National Party of
The Oppressed
By
Eddy Odivwri
culled from THISDAY,
January 28, 2005
Politics is consumptive. It kills and saves. Those who fall
on the wrong side of the sword get consumed while those who fall on the right
side receive the crowns. As in most experiences in life, those who smile are
those who win, while those who lose curse and swear. Sometimes such losers
refuse to go down quietly; they will put up a fight. At other times, they are
desperate to throw some kicks and jabs in the way of their perceived oppressors,
or those who stood on their ways, especially when such losses are through unfair
and inequitable means. Left uncontrolled, violence sets in and seizes the polity
with the attendant consequences.
Six years down the line, a few victims and victors have emerged from the power
struggle.
Now the victims are rising from the ashes of oppression and political orphanage
to rouse up their kindred in the field, ready to chart, again, a new course for
themselves. Those formerly torn apart by political ideologies are now being
bonded by a common oppressor. Now they have ignored party marks and identities
as they furtively search for new horizon, free from the headmaster-like attitude
or a bully prefect. It is a land, they hope that will be free for all, where no
man (or woman) shall be oppressed.
In the search of a new platform, the fathers of this initiative usually get
motivated by common denominators. There must be some values, principles and
shared ideologies that act as the binding strings for the founders. In this
case, the principles and attributes of the latest accord, which they hold in
mutual regard include, but not limited to, the following:
Resource Control
In a way, the issue of resource control has been a recurring item in the
discourse of most governors especially those from the south. They have argued
relentlessly that in accordance with the ethos of federalism, the constituent
units of the federation should be allowed to own and control the resources in
their various domains. Such states shall exploit, process and market such
resources and only pay royalties accruing from the said resources to the central
government. That way, there will be a healthy competition between and among the
various regions or geo-political zones and entities within the federation. This
was what obtained during the colonial era and pre-oil Nigeria.
Indeed, the struggle for resource control had become an animated issue in the
polity in the first four years of the present democratic experiment. Championed
by the Ijaw youths as embodied in the Kaiama Declaration of 1998, the resource
control campaign has received the full support of the governments of Delta
State, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa. In fact, the governor of Akwa Ibom, Obong Victor
Attah, late last year launched a book — a collection of speeches he made on the
singular subject of resource control.
The forum of the southern Governors, at several meetings in the last five years,
has generally adopted in principle, the ethos of resource control. Last week,
Governor James Ibori of Delta, at the reception held for him by his Urhobo folks
in Lagos state, had re-awakened the matter when he announced that the struggle
for resource control was far from being over.
A source close to the exploratory meeting for the likely formation of the party
had hinted that the issue of resource control “is one issue that we all believe
in,” adding that “when we eventually settle the parameters and framework of the
party, then we can sort out the fine details of the issue with a view to
modifying it to suit the interest and aspirations of all and sundry in the
group.”
While it will be very easy for the Southern governors to mouth resource control,
it remains to be seen if the other movers of the new accord from the North will
wholeheartedly support it.
State Police
This is another touchy resolution that has always featured in the summit of
Southern Governors’ meetings in the last five years. But the federal
authorities, including the Police high command, have always shot down the idea.
Those who push for the establishment of state Police, particularly the Lagos
State Governor, have always argued that state police would enhance the process
of crime control and general maintenance of law and order in the various states.
They have sharpened their arguments with the fact that the Police structure is
under a unitary command, which is at the centre and that the police commands in
the various states insist on taking orders and commands only from their superior
at the centre. That way, the states are pretty handicapped in rallying quick and
timely response to social disorder. And in most cases, it has led to ugly
situations either getting out of hand or being handled with tepid disposition.
Still, they argue that it is even worse where and when the authority at the
centre and at the state level is cast on different political platforms.
At the exploratory meetings, it was said that the former AD Governors had
bemoaned this fact when they recalled that the Police and army which are under
federal control were massively used to aid and abet the rigging that threw them
out of office in April 2003.
