By Daniel Kanu
Hon. Rahman Owokoniran is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) South-West zonal secretary.
In this chat with Sunday Sun, he speaks on the crisis in the party, the need to urgently address the issues around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, and why the PDP leadership should rise to the challenge towards taking decisive measures to save the soul of the party, among other issues. Excerpts:
Let’s start with the attacks by the acting National Chairman, Damagum and FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike on Elder statesman, on Pa Edwin Clark over his comments that Wike should be expelled from the party and Damagum compelled to resign as well as the plot by Wike and ex-lawmakers who are Wike loyalists to impeach Governor Fubara. What are your thoughts on these issues?
I believe that most of the people reacting are hasty, but I don’t blame them for being hasty because there are things that have happened in the party and up till now there are no definite resolutions. This in itself makes trust of the national committee members difficult. People take it as though they have something to hide. I listened to Hon. Ugochinyere Ikenga and I also listened to positions taken by some people and that informed me that if you look through the hand writing, you will see that the messages were delivered in half. There are things that they skipped. One will be why will the legal adviser take withdrawal of case position at the Court of Appeal. He did that without the concurrence of the National Working Committee (NWC). If it is going to happen at all the NWC will take that decision. Another question is: why will the national chairman and secretary go to the same Appeal Court and take a contrary position. It is chaotic and confusing because the people involved are members of the NWC. It showed that there was no decision taken at that level before any of them went to represent the party at the Appeal Court, otherwise we wouldn’t have two different cases at the Appeal Court. If that is the case, then you will want to ask: whose initiative is right? My position is none of them, unless they can tie up the missing link, that the NWC had arrived at a particular position. I want to believe the national chairman and secretary have a better position. They probably felt they had a better opinion in handling the matter. There was an article that I read where some of the members of the NWC after the meeting held on Wednesday indicated that Damagum presented the position that they have taken at the meeting with the reconciliation committee where Tom Ikimi is the chairman. I know Ikimi’s position in the party, he thought we should have a disciplined party. He believes that we should get things right unless we do that we stand no chance of presenting a formidable opposition. That is his position and it was at that meeting that the national chairman explained why he thought that the case shouldn’t be settled at court. The fact that they want to withdraw doesn’t make them a proponent of Nyesom Wike, but for lack of trust. For me, I want to believe that if that committee bought into what Damagum said, it sounded more to me like they want a political solution to the matter. I understand that the governors in their meeting have resolved that it is the position of the party, though not written that the governor of the state is the leader in the state. It is not peculiar to PDP. It is the same in the All Progressives Congress (APC). They took a position in their forum that Simi Fubara is the leader of Rivers State. If that is the case my thought is that the national chairman wants a peaceful resolution of the matter. It is not going to be easy, it is always tough to arrive at that position. I want to state that the national chairman remains the conscience of the party that has made the party to continue to stand today. I cannot suspect his action and if anybody reads him correctly, he has no reason to doubt or suspect him. We all know of the story of the prodigal son. The one that didn’t waste his father’s resources was told not to worry that the prodigal son was lost, but had come back. So, in reaching out to Wike, he wanted to make sure that Wike doesn’t angrily tear the party apart.
But it appears Wike has already torn the party apart, he is said to have destroyed the party and restated the fact that he would be in the party and fight. In fact the APC is in crisis in Rivers, as well as the PDP. One man holding on two parties at the same time on the jugular. The Emeka Beke’s tenure has not ended as chairman, but he was eased out and a caretaker committee headed by Okocha was set up to appease Wike. Do you believe such?
