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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appears to be on the rocks. What happened before, during and immediately after its national convention in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, raises serious concern about the state of the opposition politics in Nigeria. The road to the Ibadan national convention of the party was strewn with unnecessary litigation. Some aggrieved members had gone to the Federal High Court in Abuja to obtain a restraining order against it. Justice James Omotosho gave the order on the grounds that the convention was not in line with the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.
Justice Peter Lifu, also of the Federal High Court, Abuja, gave another order stopping the convention. Former governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State had sued the party, claiming that he was unjustly excluded from the national chairmanship contest. Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan gave a conflicting order that the Ibadan convention should go ahead. The convention was held on the strength of this order between November 15 and 16. Kabiru Turaki was elected the National Chairman while some prominent members of the party were expelled for anti-party activities. They include the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike; former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose; and the suspended National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu.
What transpired after this convention between Wike and Turaki factions at the headquarters of the party in Abuja on November 18 was disgraceful. Both factions scheduled their National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings at the Wadata Plaza. Inevitably, they clashed as their security details attempted to intimidate and undo one another. Teargas canisters were fired. Afterwards, the Wike-led faction announced the expulsion of some members of the other faction for anti-party activities. Those expelled include the former Board of Trustees Chairman, Adolphus Wabara; the national chairman of the rival faction, Turaki; former Deputy National Chairman, Bode George; and Governors Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, Seyi Makinde of Oyo, and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State.
We decry this show of shame at the PDP Wadata Plaza in Abuja. It is sad that rival factions of the party would engage in fisticuffs over the control of the party’s secretariat. It is not good for our nascent democracy. The implosion is avoidable if political actors had observed internal party democracy. The disgraceful action is an assault on our democracy. It is one of our saddest moments in this political dispensation and does not speak well of our democracy. It is also ominous that this is coming very close to the 2027 election.
This unwarranted crisis in the PDP has led to the unbridled migration of its members, especially governors and legislators, to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Some other members of the opposition have also migrated to the APC. Apart from the crisis-ridden PDP, the Labour Party (LP) is in crisis too. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) may suffer stillbirth. With this, the death of the opposition in our democracy is imminent.
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The ruling APC is enjoying the defection of opposition members to its fold. President Bola Tinubu appears to be enjoying it too though he dispelled the insinuation that the country is degenerating to a one-party state. The collapse of the opposition will definitely make Nigeria a one-party state and this will spell doom for our democracy. It is unfortunate that the once largest party in Nigeria and Africa is being pushed to extinction by certain characters in the ruling APC under the watch of Tinubu, a champion of democracy and democratic ideals.
The implosion in PDP may spread to the ruling party if the crisis is not quickly resolved. Nigeria stands to gain from multiparty democracy than from one-party state, which will come with its foreboding challenges. The international community is watching political developments in Nigeria. The giant of Africa is not showing good example to other African countries on democracy. Let our politicians put the interest of the country first before other considerations.
They should remember what led to the fall of the First and Second Republics and make amends. A repeat of such events will eventually eclipse the present political dispensation and by extension our nascent democracy. It is worthy to note that politicians are very good at using the judiciary to realize their selfish and inordinate ambition. Their frequent resort to the courts where conflicting judgments are obtained has done incalculable damage to our democracy. As it has done in the recent past, the National Judicial Council (NJC) should wade in and punish errant judges who undermine our democracy with their unethical conduct. That is a major way of bringing sanity to our judicial and political systems.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should step in to caution those derailing the internal democracy of the PDP and other parties. Politicians themselves should learn from history. They should discard their personal interests and ambition to save our democracy. Let there be immediate resolution of this matter before it is too late.
