Will PDP survive 2015?

That the biggest Party in Africa, the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appears
to be fast losing focus, is no longer in
dispute. Stories, news, analysis, etc, on
this, are everywhere in the media. Indeed
the media is awash with reports of the
legion of self-inflicted vicissitudes that
have become the lot of the PDP, which if
not properly managed, could lead to its
defeat in the 2015 elections.
The Sun Newspaper of Saturday,
December 20, in an analysis on page 64
and 65, captured it all. Entitled: “PDP of
Crises”, with the rider: “Party could be
walking on cutting edge of danger as it
prepares for 2015”, the article highlighted
the crisis rocking the party in almost all
the states of the Federation.
In the well-considered opinion of the
authors of the analysis, “From Abia, the
first State in alphabetical order, to
Zamfara, the party (PDP) is in turmoil,
which may be its Achilles heels going into
2015 general elections. But optimists say
for a party as big as the PDP, the intra-
party crisis trailing it are not unexpected.”
A balanced commentary, one must admit,
but the crisis rocking the PDP is not
about size, or height or age or even
weight. It is about doing the last things
first and doing the first things last. The
biggest challenge the PDP has is its lack
of respect for the rudimentary principle of
internal democracy. It will appear that the
leadership of the Party does not believe in
internal democracy and does not even
pretend about it. From day one that the
Party started the process for the just
concluded primaries, it was clear that
respect for internal democracy was not
part of the essential ingredients of the
process.
The election of the Ward ad-hoc
delegates, in virtually all the States of the
federation, was a clear mockery of
democracy. It is doubtful that any of the
delegates was actually elected. Strong
leaders, favoured by the party leadership
wrote the list of the delegates and
sponsored it through the party National
Headquarters. Consequently, even at this
level, many party faithful were already
disenchanted and disillusioned. The
consequent turmoil in the primaries
proper was only to be expected.
Political scholars, who have seen
democracy blossom in other climes, have
told us time without number that the only
way democracy can survive is that the
process is truly democratic. And they are
quick to add that whenever democracy is
threatened, the solution is more
democracy. But it is obvious that this
pontification is not for the PDP. It
appears that the party’s approach is to
stifle democracy for it to grow. But that
can only suffocate and most likely snuff
the life out of democracy.
If the PDP had done the needful, by
ensuring truly transparent democratic
process from the Ward ad-hoc delegates
elections to the primaries proper, it will
not be facing the crisis it is facing today.
Even more, it would have shown the
whole world that as the biggest political
party in Africa, it is also the champion of
democracy in Africa. But, alas from the
way it has conducted itself, the party has
simply said that those truly desirous of
practising democracy should not emulate
its ways.
A typical sample of where not to emulate
the PDP is Imo State. During the Ward
ad-hoc delegate congress, those who
believed they were strong enough, and
favoured by the PDP National leadership
successfully shut out Sen. Ifeanyi
Arararume from having even one
delegate, not even in his own Ward. This
governorship aspirant therefore went to
the governorship primaries without one
delegate put by him. In spite of this
obvious draw back, he remained
undaunted, braved all the odds and
reached out to the delegates and
appealed to their consciences. Election
day came on December 8. The Electoral
panel announced to the hearing of all
present that 1064 delegates had been
accredited to vote in the primaries.
At the end of voting, total votes cast were
counted openly and announced as 1017.
The panel went further to announce that
of the 1017 votes cast, 11 were void,
leaving a total of 1006 valid votes cast.
After this sorting of votes commenced
and the votes were sorted in 28 bags,
representing the 28 governorship
aspirants that contested the election.
Thereafter, counting commenced.
The counting peaked with Chief Ikedi
Ohakim, the third runner up, whose votes
were counted and announced as 213. The
next was Sen. Arararume. His votes were
counted and they came to 336. This was
also announced. By this time, the votes of
27 aspirants had been counted and it
came to 681. The only aspirant left to be
counted was Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha.
Going by the total valid votes cast and the
total votes scored by 27 of the 28
aspirants, that is 681, it became obvious
that Sen. Arararume had won the
primaries. This is so because when you
minus 681 from 1006 valid votes cast,
Ihedioha would have scored 325 votes.
But the electoral panel, to the chagrin of
all, announced 446 votes for him.
In my view, this is the biggest challenge
the PDP is facing and how it is resolved
will go a long way in deciding the fate of
the party in Imo State. Surprisingly, the
National Party leadership has remained
mute on this issue, even some of those
who have commented on the matter,
including a group of Imo PDP Elders,
have refused to address the crux of the
matter.
And that crux is: was it 1006 votes that
were declared by the electoral panel as
votes validly cast? If that is so, and it is
because the panel announced that
publicly, how come then that after 27
aspirants scored 681 votes, the last
aspirant who should have 325 votes now
had 346 votes.
The PDP National leadership must
address this matter satisfactorily if it
hopes to still remain relevant in Imo State.
There are three reasons why they must do
so and urgently too: The pervading
suspicion is that the PDP is now a party
for the powerful, outlandishly rich people
in government, who can pay the highest
bid, without feeling it, and that as a result
the Party now suffers from a terminal
tumor that has disconnected it from the
Nigerian people. If they do not address
the Imo fraud that impression will stick
and it won’t go down well with many Imo
people.
The man in question, Sen. Arararume, as
earlier alluded to, went into the primaries
with no single delegate. If in spite of this
obvious disadvantage he still won the
primaries, as the facts clearly show he
did, then it will be callous, and ungodly to
deny him the ticket. Imo people will
therefore believe that the PDP is both
callous and ungodly and will most likely
not want to identify with such a party.
•Emelumba is a former member of Imo
State House of Assembly.