The crisis in the Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, took a turn for the worse, weekend,
with the decision of seven of the party’s 23
governors to float a new party, the Voice of the
People, VOP. The application for registration by the new
party, it was learnt at the weekend, has been
filed with the Independent National Electoral
Commission, which is processing it. A source in
INEC contacted on the development, yesterday,
said he was unable to confirm the veracity or the stage of the application. The party, it was learnt, is receiving the
patronage of several chieftains of the PDP.
The seven governors alleged to be behind the
new party include all five Northern governors
that have engaged in a series of consultation
with eminent statesmen, including former
heads of state. The five governors are Murtala
Nyako of Adamawa ; Rabiu Kwankwanso of Kano; Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto; Sule Lamido
of Jigawa and Babangida Aliyu of Niger State.
The five governors are being joined in the
rebellion against the PDP by Governor
Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara and Rotimi
Amaechi of Rivers State. Another governor is also sympathetic to the
proposed VOP, but his identity could not be
confirmed as at weekend. The inclinations of
Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal towards the
new party have also not been confirmed
though it was learnt that he has been approached. The decision of the governors to move out of
the PDP came ahead of the special national
convention of the PDP this weekend. Governor
Amaechi who has been suspended has not
been invited to the convention but the decision
of the other six to pull out of the PDP could come as a blow to the PDP given the electoral
weight of the states involved. With Sokoto, Kano and Jigawa states out of
control of the PDP and the Southwest totally
out of control of the ruling party, the PDP
would be reduced to playing second fiddle in
the Northwest and Southwest regions whose
total voters’ population is more than 40% of the national voting population. There were indications that last Friday’s private
meeting between Governor Kwankwaso and
President Goodluck Jonathan was a last minute
bid to stop the governor and his colleagues
from the rebellion. Though associates of Speaker Tambuwal in the
House of Representatives claimed ignorance
of his involvement or knowledge of the new
party, there were nevertheless suspicions that
the involvement of Governor Wamakko could
inevitably lead the speaker into the emerging party. Speaker Tambuwal has been severally flayed by
some PDP associates for his close ties with
opposition political parties. The decision of the governors to float a party
instead of teaming up with the All Progressives
Congress, APC, it was gathered, flowed from
deep suspicions between the governors and
some of the promoters of the APC. One of the governors involved in the new party
had told Vanguard that General Muhammadu Buhari and Mallam Nasir El-Rufai who are
among the champions of the APC were missing
when activists fought for democracy during
military rule. Alhaji Abdulfattah Ahmed (KWARA) Governor Ahmed has been a silent crusader in
the PDP. Even though he has not been visible in
the campaign against the alleged injustice in
the PDP, his voice, has however, not been
totally quiet.
Gov Abdulfattah Ahmed His political benefactor, Senator Abubakar
Saraki, it is believed, may have greatly
influenced his decision. Though he, Saraki has
silently offered advice to the Jonathan
administration at the highest level, Senator
Saraki who was the immediate past governor of Kwara State is known to be a strong political
ally of Amaechi. The administration’s on-again-
off-again probes of the Saraki regime has also
been taken with offence in Kwara. With Governor Ahmed decamping to the VOP, it
would inevitably crumble the PDP in Kwara
State. The PDP would now have to play third
fiddle after VOP and the All Progressives
Congress, APC. Governor Rotimi Amaechi (RIVERS) Amaechi has been consistently labelled as the
enemy of the people of the South-South on
account of an alleged ambition. He has been
accused of aspiring to the post of vice-
president with the intent of substituting the
office of the president now occupied by a Niger Delta man for the office of vice-
president.
Rotimi Amaechi Governor Amaechi who is generally believed to
have performed well in office, especially in the
areas of education, health and agriculture,
provoked controversy with his ascendancy to
the chairmanship of the NGF. As the NGF
chairman he had the responsibility of speaking the minds of the governors. Amaechi
remarkably had enjoyed some level of personal
rapport with the president, and had the closest
relationship with the president of all South-
South governors until about two years ago. His refusal to heed the alleged directive of the
PDP hierarchy not to re-contest the
chairmanship of the NGF brought him into
direct conflict with presidential minders and it
was a testimony of his political tenacity that he
braved the odds to win the contest against the PDP’s favoured candidate for the position,
Governor Jonah Jang. The PDP had left Amaechi’s few options in the
last few months. The party structure was taken
from him in controversial circumstances and
handed over to his one time chief of staff, Mr.
