What Next for New PDP? With the double setback suffered by the leadership of the New Peoples Democratic Party last week, its options may have been limited significantly, writes Chuks Okocha If you understood the way cookies crumble, it was exactly what happened to the splinter or breakaway members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), otherwise referred to as the New PDP (nPDP). This is because on two fronts: politically and legally, the breakaway faction of the PDP consisting of the former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, former acting national chairman of the party, Abubakar Baraje and seven governors, suffered a major setback that may have altered significantly, whatever calculations that they are banking on with respect to the PDP.The governors are Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Aliyu Wamako (Sokoto), Muritala Nyako (Adamawa), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano) and Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers). But in view of the blow dealt them, many are wondering the way forward or could it be the end of the road for the nPDP. By the way, the nPDP was formed on August 31, 2013, in the aftermath of the crisis in the ruling party when during its special national convention in Abuja, Atiku, the seven governors and others walked out of the convention to announce the birth of the faction.But last Thursday saw the fate of the nPDP assuming a rather uncertain slide from all sides. Indeed, it was not the best of times for the members of the ‘rebel group’, which had begun to make serious impact in the polity as well as undermine the authority of the mainstream PDP. But that day, they were dealt severe blow both from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Judiciary as represented by the Lagos State High Court.Interestingly, the setback in both instances could be described as self-inflicted because, it was the nPDP that took its case to INEC and as well as the Lagos High Court, Ikeja.Starting from the political front, the INEC had rejected and refused to recognise the New PDP, led by Baraje. On the legal front, a Lagos High Court struck out a suit brought by the New PDP against Tukur and three others, for want of jurisdiction. The letter, signed by INEC’s acting Secretary, U.F Usman, was a response to an earlier correspondence from the New PDP in which it sought recognition for Baraje as PDP national chairman, among others.INEC’s Position on PDP crisis:INEC, in its response to an earlier letter by the faction’s national secretary, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, dated October 2, a copy of which was obtained by THISDAY yesterday, affirmed its recognition of Tukur as the authentic leader of the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC).According to the INEC letter with the title “Notification of change in the leadership of PDP and request for formal recognition,” it stated: “The commission acknowledges the receipt of your letter dated September 1 and 23, 2013, respectively wherein you requested the commission’s recognition of the Abubakar Baraje faction of the newly elected National Working Committee.“You will recall the commission monitored the national convention and the special national convention of the PDP held on March 12, 2012 and August 31, 2013 respectively which took place at the Eagle Square Abuja, after notices to the commission. A National Working Committee was elected at the two conventions wherein Alhaji Bamanga Tukur emerged as the national chairman,” adding that: “The commission will not withdraw its recognition of the leadership of the PDP elected at the election duly monitored by the commission.”By INEC refusing to withdraw recognition to the Tukur-led PDP, it has actually put paid to the issue of faction, thus legitimizing the Tukur NWC. Whether this is the end of the road for the nPDP is another thing altogether. But INEC as the regulatory body for political parties has issued the nPDP a red card and have been sent out of the political field of play.And the Court DecisionFrom the legal front and in response to a legal suit filed by the nPDP in Lagos, Justice Oludotun Adefope-Okojie of the Ikeja High Court, struck out the suit filed by the Baraje PDP faction against Tukur and three others, for want of jurisdiction.The breakaway faction of the party had asked the court to stop Tukur and other officers of the party from parading themselves as national officers of the PDP pending the determination of the case. The plaintiffs in the suit are Baraje, new PDP Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, Oyinlola and the PDP, while the defendants joined alongside Tukur are the Deputy National Chairman, Mr. Uche Secondus; Women Leader, Dr. Kema Chikwe and National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh.Tukur and his co-defendants had in their preliminary notice of objection filed through their counsel, Chief Joe Kyari-Gadzama (SAN) and Mr. Emeka Etiaba, on September 18, asked the court to strike out the suit for want of jurisdiction. The lawyers had also argued that the writs of summons did not comply with the mandatory requirements of Section 97 of the Sheriff and Civil Process Act because they were not signed.But counsel to the claimants, Mr. Robert Emukpaeruo, had argued that the court had jurisdiction to entertain the suit contrary to the objections being raised by the defendants.In his ruling, Adefope-Okojie held that the Lagos State High Court had no power to assume jurisdiction over a matter which originated outside its territory. The judge said the applicants had averred in their affidavit that the course of action, which was the special convention of the PDP took place in Abuja.According to the judge, the plaintiff had also averred that the PDP had its registered office in Abuja and that none of the defendants was resident in Lagos State. In view of this, the Judge said the doctrine of enforcement of judgments was not relevant to the suit before the court.Adefope-Okojie summed her ruling thus: I hold that with the defendants not resident in Lagos and the subject matter originating in Abuja, the High Court of Lagos State has no power to assume jurisdiction over this suit.As a result of this, a red card may have though been given to the nPDP by the court, unlike INEC position; there could be an appeal or a fresh case filed within the Abuja where all the combatants reside.New PDP Carries on UnperturbedWhilst it seemed like the cookies had crumbled for the Baraje group, the nPDP does not appear rattled as it promised to re-file the case in Abuja since it was struck out only on technical ground as the court did not consider the merit or otherwise of the suit. In a statement by its spokesman, Mr. Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, the nPDP assured its members that there was no cause for alarm.“We wish to assure our teeming members and Nigerians in general that there is no cause to worry. This is because the ruling has nothing to do with the merit of the case but the place of filing. As advised by His Lordship, we shall hasten to re-file the suit, this time in Abuja, as we are convinced about the merit of our case. Our determination to sack the usurper, Alhaji Tukur, and rescue our great party from his misrule has never been stronger.