A Peoples Democratic Party’s chieftain, Kola Ologbondiyan, has said the struggle for the soul of the party has become worrisome following issues which, according to him, have to do with principles.
Ologbodiyan, a former national spokesperson for the party, argued that the problems in the party transcend the issues of who emerges as the leader and those that have to do with the supremacy divide of who is to be regarded as the recognised leader between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike and the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 election and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.
Ologbondiyan spoke on the heels of the PDP NEC meeting scheduled for Thursday amid the contentions in the party, as well as the caucus meeting of Tuesday and a meeting of the Board of Trustees slated for Wednesday in moves to salvage the soul of the party.
“I can even go further to say that it is troubling what can become of the party,” Ologbondiyan said, mentioning that the fate of the party to determine the acceptance of whether it is ‘dead as dodo’ or not, would depend on the outcome of the Thursday NEC meeting.
Speaking in an interview on Tuesday during Arise TV Morning Show, Ologbondiyan said there was a divide in principle between those who believe the party should rise as a formidable opposition and fight to return to power and those who believe it should sit back and watch the ruling government as much as it serves their interest.
“I think the situation the way I perceive it is about principles. I think the party is divided between those who believe that the PDP as an opposition political party should stand and uphold those possibilities that can guarantee a check on the government and also possibly a return to the government in the future.
“I think the other line of principle is for those who believe there is a government in power and because there is a government in power, the opposition is not necessary; we sit back and watch or possibly sit among those who are in government for whatever interest and as such allow the government to function; don’t criticise, no matter how constructive your intention is, but just allow the government to function. These are the two major principles that are running the party as we speak today.
“However, in any situation like this in any political party, there are people who want to take advantage. I’m not exempting that situation,” he said.
Ologbondiyan, who said it would be childish to reduce the Thursday NEC meeting to leadership problems, mentioned that the issue of whether it is Wike or Atiku who would be named the leader “pan into irrelevance.”
According to him, the important issue of determination is how to hold and put the “party together in a manner that it can function to the ideals of its founders.”
“There are people that I know who are die-hard Atiku supporters, who are standing on the need for Damagum (the acting Chairman of the PDP) to continue and there are people that I know who are die-hard Wike supporters, who are saying that on the basis of justice, on the basis of fairness, on the basis of even the fight that the honourable Minister, Nyesom Wike took-on in respect of zoning, they want Damagum (acting chairman of the PDP) to revert to his position as the deputy national chairman and allow the North-Central to produce a chairman that would complete the tenure of Ayu,” he added.
On the removal of Senator Iyorcha Ayu, Ologbondiyan argued that the former national chairman was sacked by the court, maintaining that “as we are speaking now, nobody can produce a restraining order that Ayu secured from the court that stopped the party from allowing the North-Central to complete its term.”
According to him, the issues informing the BoT, Caucus and NEC meeting are whether to allow Damagum to remain as chairman or whether the North-Central be allowed to produce a successor to complete the remaining term of Ayu.
“As you can see, why the situation is becoming worrisome is that people are now stepping into the process. For instance, stakeholders from the North-Central have already met yesterday in Abuja and endorsed former Governor Suswan as a successor.
“Tomorrow the North-Central caucus of the party is going to meet. I’m hearing they are meeting to take a decision on the way forward. The issues are very worrisome and I just pray that the party will be able to manage itself through at this moment.
“Everybody knows who the leader is, I do not think the issue of Thursday’s meeting is about who will be the leader, no. The meeting from what I’m picking from among leaders and members is, will Damagum remain in office or will he replaced? There are those who have come up with the argument that a vacancy does not exist in the office of the chairmanship,” he said.
He added that part of the issues in contest is that the North-Central is demanding bringing forward a replacement for Ayu which would be the substantive chairman “because the constitution provides that where the chairman ceases to exist either by resignation, death and all the conditions put forward by the constitution, that the deputy national chairman from that zone, that is from the North/South dichotomy, would be the one to stand in office pending the time when a substantive chairman is brought forward.
“So the question now is we want to bring forward a replacement which would be substantive chairman. I think that’s the major issue the party would have to contend with on Thursday.”
On the question of why the party has failed to discipline Wike despite working for the opposition in the last presidential election, Ologbondiyan said if the leadership refuses to take such actions, the whole party cannot be held to ransom for their silence.
He said, “The purview is within the current Working Committee to say ‘we consider your action this way or that way, we want you to provide explanation,’ or the party has a standing disciplinary committee where matters of this nature are usually referred.
“But if the party and when I’m talking about the party, I’m talking about the leadership, is not taking actions, you can’t hold the party responsible. Because the constitution also says that even this NEC meeting that we want to hold on Thursday, it is the national chairman that would call for it; where he fails, there is a process in the constitution requiring a percentage of the members of NEC to sign a position and call for NEC.”
