As the countdown to the PDP National Convention coming up on December 6th, 2017 heat up, New Telegraph Online examines the developments and candidates in this exhaustive writeup:
Read below:
Posted by Onyekachi Eze, ABUJA
As the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) begins the count down to its December 9 National Convention for the election of the party’s leadership for the next four years, aspirants seeking to occupy the National Chairmanship position have been visiting founding fathers of the party and elders for their blessing.
Those who have publicly declared to lead the party in the next dispensation are former Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran; former Deputy National Chairman, Chief Olabode George and former Ogun State governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel.
Media mogul, Dr. Raymond Dokpesi, is also intensifying campaign to occupy the number 1 position in the party, so also is former Minister of Sports, Prof. Taoheed Adedoja.
Last week, PDP governorship candidate for Lagos State in 2015, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, visited Ekiti State governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, to intimate him of his intention to run for the chairmanship.
Former Oyo State governor, Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja, and former Deputy National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, are also said to have interest to vie for the position.
The number seems to be increasing everyday. Apart from the 2008 National Convention, never in the history of PDP has the chairmanship position attracted this number of aspirants. The position has been zoned to the southern part of the country.
What are the chances of these aspirants when delegates from 36 states of the country and Abuja gather to elect the next PDP National Working Committee (NWC)?
Chief Bode George
Bode George appears to enjoy wide support among most members and lovers of PDP across the country because of his contributions, antecedents and consistency. He has served in many capacities at top most leadership level of the party since its formation in 1998. The National Chairmanship is the only office left for him to occupy.
In terms of experience and party politics, Bode George is shoulder high above the other contenders, and in terms of contact and connections, he has no equal.
Now that PDP is no more in government, the party needs a leader with character. It needs a National Chairman who can command respect and enforce party discipline, especially in ensuring that the party’s ticket in election does not go to the highest bidder.
George have all these qualities, and even more, and that is why he seems to be enjoying the support of party faithful.
Those who oppose his candidature said George plays a divisive politics. They blamed the inability of PDP to win Lagos State governorship on his style of politics. There are fears that such might be the case at the national level if he wins the chairmanship.
Also, PDP governors seem not be too comfortable with George’s candidature because he might be too high-handed. The governors want a National Chairman they can control, and that is why George might not enjoy their support.
Prof. Adeniran
Prof. Tunde Adeniran is one of the founding members of PDP. He served as Minister of Education in the first tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. A political scientist, Prof. Adeniran was a member of Ibrahim Babangida Political Bureau of 1986.
Gentle and non-controversial, the former education minister seems to be enjoying the support of some founding fathers. It was rumoured that Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Senator Buruji Kashamu, were bankrolling his ambition. This was denied by the Director-General of his campaign, Shehu Gabam, though Buruji was sighted at his public declaration in Abuja last month.
Adeniran may not be the type of National Chairman PDP needs now that the party is in opposition. As a political scientist, he knows that there are war-time and peace-time leaders. PDP now needs a tough and rugged leader, to be able to return to power in 2019.
Also, there are fears that he could be easily manipulated by the governors who want to hijack the structure of the party.
Otunba Gbenga Daniel
Daniel’s victory in 2003, when he defeated an incumbent governor who was a candidate of a popular political party in Ogun State then, was astounding. He demonstrated again this feat when he left PDP to Labour Party and made the party a dominant party in the state. Only a politician with a grassroots support could achieve these feats.
As a former governor, Daniel is looking forward to enjoying the support of his ‘brother’ governors. His ambition was said to have born out of the fact that former Ondo State governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, whom the governors wanted, declined to join the race in deference to Chief Bode George.
But the battle may not be easy for Daniel. The Ogun State chapter of the party said it was not aware of his ambition to run for the chairmanship. Besides, he is at war with Senator Kashamu who is from the same state. Kashamu will deploy everything within his power to stop him from becoming the National Chairman.
Again, Daniel if facing a moral burden: he is a returnee to PDP, having left the party in 2011 to the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN). He will have to convince the delegates to the convention why he deserves their votes after he abandoned the party and worked against its success, for more than three years. If others had done same, there would have been no PDP to seek its chairmanship now!
Dr. Raymond Dokpesi
Dokpesi has contributed much to the success of PDP especially in Edo State where he comes from. Despite the control of the state by the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dokpesi worked hard to win two senate seats for PDP in 2015.
On many occasions, he offered his media platform, the African Independent Television, free of charge, for live broadcast of PDP activities.
The problem with Dokpesi’s ambition is that he is from South-South while majority of PDP members want the chairmanship to go to South West, for equity and justice.
(The Chairman of the PDP National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi said micro-zoning is not binding.)
Again, many feared that he might be too rigid and difficult to control.
Prof. Adedoja
Prof. Taoheed Adedoja contested the PDP chairmanship in the August 17, 2016 botched National Convention.
No one knows where Prof. Adedoja is coming from but he may turnout to be a dark horse. He might be playing the same card Prince Vincent Ogbulafor played in 2008 when he became the only available option after the frontline contenders failed to reach a compromise.
Jimi Agbaje
If the 2016 second Port Harcourt convention had succeeded, Mr. Jimi Agbaje would have been the PDP National Chairman. He was the choice of the PDP governors who were ready to do anything to produce him.
But a lot has changed since then. It does appear that the governors are not looking on his side this time. Their anger was that Agbaje was sitting on the fence during the struggle to retrieve the party from Senator Ali Modu Sheriff. A would be party chairman should be able to declare his stand on any issue!
Prince Uche Secondus
Though his ambition is still in the realm of speculation, the former PDP Deputy National Chairman may spring a surprise. He was to retain his former position if any of the two conventions in 2016 had succeeded but things have changed since then.
It was gathered that certain forces are pushing him to run for the Number 1 position of the party even though he is from South-South. And, except the more than five aspirants from South-West put their house in order and present one or two persons to the delegates to choose from, Secondus might benefit from their disagreement.
His sour point was that he served in the immediate past NWC and party members blame PDP misfortune in 2015 on impunity and imposition, which the former NWC allegedly engineered.
Also, certain elements from the North are not too happy with him for attempting to deny them the opportunity to serve out the region’s tenure when Alhaji Adamu Mu’Azu resigned. The consequence of his ‘intransigent’ led to the coming of Sheriff and the pains inflicted on the party.
Source: https://newtelegraphonline.com/2017/10/pdp-chairmanship-gladiators-chances-weaknesses.
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