How are they sure that Okocha is Wike’s man? You see, we live in rumours. Immediately after the election, people wanted Wike and other people to go. If we had gone that way, PDP would have gone by today. It was this same Damagum that said he was in charge and would do what is best for the party. There are tendencies that led to those crises and the blame cannot be put on one person. We must take time to look at the genesis of these things and find solutions. I am one of those people who believe that this issue is taking too long a time. Even look at the time that they are putting up the reconciliation and disciplinary committees, over one and half years after the election. For me it is too slow. I have attended stakeholders meetings where people said that those who did anti-party should be dealt with and said that those things have already happened and he wanted everybody to remain in the party. So, if he believes that he is leading the party and the people bought into his concept. We know that it is slow, but it’s paying dividends. What is agitating the minds of the people? Simple, Wike shouldn’t be harassing Fubara. He’s the one who lured the 27 lawmakers to APC. Therefore, what is he still doing in the party? But the procedure doesn’t work like that. First of all stabilise, then raise the issues. If there was a middle ground to hold together, we will. If there is none, we have to live with what we have and say, to thy tent oh Israel. We have not even gone far which is why I said that it is dragging. When I raise questions about Wike’s issue, most of the leaders don’t have answers. If they have, they haven’t told me. I told them that unless we address these issues it will not go away, if it doesn’t go away a few months to the election, will PDP be ripe for any contest? This is the time it must be resolved, and what are the issues to be resolved? Did Wike get his mandate to pick office with the APC? This is part of the lingering issues. “Oh! He told the chairman, and wrote a letter. Didn’t do that officially. The chairman saw the letter and thought it was personal. What is the position of the party? Do they want him to continue? If the party’s position is no, he has to resign.”
There is this observation that Wike doesn’t look like somebody that wants to listen to anybody, besides he said that he kept the party when it was in need, a lot of people abandoned the party, he was the one that kept the party and nobody can force him out of the party. He was also quoted as saying that Tinubu should continue in 2027. So if he said that Tinubu should continue in 2027, where is the place of his party?
Wike can say anything he wants. If you have not held a thief by the wrist, he will not agree that he is a thief. If he believes that he has a hold on the party he will taste his strength. Can you stop Trump from gyrating? No. I don’t want anybody to bother us because they are gyrating. Wike can say anything, but we have a party instrument to checkmate any individual. No individual should be bigger than the party. When you refuse to deploy all those things, then there is a problem. Even the NWC will be cornered. These are the issues, let’s trash it. If they support Wike to remain in APC-led government, it is no longer Wike, it is a party position, but if they say, no, enough of all these atrocities, they have not approved anybody taking appointment from the ruling party, therefore, you cannot be in this party and be working for the APC. Has the party made such a decision? Yoruba people say that in a town that doesn’t have laws, there can’t be offenders. If you have not made laws against certain behaviour, how do you find who is guilty and who is not guilty? That is what Wike is enjoying now. There is indiscipline. Wike knew he could get out of it. It is not just Wike, even Ayo Fayose. Ayo Fayose has endorsed Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji for a second term… I don’t have any problems with anybody endorsing any candidate of other parties, but that person cannot continue to lead this party. You are free to exercise your right, but if you do that you should relinquish your leadership position. At least the people will have confidence that this is what this party stands for. You can see Trump. So many Republicans say, this is not our candidate. It is the same thing. Wike has been bragging about Rivers, does he still have Rivers in his hands? Does he want to go through the back door to pocket Rivers? That is the bone of contention. People mix it up. What are we doing about Wike? I agree, we have to do something about it and enough of the dragging of feet by the NWC. If we must go to Congress to resolve this matter, let’s go to Congress. But there must be a resolution.
Wike was even abusing Wabara, saying that he doesn’t have what it takes to be the chairman of BoT. In fact, one of your former NWC members said that Wike was a local government chairman when Wabara was Senate President. You can imagine the gap and even the age difference. What is your reaction to it?
In this country, money talks, bullshit walks. Wike stopped Bode George from becoming national chairman when he brought Uche Secondus.
Is PDP going to survive this crisis, Jacob Mark, your former national legal adviser said that the PDP of today has lost capacity as a vibrant opposition and another member of the NWC said that PDP is almost dead. Do you think PDP can come out if this crisis?
