Former Vice-President Atiku
Abubakar’s presidential ambition was hanging in the balance at the weekend,
with the governors taking control of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ).
New power brokers have emerged in
the party — courtesy of the Saturday national convention where erstwhile
leaders’ influence took a big bashing.
Some of their candidates for National
Working Committee (NWC) positions were rejected by governors based on a “Unity
List” produced by the new power brokers whose emergence has shattered
Atiku’s hope of securing with ease the
party’s 2019 presidential ticket.
Atiku has just quit the All
Progressives Congress (APC) for the main opposition party.
The governors are weighing the following aspirants and likely defectors,
among others: ex-Governor Ahmed Makarfi; ex-Governor Sule Lamido, ex-Minister of
Education Ibrahim Shekarau, Gombe State Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo, ex-Governor
Rabiu Kwankwaso (still being wooed by PDP)
and Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (who is a political ally of the
coordinator of the power brokers, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike). Tambuwal
is of the APC.
Atiku , who has the backing of
ex-Presidents Babangida and Jonathan, will have to court the governors to
secure the ticket.
The governors are said to have
had their list of presidential aspirants before Atiku rejoined the PDP.
It was learnt that the governors
had an “unwritten pact with Makarfi” who fulfilled his part of the bargain,
with the election of Prince Uche Secondus as chairman.
Although Tambuwal and Kwankwaso
have not shown interest in defecting to PDP,
the opposition party is believed to have been pleading with them to come
back.
Some of Tambuwal’s supporters
reportedly prefer a return to PDP. Kwankwaso’s are thinking of mounting the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) platform to
displace APC in Kano State in 2019.
A party source said: “Atiku has
many hurdles to cross before he can get the party’s presidential ticket. He has
to convince the governors to support
him. He will also face tough primaries with many presidential aspirants who are
not ready to step down for him,
“The emergence of Secondus has
altered Atiku’s permutations of an automatic presidential ticket.
“Atiku’s case is more complicated
by the fact that some of the governors are disposed to Makarfi going by the way
he was resilient in tackling the PDP crisis.
“It is an open secret in PDP that
there was ‘an unwritten agreement’ between the governors and Makrafi on the
election of the new national chairman and 2019 presidential poll. Secondus’
victory showed some signs of a deal by
the two camps.
“There are also fears in the
party that Wike might woo Tambuwal back to PDP and allow him to try his luck
for the presidential ticket. With the huge resources displayed at the
convention, Tambuwal may alter equations in the party.
“Atiku is certainly in a tight
corner. As an experienced politician, he could see the signs. He has been
ingenious politically and he can find his way through the landmines.”
Investigation by our
correspondent revealed that the roll call of the new power brokers, who
determined the outcome of Saturday elective convention, includes new brigade of
leaders taking over the PDP.
The power brokers are Nyesom
Wike, Ayo Fayose and nine other governors;
former Senate President David Mark, Deputy Senate President Ike
Ekweremadu, Senate Minority Leader Godswill Akpabio; ex-Governor Ibrahim Shema;
ex-Minister of Women Affairs Hajiya Zainab Maina; ex-Governor Gabriel Suswam; a
businessman, Ladi Adebutu; ex-Minister of Special Duties Tanimu Turaki;
ex-Governor Babangida Aliyu, ex-Minister Aminu Wali, ex-Federal Capital
Territory (FCT) Minister Bala Mohammed; Chief Dan Orbih and others.
It was gathered that the “Unity
List”, which facilitated the election of the new PDP National Chairman, Prince
Uche Secondus and NWC members was the outcome of a tough political compromise
by the governors and the new top leaders of the party.
Most of those on the Unity List
were anointed candidates of the power brokers.
A breakdown of the list of the
concessions by the power brokers is as follows:
National Chairman—(Uche
Secondus)——Governor Nyesom Wike(Rivers)
Deputy National Chairman(South)
—(Elder Yemi Akinwonmi) by Ladi Adebutu(Ogun)
Deputy National
Chairman(North)—(Sen. Gamawa Babawa Garba) by ex-Minister of FCT, Sen. Bala
Mohammed
National Secretary——(Sen. Ibrahim
Tsauri)—by ex-Governor Ibrahim Shema(Bauchi)
Deputy National Secretary—(Dr.
Agbo Emmanuel)—by ex-Governor Gabriel Suswam(Benue)
National Treasurer—(Hon.
Aribisala Adewale)—produced by Governor Ayo Fayose(Ekiti)
Deputy National Treasurer—(Alh.
Wada Masu) —a Personal Assistant to ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Aminu
Wali(Kano)
Financial Secretary—(Abdullahi
Husseini Maibasara)—handpicked by ex-Governor Babangida Aliyu
National Organising
Secretary—(Col. Austin Akobundu)—by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State
National Publicity Secretary—(Mr.
Kola Ologbodiyan) —slot conceded to Mark.
Deputy National Publicity
Secretary—(Diran Odeyemi) produced by Governor Ayo Fayose.
