PDP and Zoning: A party’s adherence to fumbling

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP may have survived its worst fears of a public backlash during the last round of elections. Nigeria’s long ruling party is, however, not out of sync with its historical predilection to internal fumbles. The latest crisis hitting the party arose from the zoning of positions after its victories in the presidential and National Assembly elections. The return of zoning as an issue not too long after the party survived internal schism on the issue prior to the presidential elections, has attracted snide remarks from critical segments of the party including Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, erstwhile Military Head of State and PDP presidential aspirant in the 2011 election.

President Jonathan At a recent meeting of its national caucus in Abuja, party elders had resolved to sustain the present zoning arrangement of offices, with the notable exception of the Southeast where it was agreed that the Southeast and the Northeast should swap the positions of National Chairman and Secretary to the Government of the Federation. In agreeing to the status quo, the party elders resolved thus that the offices would be shared in the following manner, President (South-South) Vice-President (Northwest) Senate President (North Central), Speaker of the House of Representatives (Southwest); Deputy Senate President (Southeast); and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (Northeast).

The resolution of the party elders was immediately flayed by a number of stakeholders particularly those from the Southeast, Northwest and Northeast who believed that they had been shortchanged. If not shortchanged, some stakeholders from those zones said that the Southwest was being rewarded for its failure. The southeast has been particularly vociferous. With an eye to the office of Speaker given to the Southwest, a number of Southeast leaders expressed dissatisfaction that the Southwest where the PDP was nearly wiped out was being rewarded for its failure in delivering the party during the last round of elections. Worthy of note is that out of the 202 seats won by the PDP in the House of Representatives, only 5 seats were won from the Southwest representing less than 3 % of the total seats won by the party.

Most of the seats available were cleared by the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN with the notable exception of Ondo State where Labour Party, reigned supreme. The party, however, fared better in the Southeast where it claimed more than 40 of the seats and in the North where the party survived the pressures on it from the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC. Where the PDP failed to perform in the Southwest, the PDP was near invincible in the Southeast where the party exceeded its expectations with a near sweep of the House seats. The Southeast caucus of the House of Representatives whose returning members have their eyes on the office of Speaker have been particularly trenchant in the clamour. Either acting directly or through proxies, they have sponsored a campaign to highlight what they claim as the injustice being meted out to Ndigbo. Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, former Governor of the Old Anambra State who has been prominent in the campaign told a national newspaper that Ndigbo deserved a place in the first five.

At the beginning of the campaign just after the PDP grandees unveiled the sharing formula, Ezeife, Senator Uche Chukwumerije among others in separate press interviews demanded for the position of Senate President or at least Speaker of the House of Representatives. “We will not protest; if they refuse to give us the Senate President, then we should get Speaker of the House plus, but by all means we must occupy the decision making position, because we have delivered and we have done our best,” Ezeife was quoted as telling a national newspaper at the beginning of the month. Members of the Southeast caucus in the House of Representatives, notably Rep. Emeka Ihedioha from Imo State and Bethel Amadi showed themselves among the advocates. Remarkably, over a period of time, the demand of the Southeast zone was watered down to a demand for the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives. While the Southeast was making its demand, PDP elders from the Southwest under the tutelage of former President Olusegun Obasanjo at a meeting in Ota, Ogun State resolved to adopt Rep. Muriana Ajibola for the position of Speaker.

The adoption of somebody regarded as an Obasanjo man as Speaker nominee immediately helped to provoke reaction from other concerned stakeholders in the party. One of such reactions is the brewing campaign by some members of the House of Representatives now canvassing the election of Rep. Aminu Tambuwal from Sokoto State as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives. Tambuwal who is the outgoing Deputy Whip of the House is himself in a difficult position. As the deputy whip with a responsibility of mobilizing party members to toe party decisions, he is now the platform being used to disregard a major party decision.

Remarkably, the momentum behind Tambuwal is coming from across all the geopolitical zones including the Southwest. The majority of lawmakers from the ACN in the Southwest are remarkably uncomfortable having a PDP Speaker at their backyard who would in the near future use the power of his office to disturb the party’s hegemony over the zone. Noting the inconsistence of the party on the issue of zoning, Babangida in a statement issued on his behalf by his spokesman, Kassim Afegbua said: “There will be no hope for the country if those who double-speak are made to preside over certain levels of government in the name of dubious politicking and zoning which they never believed in. The character indices of our leaders must be known at different times and levels.” Noting that “General Babangida’s position on zoning has not wavered,” Afegbua quoted him as saying that “he believes in the efficacy of zoning as a stabilizing instrument of political engagement. Those who shy away from such incontrovertible political requirement to put paid to all cries of marginalization cannot simply wake up overnight to be beneficiaries of what they never believed in. In a democracy, we should learn to play by the rules no matter how painful it might be and no matter whose ox is gored.”

An attempt by Vice-President Nnamadi Sambo to intervene on behalf of the party through pushing the candidacy of Ajibola at a meeting of new members has not seen much success. While there is a riot over the allocation of the position of Speaker, the allocation of the office of Senate President to the North Central has remained largely uncontroversial. The seeming silence is not for anything. The allocation of the office to the zone is a direct award to Senator David Mark who is the outgoing President of the Senate. Mark, who evoked a controversial persona in statecraft before his election as Senate President in 2007, has nearly erased all the negatives drawn to his person during his adventurous career as a military politician. Senator Mark’s role as the unofficial leader of the many insurrections against preceding Senate Presidents is also now conveniently buried. His remarkable efforts in bringing a stability to the Senate to the extent that for the first time since the advent of the fourth republic there has been no turmoil has been largely commended.

Now both foes and friends including those who voted against him in 2007 are now struggling to mobilize support for him. As at press time no opponent has even come out to challenge him. The exceptional performance and attributes of Senator Mark is, however, believed to be at the problem of the PDP. Prior to now, the office of Senate President had always been zoned to the side of the country producing the President. However, the near nationwide unanimity on Mark has made the exception for Mark who is from the North to be Senate President while the President is from another side of the country. Given the stability and other qualities that Mark has brought to bear, the PDP may not have erred in navigating the sharing of other offices around his interest, but the party has failed poorly in managing its dealings with other the Southeast. The emerging riot in the party is evident of the party’s poor management of rewarding success and failure.

Perhaps reflective of the backlash against the party’s decision to zone the Speaker office to the Southwest and the determination of the members_elect to rebel President Goodluck Jonathan was believed to have asked for a meeting with the National Working Committee, NWC of the PDP. The meeting due this Sunday it is believed will rezone the offices to sooth the angst now boiling over.