“Finally, we urge all our supporters and members not to despair or exercise any atom of fear and should continue to support the leadership of our great party under the leadership of Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje as we are getting closer to freeing our party from the enclave of undemocratic elements currently holding us to ransom and doing everything within their powers to ruin all that our founding fathers struggled to build.“With the court ruling, we are now very determined to restore PDP to the path of honour particularly now that we have lost our great first National Chairman, Dr. Solomon Lar, to the cold hands of death. Let us reiterate that nothing, and we repeat nothing, will stop us from implementing the visions of both Dr. Solomon Lar and all the founding fathers of our great party to the letter and keeping all undemocratic elements at bar from leadership of our great party.”Mainstream PDP’s Olive BranchAs if anticipating the double tragedy that befell its estranged members, the mainstream faction of the party had last week moved towards defusing tension in its fold as it resolved not to escalate the crisis in the party by engaging its splinter group and its seven governors in further verbal war.The party’s National Working Committee (NWC), after a meeting in Abuja, said it would no longer respond to comments from the breakaway group in order not to endanger the ongoing reconciliation being carried out by President Goodluck Jonathan and other party leaders. It was also learnt that the president had reiterated the need to maintain peace to facilitate the healing process embarked upon by party leaders at the last meeting between the two sides.Lending credence to this, Metuh said the position of INEC has laid to rest, all contentions regarding the leadership of the party.“The position of INEC in affirming the leadership of the PDP under the National Chairmanship of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, and rejecting the demand for recognition by our aggrieved brothers has indeed laid to rest all contentions regarding the authentic leadership of our great party.“However, we wish to state categorically that this is not a time for us to gloat or preen ourselves over victory. We must use this window of opportunity to engender true reconciliation, put all the issues behind us and move ahead as one big united family that we are.“In this light, we call on all our aggrieved brothers to relegate all personal interests and return to the fold so that we can ward off all external aggressions and forge a common formidable political front. We wish to assure our supporters that the PDP as the only true national party is large enough to accommodate all interests and persons as we remain loyal to the provisions of our constitution as a party.“We must at this time close ranks and rally around President Goodluck Jonathan and our leaders at all levels so that collectively, we will ensure that our great party delivers on its mandate and promises as enshrined in the PDP manifesto; the ideals of our founding fathers and the Transformation Agenda of the PDP-led government for the overall good of our people.“The challenges of the last few months, rather than detract, have proven that the PDP remains the pre-eminent party that will continue to win elections at all levels in the country.”The statement urged all party leaders, elders and indeed all members of the PDP across the board to continue to support the president and his Transformation Agenda.What Options Before the nPDP?The effect of the decision of INEC in rejecting the demand for recognition of the Baraje group and the insistence that the Tukur-led PDP as the authentic party leadership may eventually force the splinter group into the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM).Though it is expected that by both political and legal decisions, the best option is for the nPDP to fall back on where they were before the August 31 decision to pull out of the mainstream PDP. But from the look of things, that may not be a feasible decision at least for now.THISDAY gathered that the decision to by the Baraje group to write INEC in the first place was deliberate as it was part of options contained in its Plan A. But now that the recognition did not come true, this could open the way for the Plan B which is to open discussion with the PDM, considered as a prelude to discussions with the All Progressive Congress (APC).As it is already common knowledge, an inside source told THISDAY that the game plan is all about 2015, adding that since the main plan of the PDM is not to field a candidate in the 2015 presidential election, that the new party that consists mainly political associates of late General Musa Yar’Adua, seems a viable option for the splinter PDP.According to the source, “We have seen the outcome of Plan A, then, what is available now is the Plan B. By our Plan B, it is to open discussion of fusing with political like-minds and the option available now is the PDM. The PDM is the godfather of the PDP.“There is no option than this now because with what is happening in the PDP, the doors are gradually being closed against us in the New PDP (nPDP). Take for instance, the Tukur-led NWC of the PDP has constituted the Disciplinary and Finance Committees and none of our members were considered and we say that there is reconciliation going on.“So, none of our members are considered in the prime committees and you say we are reconciling, what kind of reconciliation is this? Why the rush in setting up the two committees and by next week, the committees would be inaugurated. Some people are using the reconciliation with the President as a delay tactics, while Tukur in PDP is busy consolidating and the earlier the better for us. In every move, Tukur and his team are busy tightening the noose against us,” the source said.Positive Side of the INEC DecisionCrisis is never new to political parties all over the world and what is happening to the PDP is therefore not new in the development of political parties in the country. But in such crisis, the resolution of the crisis is to a large extent, dependent on what INEC says and whom it recognises. This was the case of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) when the party was factionalised between Victor Umeh and Maxi Okwu that were once laying claims to the leadership of the party.Also, in the crisis between the factions in the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), where Senator Rafai Hanga and Tony Momoh were laying claims to the leadership of the party. A decision taken by INEC by recognising the Momoh faction to rest the leadership crisis as Hanga with his group eventually joined PDM.In the APGA crisis, once INEC decides through the Court of Appeal resolution that Umeh is the authentic national chairman, Maxi Okwe ceases to exist and he’ll gradually fizzle out of the equation. Could this result in the nPDP returning to the PDP or would it adopt the Hanga formula by joining the PDM? That remains the one question for the time.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 19:16:40 +0000
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