The case of Anambra state was also used as a compelling reason why states should
be allowed to run independent state police. The Police command both in Anambra
state and even in the entire zone 9 was said to have been used to undo the
political strength of Governor Chris Ngige . It was said to have come to a head
last November when the police were accused of having actually participated in
the burning down of the various structures and institutions in the state. The
source added that “a state police can never be used to burn down the property
and structures of a state, no matter the skew of the political persuasion.”
But the counter arguments have been equally strong, most of which are etched on
the need to promote the unity of the nation. The proponents of this position
argue, for instance, that any such thing as state police could be used as terror
machine against political opponents. They cite instances where in the first
republic, some states had their own guards and such informal formations, which
were eventually used to violently pursue political ends.
Thus, both the Police authorities and even the Federal Government have stood
resolutely strong against the introduction of state police. Such opinions are
given strength by the use the infamous Bakassi Boys were put to in some south
eastern states, particularly Anambra, in the days of former Governor Chinwoke
Mbadinuju, where the outfit was reduced to an instrument of hacking down those
considered to be anti-government.
Whatever the argument is, the quest for state police appears to be one of the
main issues which the proponents of the new party seemed to have found a common
ground.
Fiscal Federalism
Many of the members of the emerging group are strong believers in the doctrine
of federalism. They argue that federalism in principle and not in practice does
not augur well for a rounded economic development of the constituent states.
“We believe in federalism, even as our constitution posits. But we crave for the
practical implementation of the elements of federalism, including fiscal
federalism, wherein we can grow our own economy in the various states depending
on what we have and the socio-economic advantage we have, which we can develop
depending on how aggressive we can be”, a source at the meeting explained to
THISDAY.
Like the issue of resource control, the demand for fiscal federalism has also
been a contentious issue in the Nigerian polity over the years. Those who
support it readily give the example of the first republic, where they say the
northern region depended heavily on the economic benefits of the ground-nut
pyramids, and the west depended on its cocoa and the east on its rubber etc, as
a means of the regional developments. That such competitions among the various
zones led to the near even development of the nation, because the regions were
in competition.
But those against the practice of fiscal federalism have never been able to give
an articulate argument in support of their positions, except that the defence of
the status quo is often hushed in claims of maintaining the unity of the nation.
Those who so believe quickly point to the principle of derivation, which they
say is provided for in section 162 (2) of the nation’s constitution that
stipulates that “… the principle of derivation shall be constantly reflected in
any approved formulae as being not less than thirteen percent of the revenue
accruing to the federation account directly from the natural resources.”
But those who support the practice of fiscal federalism, while not discounting
the need for national unity, query the rationale for classifying petroleum
resources, for instance, on the exclusive list while other resources like solid
minerals are on the concurrent list, noting that the law appears skewed to
favour a particular section of the nation.
But even then, a state like Lagos, for instance, believes that the said
principle of derivation formulae is not sufficiently favourable to it. It argues
that whereas the state accounts for over 80% of the nation’s earning from Value
Added Tax, which is like consumption tax, it gets far less than it deserves at
the end of the day from federation account, while states that contribute very
little or nothing to that fund yet get a large chunk from the federation
account.
But the source informed that “these issues form the larger framework upon which
we think we can aggregate our collective socio-political interest. The details
could be worked out much later and if we are able to overcome all the teething
problems and scale all the hurdles, then these issues shall be at the core of
our originating manifesto as a party.”
THE ATIKU CONNECTION
It is noteworthy that even though the conveners of the proposed arrangement
share a lot of beliefs on different issues, the Atiku factor is ever present in
the various calculations. The forced resignation of Ogbeh as the National
Chairman of the PDP is a clear indication of the direction is going in 2007. The
forces loyal to Obasanjo and Gen. Ibrahim Babangida were responsible for the
ouster of Ogbeh, with a view to truncating the presidential ambition of vice
president Atiku Abubakar. The raw display of power by the president in forcing
Ogbeh out of his seat set many of the politicians thinking. Although the new
group may not be all out to work for Atiku, many of them believe that they are
trying to save this democracy from going under with the happenings in the
polity.
