In the 2023 presidential election that produced Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the President of Nigeria, some key players in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were accused of working for the All Progressives Congress (APC) to sabotage the party. 

The accusation was so loud that the leadership of the party on the 27th of March, 2023, directed the chairmen of the 36 state chapters and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to identify their members involved in anti-party activities during the 2023 general elections. 

Particularly, the National Organising Secretary (NOS) of the party, Umar Bature, during a meeting of the National Working Committee with state chairmen in Abuja, said such erring members should be identified so they could be sanctioned. 

Bature during the meeting said: “After the elections, we expected the state chapters to give us their reports, that is the post- 2023 election reports. A lot of the states have not submitted their reports and we need those reports to be compiled for the next National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting. 

“A lot of agitations are coming from party members, suspend this, suspend that, you are the ones that are in charge of those states. You are to tell us who was involved in anti-party activities and who did not; and based on that, the NEC will take a decision. Write to us and tell us what transpired, no matter what happened.” 

One would have expected that the PDP would put its foot down, investigate the allegation seriously and apportion appropriate sanctions to erring members, who are found guilty. Several months down the line and even after its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, no member has been sanctioned, but appointments upon appointments of PDP members into the All Progressives Congress (APC) government appeared to be very loud in the political space. 

While the former governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike was made the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), his loyalist, the National Vice Chairman of PDP, South-south, Dan Orbih, has been appointed by President Tinubu as the Chairman of the Governing Council of Federal College of Education (Technical), Umunze, Anambra State. 

Recall that Orbih, whose appointment was contained in the list of the newly reconstituted governing councils of tertiary education institutions in the country, had in April 2024, rejected his membership in the Edo PDP 2024 Governorship Campaign Council. 

Orbih’s name was featured on the 200-membership Campaign Council list of the PDP for the September 21, 2024 gubernatorial election. The council, which is championing the campaign of Asue Ighodalo – the PDP gubernatorial candidate, is headed by Governor Godwin Obaseki as Chairman, with his deputy, Marvellous Omobayo Godwins. 

With all the glaring disobedience to the party, PDP has not taken any action against any member, who disregarded the party’s Constitution, but what kept reverberating in the political space is the allegation and counter allegation of how monies were allegedly given to some people to maintain and watch over political interest in the party. 

In December last year, the Acting National Chairman, Amb Umar Damagum, said Wike and other members involved in “anti-party” acts, will be sanctioned “at the right time.” 

The PDP chairman, who said no member is bigger than the party and that action will be taken against anyone involved in alleged anti-party activity, added, “Our stand about Wike — I have always said this thing that as long as you are a member of the PDP — there is a time for everything. 

“My duty is to stabilise this party and not to cause a crisis and I will continue to do that within the confines of reason. 

“When things go out of hand, we will act. But meanwhile, we still see it within the ambit of the law. Mind you, we have other litigation going on in this party and we won’t want to plunge our party into another crisis. 

“And let me tell you something, it’s not only Wike. There are other people who worked against this party. 

“When we get to that level we will sanction everybody. If Wike believes he is above this party, we will be able to show him that he is not above this party.” 

Damagum said that the party has constituted a panel to probe those involved in the anti-party activities, adding that the panel would present a report and recommend appropriate sanctions to be taken against errant members. 

More than one year after the 2023 presidential election, the leadership of PDP has not sanctioned anybody and the panel report, if there’s any, has not been made public. The silence in the party over this development is louder than that of the graveyard, a signal that left a sour taste in the mouths of political watchers and stakeholders. 

Section 58 (1) of the PDP Constitution stated expressly the offences that should attract sanctions. Sub-section (e) of Section 58 (1), specifically mentioned engagement in anti-party activities. Section 59 (1) spelt out the seven penalties for those who contravened the party Constitution to include; Reprimand; Censure; Fine; Suspension with a fine; Debarment from holding any Party office; Removal from office and expulsion from the party. 

Section 59 (5) went further to state that “subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the National Executive Committee shall have power to expel any member of the party for acts of indiscipline or misconduct which brings or is likely to bring, the party in disrepute.” 

With all the guidelines in the party Constitution and the power vested on the leadership of the party by the Constitution to discipline erring members,  impunity still have a field day in PDP, making political analysts to ask if PDP is an appendage of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and if that’s the reason why it cannot penalize or sanction its members who moved to the ruling party and still having their foothold on PDP. 

While denying the allegation that PDP is an appendage of APC, the Deputy National Youth Leader of PDP, Timothy Osadolor noted that the party has big wigs, who currently work with the APC and some who shamelessly bootlick. 

“Well, as interesting as this line of thinking seems, you cannot fault those pushing this narrative 100%. Events past and perhaps present have made it seem so. However, this is not true and will never be true. Yes, we have lost bigwigs to the APC, and we have bigwigs who currently work with the APC and some who shamelessly bootlick. 

“This oftentimes is the fate of opposition party leaders, who are tired and hungry and indulge in hunger games. It has nothing to do with @ official PDP leadership and membership base.” 

The PDP Deputy Youth Leader frowned at the damage anti-party activities have done to political parties and Nigeria in general, especially the money bags sponsoring party activities, adding that the people must take it as a matter of priority going forward to own the parties, including the PDP, by paying monthly dues and contributing to running the party. 

He disclosed that sanctioning of members is not on the table of PDP for now, but the leadership of the party is working hard through networking and bonding, to wrestle power from the government of the APC. 

He said: “Truth be told, a lot happened to the PDP family during the last national elections circle. However, a lot more has happened to Nigeria and Nigerians because of this. PDP has no reason for not been in power today at the centre but for its inability to manage the diverse positions her leaders took, mostly for personal reasons rather than for the sake of the nation. Our projection before Nigerians was that of division rather than the ‘Rescue and Rebuild team’ that Nigerians were looking forward to. 

“The Nigerian people must learn from these party events were moneybags dictate or want to dictate who gets what, how and when, and why, only because they are the ones funding the parties. The people must take it as a matter of priority going forward to own the parties, including the PDP, by paying monthly dues and contributing to running the party. 

“This way, no one man can play mini god in the affairs of the party as we have seen recently. Come to think of it, over one million members shirk responsibility for only one man or group and you expect the man playing the piper not to dictate the tune? 

“Some brazen anti-party acts never seen in terms of brazenness and scale and perhaps shamelessness was exhibited by very senior stakeholders in the PDP at every strata of the party for one reason or the other. 

However, the Acting Chairman of the PDP, Amb. Ilya Damagun in his deep wisdom has deemed it wise to call for forgiveness of one another and recommitment to the party ideals and mission, believing that when we have healed internally, we will have the moral ground to preach healing of Nigeria to Nigerians. 

“I do not envy him, but on a scale of 1-10, I give him an 8 for the job he has done so far in stabilising the party. Even those members who took our supporters to work for the opposition ruling party now and one of the major mushrooms party have realised the damage they did not only to themselves, the PDP, but to Nigerians and Nigeria and are consulting now on how to make it up. 

“Sanctions are not exactly top on the table of to do list of this current NWC, but it’s not off the table. We are talking, networking and bonding, so we can wrestle power from this draconian government of the APC. We call on Nigerians to not only pray for us but to work with us in our quest to rescue Nigeria from the leprous hands handling our economy and security, but to also together, rebuild Nigeria that we will all be proud of. It is possible and together with PDP we will make do it.”