Democracy: Where are the opposition parties?

It has been observed that the beauty of
democracy is the plurality of ideas. In
every electoral contest, the electorate are
given the opportunity to associate with
the parties of their choice.  But with the
defection of chieftains of rival political
parties into the ruling All Progressives
Congress (APC), there is the sustained
fear that the country’s democracy is
threatened. Senior Deputy  Editor, TAIWO
AMODU, examines the state of anarchy in
major opposition platforms in the country.
LESS than two years to the 2019 general
election, the electorate appear bemused,
as they are faced with the seeming
absence of vibrant alternative parties to
the ruling All Progressives Congress
(APC) . Sunday Tribune’s checks revealed
that, while the dominant opposition
parties are experiencing serious depletion
in their ranks, occasioned by gale of
defections into the ruling party, they also
have to contend with nerve-racking
internal dissent, as they are polarised into
factions. From the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) to Labour Party, (LP) and the
All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA),
the unsavoury news is the existence of
parallel national secretariats and states
chapter, leaving their faithful confounded.
How PDP self-destructed
First to experience internal implosion is
the erstwhile ruling party, the PDP. The
move instigated by certain governors to
pull the rug off the feet of the embattled
national chairman of the party, Senator
Ali Modu Sheriff, was resisted by the latter
and it has culminated in rigorous
litigation, from the high court to the apex
court.
The National Working Committee (NWC)
of the party, led by the former Borno State
governor, was dissolved  on May 21,
2016  at  its national convention held in
Port Harcourt, Rivers State.  A caretaker
committee led by former Kaduna State
governor, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, was
subsequently put in place to conduct the
affairs of the main opposition party for
three months, at the first instance.
But that was rebuffed by Senator Sheriff.
Addressing newsmen in Port Harcourt,
shortly after storming out of the venue of
the convention, the former Borno State
governor claimed he decided to stop the
gathering of the highest decision-making
organ of the party in deference to
pronouncement of the Justice Ibrahim
Buba of the Lagos High Court which
halted the convention. The court had ruled
that the PDP should not hold election into
three key NWC offices, namely the
national chairman, the national secretary,
the national auditor.
Justice Buba had given the order in a suit
filed by Sheriff; the national secretary,
Adewale Oladipo and national Auditor,
Fatai Adeyanju, asking the court to stop
the national convention pending the
determination of the substantive suit.
The three national officers reportedly
claimed in the suit that their tenure of
office was yet to lapse. Listed as
defendants alongside the PDP was the
Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC). The three officers
also asked the court to restrain the
electoral body from monitoring the
national convention.
Later events that unfolded interestingly,
saw the May 21 convention and its
outcome being given legal fiat, by Justice
Abdullahi Liman of the Federal High Court
in Port Harcourt. The court in the ruling
had affirmed its decision removing
Senator Sheriff and other members of the
NWC from office.
But last February, the controversy
surrounding the conflicting
pronouncements of both Justices Buba
and Liman was resolved in favour of the
Senator Sheriff faction by the Court of
Appeal, Port Harcourt Division, as it
affirmed the Sheriff-led national executive
committee as the authentic leadership of
the PDP.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice
Bitrus Sanga explained that in
determining the case, he had focused on
the provision of PDP’s constitution as it
concerns the removal of the executive
committee of the party at any level during
the national convention, based on Article
47, Rule 3, which provides for a vote of
confidence to be moved against any
member of the executive committee of the
party at any level, at any national
convention.
Citing the PDP constitution, he said before
any member of the executive committee
could be removed by the national
convention, there ought to have been at
least a two-month notice of vote of
confidence motion submitted to the
party’s secretary at the appropriate level,
who shall then circulate it to the relevant
chapters, one month before
the national convention or congress, as
the case may be.
“Considering the way and manner the
national executive working committee of
the PDP was removed on May 21, 2016 by
the party during the national convention,
it is clear that the provision of Article 47
(3) of the PDP constitution was not
observed, and I so hold,” he said.
Justice Sanga further observed that there
was no vote of confidence passed on the
appellants (Sheriff and others) by the
party during the said May 21, 2016
convention.
In addition, he noted that the two months’
notice that was supposed to be given to
them was not given. ‘’In fact, no vote of
confidence was ever passed.”
According to him, the PDP, by holding the
May 21, 2016 convention in Port Harcourt,
acted in contempt of a court order, which
had earlier declared that the tenure of
Sheriff and 15 national officers would end
in August this year.
“Because of the failure of the first
respondent (PDP) to obey a legitimate
court order and its own constitution, it
follows naturally that the actions it took
on May 21, 2016 during its alleged
national convention, dissolving all its
national offices and officers and
appointing in their stead, a caretaker
committee, is a nullity ab initio, and I so
hold,” he said.