I think the last time we had a semblance of a formidable party was 2015, by 2019 I didn’t know we would contest election. PDP has always been ridden with crisis and I cannot explain why. All I know is that any organisation that is not dynamic is bound to fizzle out. We are not allowing fresh blood because people are pocketing the party in various states in the name of ‘we started it’. ‘We are the founding fathers’. People are celebrating the fact that they are life BoT that is the acknowledgement of their past performance. Why must that entitle you to ownership of the party in your state? I cannot understand that. That is what goes on in the PDP and the national leaves room for all the mess. Ultimately, the people that you are giving resources of the party are nowhere at the grassroots of the party. They are nowhere in the state of the party. They are not making any meaningful contributions to the party. New people are coming into the party, but the attitude of these people push them away. When I came to this party I know how many people came to the party, but they were frustrated and they turned back. It is not about the party, it is about them and they don’t hide it. ‘If we are only 10 people in this party we will be running it’. How can any democratic minded person make such a statement? They can’t call meetings except they use any governor’s name. You have been a leader in this state for over 20 years, you should be able to rely on your name. You should be able to respect that name. Yes, you are right, there is confusion, there is commotion, the only reason PDP will have a chance of reviving itself is because APC itself has its own crisis and the government is not living up to its promise to the people. So, that gives the opportunity, but not this way. PDP must inject new approaches to the way things are done. The way we have been handling it over time is detrimental and killing. When people that you are recognising are telling hardworking people, “why are you wasting your time’?
Some people have suggested that PDP should just go into alliance, probably get a new name like APC did. Do you agree with that?
No matter what decision the party would make, we must hold our house together. When we hold our house together then we should be able to know the next line of action, aside that if we go and form an alliance disjointedly even a smaller party will consume the party. I don’t think that a rush to form an alliance is the solution. The solution is where are we? What is the way forward? We should find answers to them and stop wasting our time putting octogenarians into some reconciliation committees and they will just be roaming the streets. What benefit is that to the whole process? When you leave what you are supposed to do, encourage the grassroots mobilization, encourage those who are ready to devote their resources and time and efforts to galvanize the activities of the party. If you do all that, you would have added value. It is the military that likes to institute committees and you know the result already of all these committees.
What are your thoughts on the constitution of the committees, do you see anything good coming out from those committees?
First of all, what are they reconciling? They must be able to define the assignments. It is not enough to say, I am raising a reconciliation committee or a disciplinary committee. In my state they did a similar thing. I just laughed. They said there was a committee in place but where are the petitions? Yes, in this instance the national will have petitions because I expect those honourables and some governors to petition, but apart from those ones I don’t know who else would want to petition. You can already know where this will end up. Let them meet the stakeholders, get the facts and make petitions. I don’t think we need those disciplinary or reconciliation committees. What we need is what led to the crisis. What was the party doing when all those things were happening? Did they at any time set up a committee and called Wike to order? If there was no rule by the party that was ignored, how do you punish offenders?
There is this speculation in some quarters that Wike is bigger than your party…?
Wike made the discussion about himself and that is why everybody is responding to him. The party is not about Wike. The party may have its own lapses in terms of managerial, etcetera. The party is not about Wike, otherwise he shouldn’t have lost his presidential bid. Anybody can be a trouble shooter, but can only be contained if there are rules and if the leadership is bold enough to call him to order. The situation that we find ourselves is because of the division in the party. Though they are talking about reconciliation, it is still missing. The first reconciliation should be amongst the governors and they should bring the presidential candidates and others. PDP problem is beyond Wike, there is need for serious reconciliation, and unity.
Nigerians expect PDP to lead, be a vibrant opposition party, but the party is not there. Do you think otherwise?
PDP is not the problem. Most of those who made PDP what it was are they still in the party? They said they are statesmen. What contributions are they making in the party? What is Jonathan contributing to the party? Where is former President Olusegun Obasanjo?