Nyesom Wike. Not long after, the governor was suspended
from the party. Only last week, the new
leadership of the party under Mr. Felix Obuah
commenced an appraisal of public officials
elected on the platform of the PDP. The move
it was claimed by associates of Governor Amaechi was aimed to effect the expulsion of
the governor’s associates from the party on
the fact that Amaechi’s associates would not
appear before the panel. Amaechi’s move to the VOP would create a
challenge to the PDP in the sense that the
party would be denied that leverage of
harvesting its traditional two million votes in
presidential elections. Despite Governor Amaechi’s near excellent
performance in office, his capacity to swing
the whole state in the direction of the VOP
would be undermined by the forces of Mrs.
Patience Jonathan and Mr. Wike.
Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso’s exit from the PDP came
despite last minute apparent pleas from
President Jonathan last Friday when the two
men held a one on one session. Kwankwaso has
had a running battle with the PDP since 2010
when he formally launched his campaign to reclaim the governorship he lost in 2003. Party bureaucrats working in cahoot with some
officials in the presidency allegedly
sympathetic to Vice-President Namadi Sambo
had tried to deny Kwankwaso the PDP
gubernatorial ticket on the fear that
Kwankwaso would at the end of the second term pose a serious challenge to the hushed
ambitions of the vice-president. It took strong security reports of a possible riot
in Kano for the PDP to belatedly restore
Kwankwaso’s ticket. Perhaps buoyed by that
victory or the messianic spirit that now effuses
through his Kwankwasiya movement in Kano,
Kwankwaso has turned into a stronghold that no one can stop. He has been consistent in
championing regional interests. Many disaffected PDP stalwarts in Kano would
be glad to see him leave as it would give them
room to operate. His exit would also gladden
many in the APC as it would soften the state
for the opposition party. Sule Lamido (Jigawa)
Gov Sule Lamido Arguably one of the best performing governors
in the country today, Governor Sule Lamido’s
politics is following the path of rebellion
against feudal oppression he learnt from his
late political master, Mallam Aminu Kano. He has not had any direct political problems
with Abuja except the notable suspicion that
his sterling performance could galvanise a
momentum from stakeholders for him to
contest the 2015 presidential election as a way
of replicating the Jigawa experience on a national level. It is not surprising that posters of Governors
Lamido and Amaechi are regularly advertised as
an item for the 2015 presidential contest. Given the revolution he has put in terms of
infrastructure and the welfare programme,
Governor Lamido’s exit from the PDP would be
a major loss for the party and he would almost
certainly deliver the state across board to the
VOP. Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto)
Gov Wamakko Governor Aliyu Wamakko is the political
phenomenon whose tentacles attracted
President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2007 to the
extent that the former president caused his
protégée, Alhaji Mukthar Shagari to surrender
the PDP’s ticket to the then ANPP gubernatorial candidate. It was one act of political engineering by
Obasanjo without which the PDP could not have
dreamt flying its flag in the Sokto Government
House. Governor Wamakko’s problems with the
national party are in part an extension of his
domestic challenges. Many of his foes who
found habitation at the PDP national secretariat
helped to stoke the crisis between Wamakko
and the national party. It is, however, reflective of his prominence that when the national party
announced his suspension on the fact that he
did not answer the national chairman’s
telephone call, zonal and state officials of the
party and also, the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal publicly came out to denounce the national
party. One of the greatest dangers in Wamakko’s exit
from the PDP is the effect it could have on
Speaker Tambuwal. If Tambuwal as it is most
likely joins him, the speaker could through his
network in the House cause a free fall of the
PDP in the House of Representatives. Though Sokoto State has not been very
lucrative for the PDP in presidential contests,
the fact that the votes mobilized by Wamakko
could go to another party of influence could
put the ruling party in more jeopardy. Murtala Nyako (Adamawa)
Gov. Nyako The challenges in Adamawa arguably were the
main factors that exacerbated the crisis in the
PDP. When Alhaji Bamanga Tukur sought to
displace the PDP structure under the control of
Governor Murtala Nyako, PDP governors led by
Governor Amaechi quickly came to his support and at one time forced the National Working
Committee, NWC to disown Tukur. But with steadfastness and the presidency
backing him, Tukur has held his own against
Nyako But Nyako’ exit from the PDP would be too
much of a good news to his traducers. His
capacity to rally support for the VOP in the
state against the determination of Tukur and
the PDP is, however, open to debate. Babangida Aliyu (Niger)
Gov. Aliyu For Governor Babangida Aliyu his path of
rebellion was like a call to duty. As chairman of
the Northern States Governors Forum, NSGF it
was his obligation to defend what was alleged
as the understanding that President Jonathan
would serve only one term in office. Governor Aliyu though without proof went on to say that
the president signed an agreement on the
issue. Though some had in the past alleged that the
governor could do a deal with Jonathan under
the correct understanding, so far no deal has
been marshalled. His exit from the PDP would leave Niger State
an open play for all three major parties, the
VOP, PDP and APC.
