2023 PDP Crisis: Will PDP Cease To Exist? By Abiodun John Aluko

There is room for crises and it is inevitable in any organization or society due to individuals’ appetite to have their way and influence others. To the ring of the largest Political Party in Africa, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP crisis, has become the order of the day and a yet-to-undefeated struggle of the party.

Having been the ruling party for 16 years in the Asokoro Palace of Power in Nigeria; PDP still experiencing the wind of disunity among the party stalwarts and is yet to command the wind to its advantage.

The 2023 General Election result is an eye-opener, revealing the outcome of the PDP crisis and damaging the party’s disorganized cause as the ex-ruling party in Nigeria. The 2023 PDP crisis deepened when the party’s aggrieved governors led by the incumbent Minister of Federal Capital Territory ( FCT) and former River State Governor, Nyesom Wike formed an alliance after the party’s presidential primary which was won by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in May 2022. They demanded that the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu step down for a southern replacement as a precondition to support the presidential candidate of the party – Atiku – in the February 25, 2023 poll.

They said it was unfair for the party to have northerners as its national chairman and presidential candidate.
The PDP G-5 Governors, fondly called Integrity Group, repeated the 2014 act of aggrieved governors then, against the former president and then Leader of the party, Dr Goodluck Jonathan by tagging his administration as ‘an incompetent one’.

Those against President Jonathan were Senator Bukola Saraki (Kwara), Rotimi Amaechi (River), Rabiu Kwakwanso (Kano) and others which Waziri of Adamawa, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was part of PDP leaders that cease power from the party in 2014 refusing to work for Goodluck Jonathan second term ambition, using zoning as a prerequisite, their body language said, ‘Dey Play‘.

However, the Integrity Governors demanded that the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu step aside for the southern replacement as a vital condition to support their Party Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and also requested some key positions if their candidate emerges as the first citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria but National Working Committee of PDP failed to accept the Integrity Group request which led to the downfall of the party during the last general election.

Zoning has become a key pillar in determining who is who in various political parties in Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku’s sudden candidacy would have appeased the gods (G-5 governors) by appealing to the National Chairman of PDP, Senator Ayu to step down for him to get support from the aggrieved governors to avoid Pre-crisis before the Presidential Election and during the election season too.

Integrity Group Leader, Wike during an exclusive interview with journalists, said each member of the G-5 governor would determine the party to work for during the presidential election in their States. Wike’s statement played a significant role during the last general election; although some Integrity Governors lost their states while others won. In the scenario of ex-Governor Wike’s state, River PDP lost woefully during the presidential election to the All Progressive Party (APC) Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for the first time in the history of the state, Makinde and Ortom also lost Oyo and Benue to the APC Candidate while Labour Party Candidate, Peter Obi sweep Ikpeazu State, Abia and Enugu State.

The crisis that resulted in the PDP loss of the Presidential election doesn’t change as someone may expect the aggrieved leaders to cease their war until the Federal High Court in Benue State removed Senator Ayu as PDP National Chairman.

Meanwhile, the emergence of the G-5 Leader, Minister of FTC Barrister Nyesom Wike under the administration of the opposition party, APC has opened up another issue for the PDP. Though, Wike while speaking in an interview on Channels Television, When asked if he was not fighting against the will of the party, Wike, said that the party was fighting against Nigerians. “Is the party not against Nigerians? Who is superior? Is the party superior to Nigerians?
There is a constitution. But because you think you have the power, you don’t want to follow the Constitution, He added.

Some questions are begging for answers; can Wike speak against the administration of President Tinubu-led Federal Government? As the popular saying goes, he who pays the piper dictates the tune. Does PDP have a future?
How can an individual or party member be superior to the Party?

By extension, what Minister Wike said during his recent interview, portrayed that he’s not backing down and that no solution is in sight, as he asked the PDP National Working Committee to suspend the Presidential Candidate of the party, Senator Aminu Tambuwal and Sule Lamido; funnily enough, he defended himself against any form of suspension from the party, he said, “They know I didn’t do anything wrong. They should be congratulating us for fighting for equity, fairness and justice.”

In conclusion, it is pertinent to ask if the once-ruling party chicken has come home to roost as the Umbrella Party failed to settle their differences from within, as a result, the PDP should spread their umbrella to fly for peace and unity of the party as well as bringing all the aggrieved members to the roundabout of oneness to restore peace. Now, my question is will PDP survive again?

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Abiodun John Aluko is a social commentator and concerned Nigerian