Justice Sanga declared that the
proceedings and everything done in the
purported national convention held on
May 21, last year had been set aside,
especially the reconstitution of the NWC
setting up the purported caretaker
committee, led by Makarfi.
While ordering the parties to maintain the
status quo, he went further to set aside
the judgment of the Federal High Court
delivered on July 4, last year, which
recognised Senator Makarfi as the
chairman of caretaker committee of the
party.
Justice A.A.B. Gumel said he fully agreed
with the verdict delivered by Justice
Sanga. Justice Theresa Orji-Abadua,
however, delivered a contrary ruling on
the matter.
She argued that the decision of the
national convention of the PDP, based on
the party’s constitution, was supreme. As
such, the decision to appoint a national
caretaker committee was within the
purview of the power of the national
convention.
She stressed that while Sheriff, as the
acting national chairman, has the power
to summon the national executive
committee meeting, the power to convene
a national convention resides with the
national working committee of the party.
Justice Orji-Abadua argued that Sheriff
had erroneously arrogated to himself the
power to postpone the convention after he
realised that he had been disqualified
from participating in the electoral process.
According to her, only the national
working committee has the power to
postpone a convention and not Sheriff,
who, after screening, curiously absented
himself from the convention.
She explained that the national
convention has power to remove and
replace any officer of the party and faulted
Sheriff’s appeal on the basis that it was
hinged on the determination of his tenure.
She argued that the appropriate thing he
ought to have done was to have
challenged his removal from office by the
convention.
The Senator Makarfi faction had since filed
a suit at the apex court to challenge the
judgment of the Court of Appeal.
APGA dissolves into factions
The ruling All Progressive Grand Alliance
(APGA) in Anambra State, is equally
embroiled in leadership tussle, similar to
the war of attrition in the PDP. The APGA
battle is between Chekwas Okorie and
Victor Umeh over the control of the party
at its formative stage.
Last October, the National Working
Committee of APGA suspended its
national Chairman, Victor Ike Oye for
gross misconduct.
Addressing newsmen at the end of its
monthly meeting in Abuja, the NWC
premised its suspension on what it called
‘’immense constitutional breaches and
inordinate practices of the chairman and
other national officers. The deputy
national secretary of the party, Chief Jerry
Obasi, who spoke with journalists noted
that the action was in line with the
provisions of the party’s constitution and
further declared that the suspension was
necessary in order to save the party from
impending destruction and reposition it to
greatness, given the circumstances
surrounding the party under the leadership
of the suspended chairman.
Also axed along with Mr Oye by the NWC
were the deputy national chairman
(North), Alhaji Abubakar Adamu and
deputy national chairman (South), Chief
Uchenna Okogbuo, who were also indicted
for several constitutional breaches.
The affected national officers were
accused of excluding NWC in making
electoral regulations and nomination/
selection of candidates and also
alienating them in day to day running of
the party, infractions, ‘’which violates
article 12 (3) of the party’s constitution
among others.’’
But while the embattled national
chairman of APGA had vowed to challenge
his removal, an Enugu High Court
presided over by Justice A.R Ozoemena
penultimate week ordered  his removal
and subsequent replacement with Chief
Martin Agbaso.
The judge further ordered INEC to stop
further dealings with Oye.
Sunday Tribune gathered that the action
of the court followed a suit by the
secretary of the party in Enugu State,
Comrade Mike Alioke, who challenged the
continued occupation of Oye in office after
the NWC of the party affirmed his
suspension on October 5, last year.
He had asked for the order of mandamus
compelling the INEC to stop further
recognition of Oye based on the
suspension as well as ensuring that the
non-recognition was sustained by INEC.
He further asked that the decision of the
NWC should be upheld by INEC and grant
Chief Martin Agbaso who was recognised
by the NWC authority to function as the
National Chairman of the party. Justice
Ozoemena, who had granted the three
reliefs sought, asked the INEC to
recognise Agbaso.
Crisis hits Labour Party
The once vibrant LP is not shielded from
the crisis of leadership threatening
existence of other dominant opposition
parties, as its National Executive Council
last February placed on suspension three
national officers.
Those affected include, National
Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Abulkadir
Salam; the Deputy National Chairman
(South), Mr. Calistus Okafor, and Acting
National Secretary, Mr. Julius Abure,. The
NEC accused them of what it described as
‘’brazen’’ misappropriation of the party’s
funds running into millions of naira.
The removal of the senior officials was
contained in a communiqué issued at the
end of the party’s emergency National
Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held
in Abuja and signed by some members of
the NEC. They include, the Deputy
National Youth Leader, Mr Gbenga
Daramola; Deputy National Women Leader
(North-East), Lami Ahmed; Deputy
National Women Leader (South South),
Hosanna Samuel; Deputy National
National Women Leader (South-West) Mrs
Olajumoke Awodeyi; Deputy National
Chairman, Alhaji Ali Abatcha and National
Youth Leader, Ukpebitere.
