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Ekiti, Osun guber polls as test cases for Ayu led-NWC

 

party in the two states, the PDP in remains well structured and strong enough to give the ruling party in a run for its money. So, the governorship elections do not just signpost a renewal of bitter rivalry, there is the 2023 general election context playing out in the preparations for the guber polls by the parties, especially as far as the South-West geopolitical zone is concerned. Apart from these, since its formation, PDP has had 14 national chairmen in a spate of 22 years and this does not speak well of a party that wants to regain power in 2023. The late Dr. Alex Ekwueme was the first chairman of the party and the late Chief Solomon Lar took over from Ekwueme when the Second Republic vice president contested the presidential primary of the party against former President Olusegun Obasanjo at the PDP maiden national convention held in Jos, Plateau State. Chief Barnabas Gemade, who later became a senator, was the first elected national chairman of the party from 1999 to 2001. Subsequent national chairmen included Chief Audu Ogbeh, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, Chief Okwesileze Nwodo, Alhaji Haliru Mohammed, Alhaji Kawu Baraje and Alhaji Bamanga Tukur. Others are former Governors Adamu Mu’azu (Bauchi), under whose leadership, the PDP lost the presidency to the APC in 2015; Ali Modu-Sheriff (Borno); Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi (Kaduna) and Secondus. Unfortunately, it is on record that most of the chairmen did not complete their terms as they were replaced at will by the party. When they were not at loggerheads with the president on crucial issues, they often hardly were on the same page on political thoughts with party leaders from their respective states, especially the governors. Thus, the PDP produced chairmen who had issues with the governors of their states and at a time, the party declared that the national chairman would no longer come from where it has a sitting governor. This is to forestall constant clashes between the chairmen and the governors of their states, as some pundits noted that governors tend to wield awesome powers in politics. As a result, most of the chairmen fell by the wayside during survival battles with the governors who most times are instrumental to their ascension to power. Although, most of the chairmen never had it smooth while in office, Ogbulafor, Nwodo, Tukur, Sheriff and recently, Secondus fought the battle of their lives to retain their offices but the governors had their way. Notwithstanding the challenges before the new leadership of the party, Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has confirmed that the new leadership of the PDP has started engaging Nigerians and other party members on identifying what the problems are and how to address them properly. Likewise, a former Commissioner for Information in Edo State and a chieftain of the party, Prince Kassim Afebgua, has acknowledged that the new leadership of the party has a lot on its plate to resolve. In a recent media interview, he said the NWC started on a good note with the structuring of the party’s account system to entrench a culture of transparency. He said: “The new leadership no doubt, has a lot on its plate to resolve, but with the way it has started, the sky will be its limit. The party’s accounting system has to be well structured to entrench a culture of transparency different from the opaque system of the previous exco. The recent retreat of the party captured in eloquent detail what the way forward should be. “The new leadership should apply holistic measures to have the buy-in of critical stakeholders in party activities. The language of inclusion and not exclusion is very important in rallying all the factors together for any party engagement. The women and youth are critical mass effects that must be accommodated and cultivated to expand the support base of the party. “Before the 2023 presidential election, the PDP must take deliberate, conscious and sustained steps to sustain its present stability across the board to be able to withstand the monstrosity of the APC. The opportunity is there for grabs by the PDP if the leadership is able to look beyond selfish and parochial interests to embrace a most encompassing and robust approach to dealing with party issues. “The sins of the APC are so many that it will be shocking if Nigerians could forgive them. They have impoverished millions with their nebulous policies that are not properly captured and structured to address the precarious situation we find ourselves in. Nigeria is now the poverty capital of the world, corruption has gone worse under a government that preaches anti-corruption, while unemployment has become pandemic. So, for the PDP, the campaign issues are self-defining and might become more compelling when the subsidy removal becomes manifest.” A prominent member of the PDP and two-time member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Godfrey Ali Gaiya, said Ayu with his wealth of experience in politics, academia and with native intelligence, has come to give the PDP a new lease of life and will lead the party to victory in the 2023 general election. Gaiya, a former chairman of the House Committee on Sports, who also served in various committees during his time at the Green Chamber, believed Ayu would do what the PDP leaders want to salvage Nigerians from the APC government. “Senator Ayu is an elder statesman that has gone through virtually all facets of service to Nigeria. He was a lecturer, an ASUU unionist, an elected senator, an elected Senate President, a minister of the Federal Republic amongst so many other records of service. He is bringing into the PDP national chairmanship a lot of credentials and wealth of experience. He understands the PDP terrain very well having been a founding father. He is well respected in the party and as an astute administrator. “Being a straightforward person, he is not likely going to compromise on party guidelines and the constitution. He is a known disciplinarian and will apply the rules of engagement. PDP is lucky to have someone of Senator Ayu’s disposition at this moment and is the right man to reposition the party to win back power to PDP come 2023,” he said. Notwithstanding the praise and high hopes of Ayu’s leadership, the forthcoming Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections would be a litmus test for the new NWC and Nigerians are anxiously waiting to see how he would address the mirage of crisis in some state chapters of the party in the coming month

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