“We’re really worried about the way things are going in this country,” one of
the conveners told THISDAY on phone during the week. “The Tafa Balogun case may
send the wrong signals to the military. The amount of money involved may make
the military guys say things like these politicians are not better than
soldiers.”
The group is considering three options. One is that if Obasanjo softpedals on
his anti-Atiku moves, the group would go along with the PDP. This option,
according to an insider, is not belived to be feasible as Obasanjo does not seem
to be in a hurry to bury the hatchet with Atiku. The second option is for the
group to move en masse to either the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) or the
Alliance for Democracy (AD) and take over the structure and give PDP a run for
2007. The third option is for the group to take over one of the lesser parties
and turn it into a formidable force, afterall the relevance of a party is
determined by the heavyweights therein.
THISDAY was told, however, that about half of the persons who attended the
meetings are Obasanjo’s moles. They report regularly to the president on the
proceedings. In fact, the president was said to be aware of the exploratory
meeting before it was held last Saturday.
The Faces Behind the New
‘Party’...
By Ike Abonyi, 01.28.2005
Soon after the conclusion of the controversial general
election of 2003, it was glaring to political watchers that a major political
realignment might take place before the next election which is due in 2007. It
was against that backdrop that the move by certain politicians to form a new
political party ahead of 2007 did not come as a surprise to many.
Expectedly, a number of variables account for the move, some of which include
ideological inclination, commonness of interest and other geo-political
considerations. These factors could be deduced from the commonness in background
of some of the personalities involved most of who are politically wounded.
JAMES IBORI
Long before the general election of 2003, Governor James Ibori had lost out in
the political mainstream of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He
belongs to the group of PDP governors who found themselves entangled in the
political web of the Obasanjo-Atiku tango. From the outset, Ibori identified
himself with the Atiku group and have had to contend with President Obasanjo's
fang. Against all odds, he was able to secure his mandate for second term and
when he could not be stopped at the poll since he benefitted from the
centralised electoral fraud master-minded by the PDP, the judicial option was
brought up, hence the now popular ex-convict case.
Although the governor got victory at the High Court level, the matter is not yet
over as his tormentors have taken the case to the Court of Appeal. Clearly aware
of who his enemies are, Governor Ibori would not want his political future to be
determined by those who in reality have been working round the clock to
extinguish him politically. This explains his scheming for a new platform
especially against the background that the out-going national chairman of the
PDP Chief Audu Ogbeh who has been providing some shield is himself on his way
out. For Governor Ibori and his likes, the PDP leadership under President
Obasanjo clearly shows that some of the members are indeed strange bed fellows.
LUCKY IGBINEDION
Since the January 2004 presidential primaries of the PDP at the Eagle Square,
Abuja, Governor Lucky Igbinedion and his Delta State counterpart have come to
establish themselves as sharing similar ideological views. During the
anti-Obasanjo moves, at the convention, the duo were at the forefront for
Obasanjo's challenger, the Second Republic Vice
President Dr Alex Ekwueme. Their yeoman job for Ekwueme then apparently widened
a political gap between them and President Obasanjo as they have never agreed on
issues since then.
Governor Igbinedion's problem in PDP entered into a new dimension when he found
himself disagreeing recently with godfathers of the party in the state, the
Chairman of Board of Trustees of PDP Chief Anthony Anenih and the former
governor of old Bendel State, Dr Samuel Ogbemudia. The governor's activities in
the PDP over time have actually positioned him not to make PDP a comfortable
place to realise his political future. This definitely explains why he
associates himself with any unfolding political arrangement.
DSP ALAMIEYESEIGHA
Governor Daprieye Alamieyeseigha has actually not been in the good books of
President Olusegun Obasanjo but somehow he has managed his way through. Every
effort was made to stop him going for a second term in 2003 and they even went
as far as resurrecting his controversial exit from the Nigeria Airforce (NAF).
