PDP on the verge of losing Niger to APC

 

The ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Niger State suffered a major blow recently following the defection of the deputy governor, Hon. Ahmed Musa Ibeto, to the All Progressives Congress, APC, as part of the fallout of the December 8, 2014 gubernatorial primaries, in which he participated and lost.

Unable to bear the alleged injustice and humiliation meted out to him, he had to quit. Over 200 members, including some top notchers, also dumped the ruling party for the opposition over various grievances, along with him.
They include serving members of the National Assembly, members of state House of Assembly, former commissioners and former chairmen of local councils, former gubernatorial aspirants, among other party faithful in the state. And by implication, this may give the opposition more ground with elections only weeks away.
Recent developments that appeared to have sent jitters down the spine of the ruling PDP, pundits said, did not come as a surprise to many in the state considering the anger displayed by losers in the PDP gubernatorial primaries.
Immediately after results were announced, five aggrieved participants, including Ibeto, briefed newsmen and totally rejected the outcome of the primary, claiming that the exercise was conducted with disregards to the Electoral Law and the party’s constitution, as there was no levelplaying field. They fingered the governor as the harbinger of the crisis.
One of the aggrieved losers, Alhaji Hanafi Sudan, approached an Abuja High Court, seeking an order to compel PDP to give him certificate of return, instead of the winner, Hon. Umar Nasko, who polled 908 votes out 1,023 votes. The suit was however thrown out and Nasko’s victory upheld.
Though, Ibeto and his fellow losers told journalists that they will all remain in the PDP to seek legal means of resolving the issue by forwarding their complains to the national headquarters of the party in Abuja, but it appeared their grievances were not settled as political development on Monday the 19 of January had proved.
This is in spite of the visit by a PDP reconciliation team, led by the Vice Chairman, North Central zone, to iron out all grey areas with aggrieved members of the party to enable it face the battle ahead with a united front.
Evidence that all is not well within the ruling party first really came to the fore during the August/September, 2014 Niger East senatorial by-election, where, it locked horns with APC in a battle of supremacy in the zone, which has been in the grip of the ruling party, since 1999.
Though, the PDP was eventually declared winner, a victory that has been nullified by the court, it was a hard-won victory. Governor Babangida Aliyu admitted that it was the toughest battle in all his political history due to disunity and betrayal by party members. Sensing danger ahead, he warned of the need for the party to wake up and resolve all issues that could be clog in the will of its progress in the forthcoming elections.
He said explained that political events during the by-election, forced him to carry out some analysis just to enable him trace why the election was a tough nut to crack, in spite of the provision of infrastructural facilities.
Announcing his defection publicly to journalists at his residence in Minna, on his way to receive the APC presidential candidate to flag off his campaign, Ibeto hinged the decision on the injustice he suffered, alongside other co-contestants during the primaries, which he described as flawed and stage-managed to favour a particular candidate.
Ibeto said: “The electoral process that threw up Alhaji Nasko as PDP gubernatorial candidates was not in accordance with PDP electoral guidelines and the constitution. It is true we are defecting to APC because the primary was conducted in abeyance to the PDP constitution.”
He said the decision to defect became inevitable when efforts by all aggrieved participants in the primaries to get PDP national headquarters to address the injustice met a brick wall, urging his supporters to be law abiding and not to engage in do-or-die.
And though, Governor Aliyu seem unperturbed by the massive wave of defection, especially that of his deputy, he said Ibeto would not be denied his rights and privileges as a result of his action, adding that politicians have the right to chose who they want to associate. He urged party supporters to remain calm as the PDP is the only party to beat in the state.
But, two days later, a media report claimed that Governor Aliyu was at the Hilltop country home of former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, to plead with him to help beg the defectors to return to the PDP.
But Dr Aliyu debunked the report while speaking during a courtesy visit by Federation of Advocates for Fair, Credible and Peaceful Election, led by elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, insisting that he has never at any point asked IBB to beg his deputy and aggrieved members to return.
His words: “It is not unusual to see politicians defecting during electioneering period and those who have defected have right to do so.”
He said he has gone beyond going to beg IBB or anyone over the defection saga, calling on politicians not to discriminate or victimise any one for making any decision, arguing that politics must be played without bitterness between all stakeholders.
He added: “Fighting within and outside party platforms should be discouraged, regardless of who wins, Nigerians must understand that unity of the country remains sacrosanct.”
However, a source within the party confided in National Mirror that unless something is done very soon to address members’ grievances, hundreds of PDP supporters may be leave again for the opposition party, over alleged coercion, imposition of candidates and injustice.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said: “The party is presently jittery as hundreds will also leave, this is besides, the over 200 that had already dump the PDP for the APC, especially over the outcome of the gubernatorial primaries that imposed a candidate on the people of the state.Many that contested the House of Assembly and House of Representatives seats were unable to return. They were schemed out. These problems need to be settled fast before the election.”
National Mirror also learnt that the immediate past PDP chairman, Dr. Abdulrahaman Enagi, had left; angered by the treatment he got from the party during the primaries.
Enagi had resigned to contest the Niger South senatorial district primaries, but lost to Senator Zaynab Kure. Efforts to get the new PDP chairman, Hon. Musa Maali, to comment on these political developments and what it portends for the party failed.
Governor Aliyu had on several occasions at open functions maintained that the party’s standard bearer, Alhaji Nasko remains the best choice and most qualified to continue with the policies and programmes of his administration.
Aliyu said Nasko is sellable and is the candidate to beat in the election, a position, National Mirror learnt, many PDP stalwarts seem uncomfortable with, especially in Niger South zone, where, it was gathered the party’s campaign train was booed on a number of times in some areas, as well as in other areas outside the zone.
Incidentally, Niger South produces bulk of the votes that has ensured the party continued to form government in the state.
Aliyus’ candidature in the Niger East senatorial district is also said not to be receiving the expected support with tribal sentiment already played up among the Gwari speaking people of the zone, who prefer one of their own to occupy the senatorial seat.
For example, political watchers noted that Aliyus’ adoption by the zonal PDP has proved the fears of the Gwaris, who had before the August/ September, 2014 by-election alleged that Senator Zagbayi was a stop-gap measure, only to be schemed out and denied the seat in order for Aliyu to actualise his aspiration as PDP’s sole candidate in the election. They are therefore, said to be bent on supporting one of their own, Barr David Umar of the opposition party next month.
While the third senatorial district has all the time being in firm grip of main opposition parties in the state as even witnessed today, but with the governorship seat zoned to the zone, perhaps, it may soften the heart of people of the area towards the ruling party in the election.
These among other issues, pundits noted, could be responsible for the disenchantment that have snow-ball into the mass defection of party faithful suffered by the PDP that needs to be resolve quickly as the election approaches to sway voters to its side.
It will be recalled that Ibeto was made APC leader in Niger State barely three days after defection at the inauguration of the state campaign team. He boasted that his new party will form government in all strata during the polls based on the goodwill it enjoys, across the state.
He assure that “we will deliver Niger State to our presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, and subsequently, win the governorship, the three senatorial seats, 10 House of Representatives, and the 27 seats of the state House of Assembly.”
However, many in the state are of the belief that though the political development seem very dicey with the PDP on the verge of losing more members to the opposition, the onus lies with its leadership, headed by Dr. Aliyu to use the party’s’ internal mechanism of crisis management to find lasting solution to the lingering problems bedeviling it and where necessary, re-strategise or re-align in order to nip in the bud, the raging tidal waves already threatening to sweep the party out of power.