From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

This year is crucial for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It is perhaps the most important  year  for the opposition party since its formation. The party, which lost power in 2015 is making frantic efforts to regain the reins of governance in 2023 polls, against many odds.

The main opposition party which ruled the country for 16 years, was displaced by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 general elections. Apart from losing the presidency, the major opposition party also lost control of the two chambers of the National Assembly, as well as majority of the states, it hitherto controlled.

The party’s attempts to regain power in the 2019 general elections, was unsuccessful, as its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, was defeated by President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC, just as the PDP lost in majority of the state governorship polls, as well  as in the national and state assemblies elections.

Therefore, ahead of the 2023 general elections, the PDP is making efforts to ensure it wins the polls. The national chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, at various times has declared that the PDP is poised to win the forthcoming general elections. According to him, besides winning the presidential poll, it will win no fewer than 20 governorship seats.

Analysts argue that the coming election is a make or mar poll for the  PDP, as the outcome will determine the continued relevance of the opposition party in the politics of the country.

Nevertheless, less than 6 weeks to the commencement of the polls,  the PDP is still  enmeshed in several crises both at the state and national level. The crisis, which is threatening the chances of the party in the 2023 polls is a fallout of the nomination of candidates for various offices, controversy over alleged breach of the party constitution on zoning, as well as tussle over control of party machinery in states.

For instance, since the nomination of Atiku and Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as the PDP presidential and vice presidential candidates respectively, supporters of the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike have been on a warpath with the party. Wike supporters, who accused the National chairman of alleged bias in the nominations processes have continued to insist on his ouster, and his replacement with a Southerner, as condition for peace.  On the flip-side, Ayu, who enjoys the support of Atiku and some of the governors, has repeatedly  said he would not relinquish his position.

Consequently, the various organs of the PDP, including the National Working Committee (NWC), National Executive Committee (NEC), Governors Forum, have been polarised into two camps in the last six months; with aggrieved party members rallying round the G-5 governors.

The G-5 governors include Governors Wike,  Samuel Ortom, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Okezie Ikpeazu and  Seyi Makinde of Rivers,  Benue, Enugu, Abia and Oyo states respectively. They are supported by the  former PDP deputy national chairman, Olabode George; former Minister of Information, Jerry Gana; former Minister of Justice,  Mohammed Adoke;  Donald Duke, Ayo Fayose, Jonah Jang, former governors of Cross River, Ekiti and Plateau states respectively, amongst others.

The group, which pulled out of the PDP presidential campaign, last year, has been unrelenting in their demand that Ayu must be replaced with a Southerner, ahead of the presidential poll, before they would support the presidential candidate.

Apart from the differences at the national level, no fewer than 10 state chapters of the PDP are also bedeviled by one crisis or the other. The affected states include Ebonyi, Edo, Imo, Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Kano, Delta and Cross Rivers.

Daily Sun gathered that though there have been concerted efforts to resolve all the issues at both the national and state level, all the efforts have produced little or no tangible result.

In the last few weeks, there have been speculations that the G-5 governors have concluded plans to endorse either the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi or his counterpart in the APC, Bola Tinubu. Nevertheless, the Special Assistant to Atiku on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, says the  aggrieved PDP governors cannot stop Atiku’s victory in the 2023 polls.

According to him, “Atiku will be president. Whether the cock crows or not, the sun must rise. Power belongs to God Almighty; no man can arrogate to himself the powers of God Almighty. Any man who can boast of stopping Atiku should first make himself president of Nigeria.

“Atiku is an elephant. Even when an elephant walks on thorns, it does not limp. And when you have seen a snake, it cannot bite you any more. In this case, we have seen the snake, how can we be taken by surprise?”.

Shaibu’s optimism notwithstanding, there are palpable fears among PDP leaders, that the opposition party would be going into the 2023 polls as a divided house, with its attendant consequences. Recall that the opposition party’s  loss in the 2015 polls was largely attributed to the division within its ranks prior to the contest.

However, amidst fears over the lingering crises in the PDP, ahead of the general elections, the party’s national publicity secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said efforts are being made at different levels, to resolve all issues before the polls.

Ologunagba said: “in the states, there are reconciliations ongoing. Are there concerns? Yes, there are. But we have inbuilt mechanism in this party that allows us to resolve those  issues. Unlike the APC, where it is  seemingly peaceful. But it is the peace of the graveyard; because in the graveyard, nobody speaks. “

Nevertheless, the plight of the PDP is worsened by  the changing political dynamics.  Unlike in the 2019 polls, where the contest is between the major opposition party and the APC, the field of play has changed with the emergence of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi and his New Nigeria Peoples Party ( NNPP) counterpart, Rabiu Kwankwaso as strong contenders for the presidential ticket.

Incidentally, the emergence of Obi, a former governor of Anambra State and Kwankwaso , a former governor of Kano State, on the political field is chirping away PDP support base, especially  in the South East and in Kano State respectively. Until recently Obi and Kwankwaso, who command large following were members of the PDP.

Analysts say the Labour Party presidential candidate’s exit from PDP may be a serious drawback for the party in the South East zone, which used to be a stronghold of the opposition party. For instance, last week, a member of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Professor ABC Nwosu, who is from the zone,  resigned from the party, in protest  over the alleged breach of its zoning principle.

Also, recently, former President Olusegun Obasanjo formally endorsed Obi as his preferred presidential candidate for the February 25 contest, and asked Nigerians to queue behind him.  The former Anambra governor had earlier been endorsed by some ethnic nationalities across the country, including pan Yoruba group, Afenifere.

Regardless, a  spokesman of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Charles Aniagwu, says the party is not looking for ethnic endorsements. Aniagwu said the opposition is rather concentrating on getting the buy-in of  Nigerians from all walks of life into its programmes.

“We are not looking for ethnic endorsement. We are looking for endorsement of Nigerians. We want Nigerians from all walks of life to come on board with us, because our desire is that we want the country recovered from where we are.

“It  is not just reaching out to a group and soliciting for endorsement. We are reaching out to all groups, letting them understand what we stand for which is to have a country that works. Once they agree with our desire to rebuild our country, it means they have endorsed us,” he stated.