There was also an aborted attempt to use the Independent Corrupt Practices
Commission (ICPC) to stop him. His visible posturing in the Atiku camp caused
the other camp to try to unseat him but he was able to scale through. Even
today, the ICPC is still on his trail as he is currently in court with them. His
situation is even made worse by his continued support for the Peoples Democratic
Movement (PDM) group which sees the Vice president as the arrowhead. Chief
Alamieyeseigha's romance with the new party may not be unconnected with the fact
that his political future in the new PDP without Chief Ogbeh, the moderating
force, cannot be guaranteed.
BOLA TINUBU
Governor Bola Tinubu's interest in the new political arrangement can be
explained when viewed from various angles. Tinubu's political platform, the
Alliance for Democracy (AD), is virtually in disarray and cannot provide the
much-needed base for the realisation of his political ambition. Given the heat
the Senator Ogunlewe-led PDP opposition is giving him, plus the
not-too-impressive performance from his government this second term, the
governor indeed require a reinforced support base to forge ahead.
His loneliness as the only surviving AD governor has also heightened his fears
for the future. If the AD had remained intact, he could latch on to the anti-PDP
sentiment that is getting stronger by the day across the country but the party
has been torn apart.
Tinubu's matter is made worse by the fact that the ethnic organ, the Afenifere
that has been providing the cover is divided and the Governor is being fingered
for it.
More than any incumbent involved in the new party arrangement, Chief Tinubu
needs it more to save his pride.
He has been involved in some political brawl with President Obasanjo and 2007
appear to be the deciding factor. The new arrangement will also give Tinubu the
opportunity to pursue his ambition after governorship as he is already being
touted to enjoy a lot of political understanding with Vice President Atiku
Abubakar. The new party might be an honourable burial for the AD rather than see
it dissolve from the once formidable political party controlling the entire
south-west to an organ without any state in 2007.
SEGUN OSOBA
Chief Segun Osoba, former Governor of Ogun State, is one of the many political
“orphans” created by the fraudulent electoral process of 2003 general election.
Chief Osoba, aside losing his second term bid, has found his AD platform totally
disorganised with him and his colleagues not having much chance to help.
The antagonism from his successor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, backed by the federal
might has also combined to multiply the woes of Osoba. Except for a major
political restructuring, there is no clear indication that the AD as a party
will be able to make any return in Ogun State, no thanks to the acclaimed
performance of Governor Daniel and President Obasanjo's apparent zeal to
establish a formidable political base, even after leaving office. Chief Osoba's
link with the new political party is welcomed by political watchers who feel
that a new platform is needed for him to make fresh inroad into the polity as
both PDP and AD have failed to impact in the people of south-west, the type of
cohesion and discipline, the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) of late Chief
Obafemi Awolowo did in the Second Republic.
ACHIKE UDENWA
Even through Chief Udenwa has come up publicly to deny any move for a new party
involving him, the truth remains that he once showed interest in the
arrangement. Nothing behind the scene has come up to show that he actually is
not involved in the formative plots.
Although he has not been too directly involved in the controversy of
Obasanjo-Atiku feud in the PDP, it is a known fact to close political watchers
that his vice presidential ambition has been dictating his actions.
His romance with the Atiku group is also known to the other camp and his
inclination to the new party is in line with the thinking for a direction should
President Obasanjo and his almighty machine decide to frustrate them out.
JOSHUA DARIYE
Perhaps, outside Governor Chris Ngige of Anambra State, the most embattled state
governor in the country today is Joshua Dariye who lost six months of his four
year tenure to emergency rule declared by President Obasanjo. The return of
Dariye when the emergency rule was lifted would have been frustrated by the
President who even lobbied the state assembly to impeach him for corrupt
charges. When that could not work, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission
(EFCC) stepped in.
The national chairman of PDP, Chief Ogbeh, who helped to facilitate the return
of Dariye has been shown the way out, a development that scares the governor and
a clear indication that more danger lie ahead. Against this backdrop therefore,
Dariye's romance with the new political party can be rationalised and
understood.