In the communiqué, Mr Bobo Atare Adou
the National Vice-Chairman, South-south,
was appointed Acting National Chairman,
and Mr Akingbade Oyelekan was
appointed Acting National Secretary of the
party respectively.
The new NEC members were mandated to
ensure that all allegations against the
suspended officials were investigated by
the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) and diligently
prosecuted, if found wanting.
The suspended officials were also accused
of “unconstitutional and unilateral’’
dissolution of the state executive
committees and suspension/expulsion of
officials and members of the party without
NEC’s knowledge and approval.
According to the communiqué, ‘’NEC
resolved to take such necessary measures,
legal and otherwise, to purge the party of
impunity, arbitrariness, lawlessness, and
financial corruption that characterised the
tyrannical leadership style of Alhaji
Abubakar Abulkadir Salam as national
chairman.
“The NEC of LP met on February 27, 2017
at an emergency meeting on the necessity
of strengthening and repositioning our
great party to play its constitutional role
as a viable, credible and vibrant
opposition party.
“NEC notes with deep concern that since
the October 11, 2014 National Convention
of our great party held in Akure, Ondo
State, the affairs of the party have been
mismanaged with persistent impunity,
high-handedness, dictatorship, and
crudeness leading to the unjust,
unconstitutional and unilateral dissolution
of States Executive Committees (SECs) of
the party and suspension and/or
expulsion of prominent members and
leaders of the party by Alhaji Abubakar
Abulkadir Salam (as National Chairman),
supported by his willing lackeys in the
Party as cheerleaders.’’
The resolution of the NEC added that
despite its unique strengths and political
brand, the party had continued to lose its
vibrancy as a reasonable, thoughtful and
responsible opposition party and has
failed to make strategic political inroads
towards positively growing the party
nationally. It said the dwindling
fortunes of the party was a clear evidence
of the ‘’irresponsible, rudderless, corrupt,
and dictatorial approach’’ of Salam and
his willing lackeys and cheerleaders in the
party to the serious and sensitive issue of
political party leadership.
‘It also accused the suspended officials of
violating section 225 (2) of the 1999
Constitution which states that: “Every
political party shall submit to the
Independent National Electoral
Commission a detailed annual statement
and analysis of its sources of funds and
other assets together with a similar
statement of its expenditure in such form
as the commission may require.”
The blame game
While the PDP has continued to point
fingers of scorn at the ruling party for
instigating the crisis within its ranks, (an
allegation the APC has dismissed as
unfounded, ) no chieftain of the other
dominant but crisis ridden opposition
parties has blamed the ruling party.
The Senator Makarfi faction has
consistently alleged that the Presidency is
the mastermind of the crisis rocking the
main opposition party. Discerning
Nigerians are not bemused that the APC
relishes the flight of amity and
camaraderie in the opposition parties and
has been leveraging on it. Sunday
Tribune checks revealed that during the
last November governorship election in
Ondo State, the PDP paraded two factional
candidates: Jimoh Ibrahim and Professor
Eyitayo Jegede, of Senator Sheriff and
Ahmed Makarfi factions, respectively,
before a court pronouncement affirmed
Jegede as the authentic candidate, few
days to the election.
The loss of the PDP and its candidate in
the Ondo governorship election, successor,
Eyitayo Jegede by the APC candidate and
incumbent governor, Rotimi Akeredolu has
been attributed to lack of internal
cohesion which created serious distraction
for the party. The APC was the ultimate
beneficiary!
Speaking with newsmen recently, national
publicity secretary of the ruling party,
Mallam Bolaji Abdulahi dismissed
insinuation that the APC was fuelling
crises in the main opposition party, to rub
the nation of the needed
vibrant opposition platforms, ahead of
2019 general election. He admonished the
PDP and other opposition parties to put
their houses in order as he noted that a
robust opposition was needed for
democracy to thrive.
He said: ‘’ It is not the job of government
to create opposition for itself. But as a
citizen, I agree with you that democracy
thrives best when you have a virile or
robust opposition. Even for us as the
ruling party, we don’t want to run a one
party state.
‘’We don’t want a situation where we will
feel too comfortable that Nigerians don’t
have alternative. It is not good for
anybody. We were a party in opposition
and we benefited from the fact that we
had a democracy where opposition was
working. We built a robust opposition.
“It was not the PDP that created us into a
robust opposition. So, it is the
responsibility of those other parties that
exist to also build themselves. PDP is not
the only party. There is Labour Party and
many others. It is the responsibility of the
alternative political parties to build
themselves into a robust opposition. But
it is good for democracy.’’