At the South West meeting of the PDP stakeholders with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar held in Ibadan on the 14th of September 2022, Governor Seyi Makinde had kind words for the party flag bearer. For a man whose utterances and actions have consistently opposed anything Atiku since the fallout of his preferred aspirant, Nyesom Wike at the presidential primaries, Makinde’s seducing words came as soothing on one part and heartwarming on the other. With that generous description of Atiku, those at the meeting went home happily, basking in the glow of where the party’s crisis was heading.
They assumed Governor Makinde’s description of Atiku as the incoming President of Nigeria had the endorsement of Governor Nyesom Wike and members of their group. As the meeting’s Chief host, Governor Makinde noted that neither he nor Wike bears any grudges against Atiku or PDP. And that the party’s victory in the coming election is a priority to members of his group. He described Atiku as a man to beat in that election. But Makinde didn’t join the fray of welcoming Atiku initially. He was reluctant and unconcerned as the epochal meeting draw to a close.
He sluggishly took over the planning of the meeting at the last minutes having sensed the regional leadership he held so dearly is about to go up in the smoke. Recall how former Oyo Deputy Governor, Azim Gbolarumi went running up and down to ensure smooth organization of the program – only to discover the arrangement had been hijacked by the power that be. He must have been pissed off as his efforts hit the brick wall. In a way, when Governor Makinde uttered those words, he was greeted by a rapturous clap. For a party battling an existential crisis, Makinde’s pledge for the party’s success hit members like a thunderbolt. Attendees at the meeting went home brimming with optimism and confidence. To them, nothing will stand in the way of the party that was trounced in the 2015 and 2019 Presidential elections in the make or Mar 2023 elections.
But when Governor Makinde called for the removal of the Party’s National chairman Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, he was reading from the familiar script – the script that has been so crafted by the Wike group as a precondition for working with the party in the next election. “There is no way Nigerians can take the party (PDP) seriously if members feel excluded”, one of the articles of the script said, “and for inclusivity of all and sundry, it continued, the party helmsman must throw in the towel for a National chairman of southern extraction.
Those at the meeting held their hearts in their hands as to the response of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. But the serial Presidential contestant didn’t minced words in saying the removal of Dr. Ayu must be done in line with the party’s law. He said no single individual can remove an elected official of the party. He added that only Dr. Ayu can throw in the towel if he so desires. In other words, Atiku made it abundantly clear that those expecting him to unilaterally yank off the Party chair must have mistaken him for someone else, and that they are arrogating to him what he is not. Days before heading to Ibadan, the Presidential campaign council list of the party went public and it included aggrieved members being strategically placed in various portfolios.
They thought including them would assuage their feelings and placate their egos. In what is seen as steps toward resolving the crisis, the party also made Seyi Makinde of Oyo the chairman of the PDP Governors forum after Aminu Tambuwal, Governor of Sokoto state resigned to pick up the plum job of Atiku’s campaign Director General.
In addition, the party asked Jibrin Walid to resign his Board of Trustee seat to pave the way for Adolphus Wabara, former Senate President. Similarly, the party passed a vote of confidence on its National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, a move that ruffled the feathers of most Wike’s comrades. For the public, those gestures were aim at portraying the party as utterly united and stable. But for the Wike’s group, those hurried arrangements were the last straw that broke Carmel’s back. On Wednesday, 21st of September, PDP came under heavy shelling. Reading from a prepared speech, Olabode George, former national vice Chairman of the party said the Wike’s group has decided to pull out of the Presidential campaign council because PDP has failed to demonstrate justice in its affairs. Given the various threats issued by the Wike’s group, that of pulling out was by far their biggest and boldest move. By pulling out of the council, the Wike’s group has left PDP while still in PDP. They have denounced the party under whose platform they become star politicians. Will the group go back to its vomits?
While most bigwigs in the Wike’s group might not have their political careers on the line, for Governor Makinde, the next election is critical to his foray into politics. Already, the PDP in Oyo is divided and polarized along many lines. The party has lost notable politicians. And has dented its chances of winning next poll without coalition. Unsurprisingly, the pulling out of Governor Makinde from Atiku’s Presidential council has widened the gap. In a sense, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar would most certainly have members of his Presidential council from Oyo — but they won’t be those loyal to Makinde. In part because he cannot prosecute the election without the support of party members across the federation. But now that he’s boxed in a tight corner, he would have to rely on the inputs of aggrieved members in Oyo to made his mark in the state.
With that, the growing polarization and confusion within the fold of Oyo PDP would deepen and fester. And whatever that comes out of the Presidential election in February would incontrovertibly affect whoever emerges as the Governor of the state in the March poll. For the aggrieved PDP members in Oyo state, this might probably be the time to pound on the second term flesh of the Governor.
OYO101 is Muftau Gbadegesin’s opinion about issues affecting Oyo state, is published on Saturdays. He can be reached via @TheGMAKing on Twitter, muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com and 09065176850
