The genesis of crisis
in PDP USA
By NICHOLAS ADELANI OWOYEMI, New York
Monday, August 2, 2004
The problems in PDP, USA, began in the Dr. Okpalobi administration
that was elected in Boston on April 27, 2002 in which I was
the General Secretary for the United States. The leadership
of Prince Vincent Ogbulafor failed to solve the problem when
it first reared its ugly head during our tenure. Prince Ogbulafor
played politics instead of applying strict administrative
solution to the chapter’s administrative problems. He
favored some members who repeatedly flouted his authority
to implement the status quo ante - a process that he
proffered to solve our problems in the chapter.
Prince Ogbulafor acceded to these individuals the power to
create a new executive in 2003, disregarding their active
roles in the demise of the defunct administration. These individuals
now wield the same power to change leadership in 2004: the
merits or lack of merits in their current actions is not within
the scope of this writing. In fact, it is not my intention
to take sides in the current stalemate because doing so would
be in futility. But, I believe the current crisis is constitutional
and can be resolved when the two groups in the impasse sit
together to deliberate on solutions within the confines of
the party’s Constitution and International Guidelines.
Prince Vincent Ogbulafor ignited the disaffection within the
PDP,USA, when he disbanded the Okpalobi administration and
unlawfully banned all its members from re-contesting in the
new elections, which he conducted in New Jersey in October
2003. The State Supreme Court in New Jersey ruled against
banning former executives from contesting in the elections,
which enabled the two former chapter executives in New Jersey
to re-contest, and one of them overwhelmingly won reelection.
For one thing, if Dr. Rowland Oritsejafor - former Deputy
National Secretary - did not leave the PDP Secretariat for
a position in government as Minister of State, Ministry of
Defense, there would not be a crisis in PDP USA today. Dr.
Oritsejafor, a man of honor and integrity, a person of enormous
prudence and courage, made all genuine and best effort to
resolve our problems by not taking sides, but insisting that
the status quo ante- no victor, no vanquished approach
- be adopted in finding solutions to the chapter problems.
For that reason, when he moved on to the presidential cabinet,
most of us knew that PDP, USA had lost a true friend, and
that our problems would be ever prolonged - and this
is the reality of today.
In December of 2002, a delegation from PDP, USA comprising
Professor Bernard Ikegwuoha, former Chapter Deputy Chairman,
Nicholas Owoyemi, former Chapter General Secretary, and Tex
Wariboko, former member of the Chapter Executive Committee
(Houston Branch Chairman) visited and delivered an official
report on the state of PDP, USA to the Secretariat in Abuja.
We met with party officials that included Prince Vincent Ogbulafor,
National Secretary, Dr. Rowland Oritsejafor, then Deputy National
Secretary, and Alhaji Labaran, National Organizing Secretary
of PDP, Nigeria who unanimously mandated us to go back to
status quo ante. Our delegation, not only embraced the official
mandate for reconciliation, it judiciously proceeded to encourage
its full implementation by the chapter.
In a period of six (6) months thereafter, I traveled from
New York to Abuja three times, all with my own financial resources,
leaving my work and family behind, trying to implement the
Abuja mandate in the US. We finally got the Chapter Executive
to formally adopt the "status quo ante" in New Orleans,
and within the deadline assigned to us by Prince Ogbulafor.
Prior to visiting the World Igbo Congress in Nashville in
2003, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor received our official resolution
that adopted the peace initiatives he had earlier mandated.
Regrettably, he rejected it and resolved to disband the Chapter
Executive. He selectively invited some members to meet with
him at the World Igbo Congress in Nashville, where he intended
to discuss the PDP problems. It is noteworthy that as the
former General Secretary of the Chapter, I was not invited
nor communicated on the developments, therefore, when the
information informally reached us that the Prince would attend
the Nashville Congress and discuss PDP USA there, the Chapter
Executive immediately met and mandated against my personal
reluctance to meet with him in Nashville.
Upon my arrival in Nashville, I immediately sought to see
Prince Ogbulafor and was taken to him in a hall where the
Nigerian Minister of Education was addressing the audience.
Prince Ogbulafor was sitting in the audience, I greeted and
sat with him for a few minutes when all of a sudden, a set
of security personnel and some officials of the Congress came
up and whisked me away from him, saying loudly in the audience,
"You’re not Igbo; You don’t belong here."
Lamentably, our National Secretary, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor,
sat there mute, looking away as the security and officials
of the Igbo Congress physically removed me from the hall.
Prince Ogbulafor did not even express any dissatisfaction
on the humiliation visited upon me - a Yoruba man in the World
Igbo Congress, by fellow Nigerians because of our ethnic differences.
For this, I will forever, have regards for Chiefs George Akunna
and Michael Amuzie both of whom visibly got up from the audience
and walked out with me in solidarity. Since my unfortunate
encounter in Nashville, I have since attended several Igbo
conferences and conventions in the United States, where I
was either a financial donor or guest speaker, communicating
the ideals of a united and prosperous Nigeria devoid of ethnicity
and religion.
Peoples Democratic Party is a national party that belongs
to all Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic and religious backgrounds.
Deplorably, the final decision to dissolve our chapter executive
was reached at the World Igbo Congress in Nashville, Tennessee,
where only a few selected members of one ethnic persuasion
of Nigeria decided for the rest of us in the chapter. It was
utterly unfair and mostly prejudiced however, that Prince
Ogbulafor chose the World Igbo Congress as a forum to discuss
PDP problems, when he knew it to be a venue where other ethnic
stakeholders could not be present or represented. I only found
out on the Internet that our executive was dissolved and a
Caretaker Committee headed by Mr. Clement Ezeh, whom the Prince
only met for the first time at the World Igbo Congress, had
been set up to conduct new elections into our offices. Nonetheless,
I have no regrets or resentment from our dissolution or the
way the Prince had treated me, for I’m much blessed
and fulfilled in my career. On the current chapter impasse,
"the chicken has come home to roost". What would
be the solution now - dissolution? Prince Ogbulafor
should let us resolve our own problems this time around: solutions
can be achieved within the chapter; I believe all parties
to this impasse are also ready to end it.
The faith of the two groups therefore, is interwoven and cannot
be easily severed without any grave consequences to the unit
called the "Chapter Executive Committee." Furthermore,
within its term-limits, any parts of the Chapter Executive
cannot be replaced or disbanded without replacing or disbanding
the entire Executive as elected in New Jersey in October of
2003. They must begin to talk to each other - through
the same process known as the "status quo ante"
(that was not allowed to work during our tenure) using the
Congress of 2003 in New Jersey as a basis for reconciliation
- no victor and no vanquished.
It should be legally understood that the two groups now in
a face-off comprise of the Chapter Executive of PDP USA. One
group cannot constitutionally divorce the other group for
the intention to seek other suitors. Likewise, one group cannot
produce a new chairman; neither can the other produce a new
CEC away from the union inaugurated in New Jersey last year.
For in good faith, and in the best interests of the chapter,
additional branches can be created, and the chapter operations
may also be funded, but they must be carried out within the
procedures enshrined in the Party Constitution and International
Guidelines. I therefore, appeal to these leaders not to wait
for Abuja to cause ceasefire; rather, they should desist in
their "fire and counter-fire postures," swallow
their empty prides, and lead for immediate peace in the chapter
- otherwise, they would be responsible for the consequential
demise of our beloved chapter. As for me, I lead for lasting
peace and progress in our chapter.
• Nicholas Adelani Owoyemi, a stakeholder/former General
Secretary, PDP USA, writes from New York City
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