the standard flag-bearer for the 2023 poll or that at least, he should be offered the right of first refusal.
However, the decision of the southern governors that the south must produce the next president in 2023 threw a spanner into the works. This meant that the party had to create a new structure for the new exco.
The responsibility of the task was given to the Peoples Democratic Party Zoning Committee led by the Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, with the Deputy Governor of Zamfara State, Mahdi Aliyu Gusau as secretary.
The committee’s recommendation that the next national chairman of the party will be chosen from among northerners while the position of National Secretary will go south was adopted by the National Working Committee of the party.
When the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt on Friday, October 29 dismissed the application by the sacked National Chairman Secondus, it meant all was now okay and the convention was held on Saturday 30, and Sunday 31.
As the dust settles on the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP National convention, The Street Journal analyzes the winners and losers.
WINNERS
PDP Governors
The PDP governors emerged as the biggest winners of the convention. This is because only candidates endorsed by the Governors as zoned to their states or regions were elected into the new NWC of the party.
As expected, former Senate President, Senator Iyorchia Ayu emerged as the new national chairman of the PDP having been endorsed by the Northern Caucus.
The new national secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu emerged having also been endorsed by the South-East Caucus piloted by the two PDP Governors in the zone – Okezie Ikpeazu and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi -and immediate past Imo State Governor, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha.
The keenly contested deputy chairman south was won by former Oyo State deputy Governor, Taofeek Arapaja who had the backing of the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde.
With the emergence of this new party leadership, the governors are effectively in charge of the structure of the opposition party.
Governor Nyesom Wike
The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike has emerged as a big wig in the opposing party since it lost in the 2015 presidential election.
He handpicked Uche Secondus as national chairman of the PDP and was also instrumental in the plot that sacked Secondus as chairman in August this year following months of acrimony between the once-trusted allies.
When the Court of Appeal dismissed Secondus’ case to install him back as chairman of the PDP and also prevent the national convention from holding, it was a victory not only for the PDP, it was also a victory for Governor Wike as well as it meant he had successfully gotten rid of the influence of Secondus from the party.
Speaking after the judgement, Governor Wike described Secondus as a “sabotage and enemy of the party.”
Senator Iyorchia Ayu
The new National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Iyorchia Ayu is the ultimate winner of the convention. Although it is reported that Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, who is the only PDP governor in the North Central, produced the national chairman, the former senate president has waltzed his way to the very top of contemporary party politics in the PDP.
Peoples’ Democratic Party Zoning Committee
The Peoples’ Democratic Party Zoning committee under the chairmanship of the Enugu governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi are also winners from the just concluded PDP national convention.
It is the zoning framework that was produced by the committee that was adopted and used by the party during the elections.
It can be argued that they did very good work as the zoning framework facilitated a hitch-free convention.
PDP Members in general
In all, the biggest winners at the PDP national convention are the PDP members themselves who were able to, in this present political climate, successfully pull off a national convention.
So far, they have been no challenges of the election results and outcomes as the losers seem to have licked their wounds in the interest of party unity.
All members seem to believe in the ideals of the party and have agreed within themselves that the major task at hand is not in-fighting but to focus on wrestling back power from the ruling party, the All Progressive Congress (APC).
LOSERS
Prince Uche Secondus
The sacked former chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus lost big time in the just concluded national convention.
Following his fallout with Wike and some members of the party which culminated in the PDP House of Representatives caucus demanding his resignation, he remained bullish and responded that he was not going to resign as according to him, he committed no offence.
After his controversial removal as the national chairman of the party in late August, Secondus went to court challenging his sack. Despite losing the case, he went on to challenge the ruling in the Court of Appeal also attempting to stop the convention from holding.
The Court of Appeal also dismissed his case and although he reacted by saying he intends to challenge the new ruling in the Supreme Court, the convention has been held and new leaders have been elected for the party.
Olagunsoye Oyinlola
The former Osun State Governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola who was hopeful of winning the deputy national chairman south position is also a loser in the just concluded national convention.
Oyinlola and his supporters in the southwest had rejected the idea of a consensus candidate for the deputy chairman (south) position zoned to the region.
There were serious indications that Oyinlola was gathering enough support from the region to secure the votes to win the seat at the national convention.
The lawmaker representing Osun East in the Senate, Francis Fadahunsi who was leading the group supporting Oyinlola for the post of the party’s Deputy National Chairman had said, “The decision of all the leaders of the PDP from all the 30 local government areas of Osun State and the Ife East Area Office, Modakeke to adopt Olagunsoye Oyinlola, as the consensus candidate of entire Osun PDP members and leaders for the post of the Deputy National Chairman is a welcome development and a right step in the right direction which all lovers of the party in the state must adopt.”
Fadahunsi also added that leaders from other states of the region had also adopted Oyinlola as their consensus candidate. He said, “The fact that the entire South-West leaders have adopted Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola as the region’s consensus candidate as the Deputy National Chairman of the party makes the adoption of Oyinlola by his state party leaders a good and sensible decision.”
However, a source revealed that immediately the Oyo State governor pulled his support for Oyinlola and backed the eventual winner, Taofeek Arapaja, the other 12 PDP Governors decided to rally around their Oyo counterpart against Oyinlola.
The source stated, “Immediately Oyinlola lost the support of Makinde, he also lost the support of the other governors. Though he had the support of Atiku Abubakar, Bukola Saraki and Sule Lamido, the governors were determined that no candidate would emerge without their support.
“At the end of the day, only candidates backed by the governors emerged. The governors are optimistic that same thing will happen during the presidential primary. They have taken full control of the party.”
Oyinlola has however reacted positively to his defeat. He said he congratulated Arapaja in a private message on his victory and wished him a successful tenure.
He also lauded his colleagues in the PDP Governors Forum for holding the forte of the party while promising that he would continue to play his role as a leader and strengthen his support for the PDP and its organs.
Professor Wale Oladipo, Dr Olafeso Eddy and Okey Muo-Aroh
The battle of the position of deputy chairman south of the PDP was initially between The former Osun State Governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Professor Wale Oladipo, a former national secretary of the PDP.
Professor Oladipo was reportedly nominated by the Sunday Bisi-led Osun State chapter of the party, said to be loyal to the PDP governorship candidate in the 2019 elections, Senator Ademola Adeleke.
However, with early indications showing that the zone was drumming up support for Oyinlola, Professor Oladipo, and two others, Dr Olafeso Eddy from Ondo whose interest was to contest for the position of National Publicity Secretary and Okey Muo-Aroh (Anambra) who expressed interest in the position of National Secretary took the party to court to stop the convention.
Consequently, the trio was disqualified by the Screening Sub-Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The chairman of the committee, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State while announcing their disqualification before the convention said that they failed to exhaust the internal conflicts resolution mechanism as provided for in the PDP Constitution.
