2007: PDP Moves Against Early Campaigns, Indiscipline
Recently, the North Central Zone of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) converged on Lafia, the Nasarawa State Capital, to deliberate on issues affecting the zone. Its aversion to early political campaigns and the spate of indiscipline by some party members dominated discussions, reports Tunde Sanni
The leadership of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has formally accepted that the presidential ambition of some of its members is threatening internal fabrics. In Lafia, Nassarawa state, speakers after speaker confessed that the presidential ambition of the trio of former Military President, Ibrahim Babangida, Vice President Atiku Abubakar and lately, former Lagos State Administrator, Muhammad Buba Marwa is tearing the party apart and resolved to go back to the drawing table to roll out a code of conduct to regulate the electioneering campaign activities of the 2007 presidential hopefuls.
Host Governor, Abdullah Adamu set the pace for the party's angst as he said, "permit me by calling the attention of the leaders of our great party to the current tremors that are beginning to grip the party about 2007. Desperation is beginning to set in so early. A stitch in time they say, saves nine. If we are not careful, we may be completely distracted from next year {as} some groups already perceive 2007 as a do or die affair. There are rumours of destabilization if they do not get what they want"
The import of the opening remarks was not lost on the leadership of the party at the meeting as they all blamed the trend on indiscipline.
The Vice-Chairman, North central zone of the party, Alhaji Abubakar Mogaji stressed the need for stakeholders in the presidential race to play the game according to rules and tasked the leadership not to close its eyes on discipline in a way "as to instill and restore confidence in its teeming followers".
The PDP Chairman, Audu Ogbeh was unsparing in his address as he predicted a messy affair ahead unless the party intervenes on time. According to him, the fast lanes of the political highway is already congested with the resultant fear of lane crossing, emergency landing and of course accidents and death.
He had told the delegates at the meeting that the vaulting ambition of the presidential gladiators is now being pursued with uncontrollable venom and declared that such vaunting ambition must stop.
"2007 is still far and yet it is being fast driven on the political highway with emergencies here and there. There are crossings on the highway at uncontrollable speed. I am talking with respect to the vaunting ambition of our presidential aspirants. There is no harm in ambition, but we must watch ourselves so as not to rock the existing cohesion in the party. We must avoid deliberate mischief and remember that only God gives power to whosoever He wishes. Our destiny is in the hand of God."
But as the 'vaunting ambition' seems uncontrollable, the party Chairman hinted that the highest decision making organ of the party, the National Executive Committee (NEC) would be meeting soon and would get our guidelines to guide the campaigns in such a way that campaigns do not affect the government in power.
"The NEC of our party would be meeting in due course and a code of conduct to regulate the campaign activities would emerge. They would be told when to start campaigns".
Ogbeh stated that the code of conduct will involve restrictions and warned of serious sanctions on violators of the proposed restriction that would be enshrined in the code of conduct.
The party leader reminded the presidential aspirants that a government is in power and neither the government nor the party should be distracted from its set goals. "we must all know that we have a government in place and as such we need to comport ourselves so that we don't destabilise the system with our ambitions."
The relentless presidential campaigns, the PDP leader said, is a testimony to the growing indiscipline which is to be tackled. To him, the party's inaction has allowed for indiscipline to breed in the party and promised a new dawn that will not compromise discipline and whip lawless party stalwarts to line.
He maintained that the party's magnanimity and open handedness have been abused for long stating that "the party has resolved to be strong on discipline as we have had enough of tyranny and indiscipline in the house".
"Let me state here and now that any further acts of indiscipline would not be allowed to go unpunished and where such treatment leads to suspension, let it be known that we suspend not for the hatred of that person no matter how highly placed but for the love of the party".
He commended the idea of the zonal meeting, which he noted, has infused in the party followers across all the six geographical zones the sense of belonging.
The PDP leader also commented on the vexed issue of Joint Account for Local Governments which has pitched the leadership of the party with its governors, stressing that the meeting with the governors has been revealing and exhaustive.
"We have met with our governors on the issue of Joint Accounts for Local Government in their respective states and I can tell you that we are quite satisfied with their explanations".
Ogbeh charged local government chairmen on the platform of the party to apply their monthly allocations judiciously to impact on the lives of the electorate.
"With the understanding reached with the governors on the issue, there is no reason why local councils cannot tar a road, construct a bridge, put desks in classrooms and lay a solid foundation for the party and the country at the local level. Failure to do this, distinguished audience, we can't convince the voters in future".
In his keynote address, the chairman of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the party, Chief Tony Anenih echoed Ogbeh's comments on party discipline as he stressed the need for the party at the national level to address the issue of discipline, youth restiveness, cohesion and good governance.
He emphasized the need for the party at all levels to instill a sense of belonging in all party members, "remember that we are all members of one family".
He recalled, with nostalgic feelings, the injustices meted to some leaders of the party, a situation which, he noted has made such leaders to decamp from the party vowing that such trend would never be allowed to accur again.
Anenih told delegates at the zonal meeting that the outcome of the tours of the zones shall be discussed at the level of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party soliciting suggestions and recommendations that can move the party forward.
"There are people who do not wish us well just like there are parties that don't want peace and looking for soul mates, we should not play into their hands".
"In this respect, we must put our houses in order and restore party discipline. We must respect our party structures, organs and discipline, for without these, the freedom that we now take for granted and even abuse so flagrantly would not endure.
Governors in the zone attempted to outdo each other with the number of delegates at the zonal meeting. At the end of the day, Kwara accounted for the state with the highest number of delegates as almost all serving commissioners as well as the Special Advisers equivalent attended the meeting. Plateau state with its 'state of emergency' came behind Kwara, though unlike Kwara's Dr. Bukola Saraki who led the delegation, the Plateau State delegation was led by the Chairman of the party in the state. Not even the Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu, who is from the state could make the zonal meeting and neither did he send any words of apology.
The meaning of a rather large delegate from Kwara, was not for the fun of it as the PDP-led government mobilized its cabinet, apparently to 'intimidate' the party leadership and have an edge over other groups that has been laying claim to the soul of the party in the state. Expectedly, the Kwara issue dragged the zonal meeting even to the Government House as the Ibrahim Abacha Youth Centre venue of the meeting was vacated for lunch where the 'inner caucus' of the zone later met inside the office of the host governor to take the final stand on an issue which has been threatening the survival of the party in the state.
Efforts by newsmen to get the position of the zone on the Kwara issue met with little success as neither the chairman of the Board of Trustees (B.O.T) Anenih nor the state governor, Saraki was forthcoming when accosted to comment on the outcome of the zonal meeting.
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