Party, PDP, took a turn for the worse, weekend,
with the decision of seven of the party’s 23
governors to float a new party, the Voice of the
People, VOP. The application for registration by the new
party, it was learnt at the weekend, has been
filed with the Independent National Electoral
Commission, which is processing it. A source in
INEC contacted on the development, yesterday,
said he was unable to confirm the veracity or the stage of the application. The party, it was learnt, is receiving the
patronage of several chieftains of the PDP.
The seven governors alleged to be behind the
new party include all five Northern governors
that have engaged in a series of consultation
with eminent statesmen, including former
heads of state. The five governors are Murtala
Nyako of Adamawa ; Rabiu Kwankwanso of Kano; Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto; Sule Lamido
of Jigawa and Babangida Aliyu of Niger State.
The five governors are being joined in the
rebellion against the PDP by Governor
Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara and Rotimi
Amaechi of Rivers State. Another governor is also sympathetic to the
proposed VOP, but his identity could not be
confirmed as at weekend. The inclinations of
Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal towards the
new party have also not been confirmed
though it was learnt that he has been approached. The decision of the governors to move out of
the PDP came ahead of the special national
convention of the PDP this weekend. Governor
Amaechi who has been suspended has not
been invited to the convention but the decision
of the other six to pull out of the PDP could come as a blow to the PDP given the electoral
weight of the states involved. With Sokoto, Kano and Jigawa states out of
control of the PDP and the Southwest totally
out of control of the ruling party, the PDP
would be reduced to playing second fiddle in
the Northwest and Southwest regions whose
total voters’ population is more than 40% of the national voting population. There were indications that last Friday’s private
meeting between Governor Kwankwaso and
President Goodluck Jonathan was a last minute
bid to stop the governor and his colleagues
from the rebellion. Though associates of Speaker Tambuwal in the
House of Representatives claimed ignorance
of his involvement or knowledge of the new
party, there were nevertheless suspicions that
the involvement of Governor Wamakko could
inevitably lead the speaker into the emerging party. Speaker Tambuwal has been severally flayed by
some PDP associates for his close ties with
opposition political parties. The decision of the governors to float a party
instead of teaming up with the All Progressives
Congress, APC, it was gathered, flowed from
deep suspicions between the governors and
some of the promoters of the APC. One of the governors involved in the new party
had told Vanguard that General Muhammadu Buhari and Mallam Nasir El-Rufai who are
among the champions of the APC were missing
when activists fought for democracy during
military rule. Alhaji Abdulfattah Ahmed (KWARA) Governor Ahmed has been a silent crusader in
the PDP. Even though he has not been visible in
the campaign against the alleged injustice in
the PDP, his voice, has however, not been
totally quiet.
Gov Abdulfattah Ahmed His political benefactor, Senator Abubakar
Saraki, it is believed, may have greatly
influenced his decision. Though he, Saraki has
silently offered advice to the Jonathan
administration at the highest level, Senator
Saraki who was the immediate past governor of Kwara State is known to be a strong political
ally of Amaechi. The administration’s on-again-
off-again probes of the Saraki regime has also
been taken with offence in Kwara. With Governor Ahmed decamping to the VOP, it
would inevitably crumble the PDP in Kwara
State. The PDP would now have to play third
fiddle after VOP and the All Progressives
Congress, APC. Governor Rotimi Amaechi (RIVERS) Amaechi has been consistently labelled as the
enemy of the people of the South-South on
account of an alleged ambition. He has been
accused of aspiring to the post of vice-
president with the intent of substituting the
office of the president now occupied by a Niger Delta man for the office of vice-
president.
Rotimi Amaechi Governor Amaechi who is generally believed to
have performed well in office, especially in the
areas of education, health and agriculture,
provoked controversy with his ascendancy to
the chairmanship of the NGF. As the NGF
chairman he had the responsibility of speaking the minds of the governors. Amaechi
remarkably had enjoyed some level of personal
rapport with the president, and had the closest
relationship with the president of all South-
South governors until about two years ago. His refusal to heed the alleged directive of the
PDP hierarchy not to re-contest the
chairmanship of the NGF brought him into
direct conflict with presidential minders and it
was a testimony of his political tenacity that he
braved the odds to win the contest against the PDP’s favoured candidate for the position,
Governor Jonah Jang. The PDP had left Amaechi’s few options in the
last few months. The party structure was taken
from him in controversial circumstances and
handed over to his one time chief of staff, Mr.