National Legal Adviser—(Emmanuel
Enoidem)— by the Senate Minority Leader, Sen. Godswill Akpabio and Governor
Emmanuel Udom
National Youth Leader— (Ude
Okoye)—by Ekweremadu and Governor Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.
Deputy National Youth
Leader—(Umar Babangida Maina)—son of a former Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya
Zainab Maina.
It was learnt that others were
products of zonal consensus and micro-zoning.
A source, who spoke in
confidence, said: “The PDP governors decided to do away with the old order in
the party by engaging in fresh political permutations on how to win the general
election in 2019.
“In some states, they threw away
the baby with the bathwater to please some power brokers. For instance in Ogun
State, they opted for Ladi Adebutu’s candidate instead of deferring to
ex-Governor Gbenga Daniel.
“In Niger State, the governors
romanced ex-Governor Babangida Aliyu and abandoned the likes of a former
Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana.
“The governors are hopeful that
the Unity List can take the party far in 2019. And they are likely to dictate
who will be the party’s candidates for some offices, it is evident that they
are now in charge of the party.”
But, to another party source, the
“so-called Unity List is an ambitious agenda to take over the structure of PDP
by the governors”. “We believe that the politics behind the list is projection
for 2019 general election,” he said, pleading not to be named.
“They also used the list to split
the North in order to test the waters for 2019. For instance, the North agreed
to vote en masse for a former Minister
of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran until the Unity List was released and the
story changed at the last minutes,” the source added.
The governors’ joker has created
a setback for some leaders who indirectly and covertly supported some
candidates.
These leaders include ex-Military
President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, ex-Vice President
Namadi Sambo, ex-Governors Gbenga Daniel, Rashidi Ladoja, Ibrahim Idris, Idris Wada, and Ramalan Yero; Prof. Jerry Gana, Jimi Agbaje,
Raymond Dokpesi and ex-Deputy President
of the Senate, Ibrahim Mantu, who supported Adeniran.
Others are ex-Minister of Finance
Nenadi Usman, ex-Deputy Governor of Bauchi State Abdulmalik Mahmood, former
Woman Leader Hajiya Inna Ciroma (the wife of one of the founders of PDP, Alh.
Adamu Ciroma).
A PDP leader said: “The advice of
some of these leaders did not count. For instance, Gen. Babangida wanted the
chairmanship slot for the Southwest but the governors ignored his permutations.
“ If ex-President Jonathan had
his way, he would have loved a former Minister of National Planning, Prof.
Abubakar Olarewaju Suleiman, to be the party’s National Publicity Secretary.
The governors thought otherwise.
“Mantu and Gana did not hide
their preference for Adeniran for national chairman, but the intrigues
surrounding the election of Secondus caused them a setback.
“Sambo backed Abubakar Mustapha
from Kaduna for National Secretary but his candidate lost to the governors’
choice.”
How national chairman, others won
Prince Uche Secondus scored 2,000
votes out of 2,396 votes cast at the party’s national convention, which ended
in the early hours yesterday at the
Eagle Square, Abuja.
Chairman of the Electoral
Sub-Committee of the convention and former Governor of Benue, Gabriel Suswan,
announced the results.
“In this contest, nine gentlemen
indicated their interests to contest, but here, four of them sent letters of
withdrawal and so four were left.
“The other ones we were told have
withdrawn but there was no letter to that effect.
“The four gentlemen that
contested were Uche Secondus, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Founder of Daar
Communications; Prof. Tunde Adeniran, former Education Minister and Prof.
Taoheed Adedoja, former Minister of Sports and Special Duties.
“Secondus scored 2,000 votes;
Dokpesi, 66; Adeniran, 230 while Adedoja scored no vote,” Suswan said.
The candidates that withdrew are:
Chief Bode George, former Deputy National Chairman; Gbenga Daniel, Rasheed
Ladoja, erstwhile Governors of Ogun and Oyo States, respectively, and Jimi
Agbaje, PDP governorship candidate in Lagos State in 2015 elections.
Other elected officers are Sen.
Babayo Garmawa, Deputy National Chairman (North); Mr Yemi Akinwunmi, Deputy
National Chairman (South); Sen. Umar Tsauri National Secretary and Mr Agbo
Emmanuel, Deputy National Secretary.
Retired Col. Austin Akobundu is
National Organising Secretary, Yakubu Hassan, Deputy National Organizing
Secretary; Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, National Publicity Secretary and Diran
Odeyemi, Deputy National Publicity Secretary.
Mr Abdullahi Maibasira emerged
National Financial Secretary, Irona Gerald, Deputy National Financial
Secretary; Aribisala Adewale, National
Treasurer; Wada Masu, Deputy National Treasurer; Adamu Mustapha, National Auditor
and Arong Divine, Deputy National Auditor.
Mariya Umar was elected National
Women Leader, Umoru Hadiza, Deputy National Women Leader, and Emmanuel Enoidem,
National Youth Leader.
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