The People Democratic Party (PDP) is making frantic efforts to
reposition itself, rebrand its image and recapture its lost fortunes and
supporters, butthe party is facing serious power wrangling.
The PDP seems to be focusing its attention to the North- it wants its
National Chairman and the 2019 presidential candidate to come from the
region. However, the party has been met with some setbacks in its recent
attempts to start the process. Certain factors are responsible for that.
After losing the 2015 elections; without proper analysis of the situation,
the PDP, in haste, asked its then National Chairman, Ahmed Adamu Mu’azu
to resign. The PDP failed to see that its woeful performance in the north
during the 2015 elections was strongly due to the unprecedented Buhari
Tsunami, the failure of the then central government to effectively
tackle the Boko Haram insurgency and the name Goodluck Jonathan.
It is commendable of the PDP to have realized early that its resurrection,
re-imaging and a restart must begin from the north. It was not a
coincidence that Ali Modu Sheriff three months in office brought the
PDP back to life in the north. Though, hate him or love him- Sheriff is
one of those adventurous politicians in the north who have grabbed the
nitty-gritty of the politics in the north and have connections in the
south. So, for the PDP to really begin a new start, it must take advantage
of some of its bigwigs in the north who have adept understanding of the
nexus of Hausa-Fulani and the minority politics in the north. Late MKO
Abiola’s inroad in the north was motorized on the basis of
utilization of the experience of individuals who understand that nexus.
The PDP must bring on board people from the north to help the party to
come to life in the north. Most of the party fortunes in the
north are lost. Thus, the party needs someone who understands how politics
play out in the north. Apart from having a chairman who has such
capacity, the PDP also needs its founding members who understand the
fundamentals of northern politics. People like Sule Lamido, who is a
product of the Aminu Kano radical politics of the north. Lamido is from
the core Hausa-Fulani states and has large followers. When Sherrif visited
Dutse, the capital of Jigawa State on Monday, April 25, 2016, the mammoth
crowd Sule Lamido attracted was a strong political statement. Furthermore,
his cousins in the northeast will have nothing against him. The
middle-belt and many northern minorities share his politics of radicalism.
Lamido greatest shortcoming is the corruption case hanging on his neck.
But with his excellent performance as governor of Jigawa State and his
name is known throughout the country, just some ‘little packaging’ is
what he needs.
The PDP resurgence depends on whether it recaptures its fortunes in
the north and how well it takes advantage of its bigwigs from the region.
However, for the PDP to make a full come back, some external factors has
to play to its advantage; Buhari cult-like popularity and
supporters in the north fades out; the APC grossly mismanages its
political fortunes. Some members of the New PDP from the north pulls out
of the APC the outcome of the case against Senate President Bukola
Saraki in the Code of Conduct Tribunal will determine that; the APC fails
to settle the disgruntled members of the New-PDP in the north – many
members of the New PDP in the APC from the north feel that the Buhari
government has not offered them something tangible, claiming that most of
Buhari appointments have gone to people he personally knows and those
connected to his friends, confidants or relatives. These new-PDP members
are also of the belief that, their members from some states in the south
who got appointments from Buhari are simply fortunate because Buhari have
no option- he does not have longtime confidants from those states.
Nevertheless, PDP future depends on whether it recaptures its lost
fortunes in the north and how well it takes advantage of its experienced
members who have gone through mills of the politics of the north.
Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Jimeta, Adamawa State, zaymohd@yahoo.com,
08036070980. He blogs at www.zayyaddp.blogspot.com