Nyesom Wike. Not long after, the governor was suspended
from the party. Only last week, the new
leadership of the party under Mr. Felix Obuah
commenced an appraisal of public officials
elected on the platform of the PDP. The move
it was claimed by associates of Governor Amaechi was aimed to effect the expulsion of
the governor’s associates from the party on
the fact that Amaechi’s associates would not
appear before the panel. Amaechi’s move to the VOP would create a
challenge to the PDP in the sense that the
party would be denied that leverage of
harvesting its traditional two million votes in
presidential elections. Despite Governor Amaechi’s near excellent
performance in office, his capacity to swing
the whole state in the direction of the VOP
would be undermined by the forces of Mrs.
Patience Jonathan and Mr. Wike.
Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso’s exit from the PDP came
despite last minute apparent pleas from
President Jonathan last Friday when the two
men held a one on one session. Kwankwaso has
had a running battle with the PDP since 2010
when he formally launched his campaign to reclaim the governorship he lost in 2003. Party bureaucrats working in cahoot with some
officials in the presidency allegedly
sympathetic to Vice-President Namadi Sambo
had tried to deny Kwankwaso the PDP
gubernatorial ticket on the fear that
Kwankwaso would at the end of the second term pose a serious challenge to the hushed
ambitions of the vice-president. It took strong security reports of a possible riot
in Kano for the PDP to belatedly restore
Kwankwaso’s ticket. Perhaps buoyed by that
victory or the messianic spirit that now effuses
through his Kwankwasiya movement in Kano,
Kwankwaso has turned into a stronghold that no one can stop. He has been consistent in
championing regional interests. Many disaffected PDP stalwarts in Kano would
be glad to see him leave as it would give them
room to operate. His exit would also gladden
many in the APC as it would soften the state
for the opposition party. Sule Lamido (Jigawa)
Gov Sule Lamido Arguably one of the best performing governors
in the country today, Governor Sule Lamido’s
politics is following the path of rebellion
against feudal oppression he learnt from his
late political master, Mallam Aminu Kano. He has not had any direct political problems
with Abuja except the notable suspicion that
his sterling performance could galvanise a
momentum from stakeholders for him to
contest the 2015 presidential election as a way
of replicating the Jigawa experience on a national level. It is not surprising that posters of Governors
Lamido and Amaechi are regularly advertised as
an item for the 2015 presidential contest. Given the revolution he has put in terms of
infrastructure and the welfare programme,
Governor Lamido’s exit from the PDP would be
a major loss for the party and he would almost
certainly deliver the state across board to the
VOP. Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto)
Gov Wamakko Governor Aliyu Wamakko is the political
phenomenon whose tentacles attracted
President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2007 to the
extent that the former president caused his
protégée, Alhaji Mukthar Shagari to surrender
the PDP’s ticket to the then ANPP gubernatorial candidate. It was one act of political engineering by
Obasanjo without which the PDP could not have
dreamt flying its flag in the Sokto Government
House. Governor Wamakko’s problems with the
national party are in part an extension of his
domestic challenges. Many of his foes who
found habitation at the PDP national secretariat
helped to stoke the crisis between Wamakko
and the national party. It is, however, reflective of his prominence that when the national party
announced his suspension on the fact that he
did not answer the national chairman’s
telephone call, zonal and state officials of the
party and also, the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal publicly came out to denounce the national
party. One of the greatest dangers in Wamakko’s exit
from the PDP is the effect it could have on
Speaker Tambuwal. If Tambuwal as it is most
likely joins him, the speaker could through his
network in the House cause a free fall of the
PDP in the House of Representatives. Though Sokoto State has not been very
lucrative for the PDP in presidential contests,
the fact that the votes mobilized by Wamakko
could go to another party of influence could
put the ruling party in more jeopardy. Murtala Nyako (Adamawa)
Gov. Nyako The challenges in Adamawa arguably were the
main factors that exacerbated the crisis in the
PDP. When Alhaji Bamanga Tukur sought to
displace the PDP structure under the control of
Governor Murtala Nyako, PDP governors led by
Governor Amaechi quickly came to his support and at one time forced the National Working
Committee, NWC to disown Tukur. But with steadfastness and the presidency
backing him, Tukur has held his own against
Nyako But Nyako’ exit from the PDP would be too
much of a good news to his traducers. His
capacity to rally support for the VOP in the
state against the determination of Tukur and
the PDP is, however, open to debate. Babangida Aliyu (Niger)
Gov. Aliyu For Governor Babangida Aliyu his path of
rebellion was like a call to duty. As chairman of
the Northern States Governors Forum, NSGF it
was his obligation to defend what was alleged
as the understanding that President Jonathan
would serve only one term in office. Governor Aliyu though without proof went on to say that
the president signed an agreement on the
issue. Though some had in the past alleged that the
governor could do a deal with Jonathan under
the correct understanding, so far no deal has
been marshalled. His exit from the PDP would leave Niger State
an open play for all three major parties, the
VOP, PDP and APC.
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