VICTOR ATTAH
Governor Victor Attah is one of the most vocal and consistent state governors in
opposition against some very unpopular political decisions of Obasanjo. His role
in the resource control battle which he eventually won is known to all political
watchers. His role as the chairman of Forum of Governors in pushing through that
cause before the President is also known.
Governor Attah's principled role on issues has actually put him in perpetual
opposition against his own party. Being a founding member of the PDM for which
he has remained all through, his relationship with the anti-Atiku forces has not
been exactly cordial.
Even if he was not directly involved in the new party arrangement, political
followers of his politics believe that he would have found comfort in the new
formation.
The untidy exit of Chief Ogbeh which he stood stoutly in support further
strengthens his fear that PDP may no longer provide the needed cover for the
governor and his future ambition.
ORJI UZOR KALU
Like his Akwa Ibom State counterpart, Governor Kalu has come to establish
himself as a tireless and irrepressible opponent of President Obasanjo. Both in
his first and second term, he has been at war with his party, PDP, more than any
other state governor.
His problem with Chief Tony Anenih over allegations of threat to life, although
resolved, left some sour taste in the party. The governor's deputy, Dr Chudi
Nwafor, who helped to create the crisis is still reaping the fruit of his
action. Having survived impeachment from the state house of assembly, he is yet
to survive the aftermath as his relationship with the governor has come to be
that of cat and mouse.
In his first term, Governor Kalu surmised the pressure from the Abuja
politicians in his state who were pro-Obasanjo and has been battling to contain
them in his second term. This time, it has not been easy as the Abuja group has
produced the No. 3 citizen, the
Senate president Adolphus Wabara whose perpetual link with Obasanjo continues to
strengthen him to battle the governor.
Even as Kalu tried to play hide and seek in his political scheming for the 2007,
the strong root of the Wabaras, the Ojo Maduekwes and Prince Vincent Ogbulafors
among others in the other camp has forced him to remain with the anti-Obasanjo
group.
Viewed against these backdrop, his link with a new political party cannot be out
of place, moreso when he is nursing a presidential (vice presidential) ambition
which the PDP does not seem to be a conducive platform for its realisation.
BUKOLA SARAKI
Although he served President Obasanjo as a Senior Special Assistant, in the
first term, his political inclination within the party has been more on the
anti-Obasanjo group. His romance with the Atiku group within the PDP fold is not
hidden. He is known to have been stoutly against certain actions of the
President especially as it relates to the controversy surrounding the forceful
ejection of Chief Ogbeh from his position. As a first-term governor, realising
his second term bid is tied to how correct he gets his political calculation and
he is one of those who believe that his political inclination must be in
relation to the future. His link with the new party is therefore not unconnected
with this fact. With a possible tutelage from his father who is known to be one
of the nation's foresighted politicians, Governor Saraki's next move must be
guided by the experience of the man who rightly doubles as his biological and
political godfather.
BONIE HARUNA
Governor Boniface Haruna of Adamawa State can easily pass as the most loyal and
committed of the Atiku group for obvious reasons given how he came to be
governor. His loyalty is not in question at any given time. Of all the cases of
electoral fraud in 2003 general election, his was the only one nullified by the
tribunal, but many believed then that his mentor and not him was actually the
target. The Appeal Tribunal came to their rescue. The governor is most certainly
to go to anywhere his mentor tilts to.
If therefore a majority of politicians sympathetic to his master gathers and
decides to realign their forces, Haruna is bound to be involved. The truth is
that if the pro-Obasanjo group goes ahead to ensure the frustration of the
ambition of the Vice president out of the PDP, Haruna will be at the forefront
of any new party that could help him pursue his ambition.
NIYI ADEBAYO
Governor Niyi Adebayo is one of the victims of the PDP capture of the south-west
in 2003 general election. His political future has remained uncertain, following
the crisis in the AD that further weakened the political platform. His matter is
made worse by the presence of a very strong successor who is ready and
determined to deal decisively with opponents. During the last local council
election when an attempt was made to resurrect AD, Governor Ayo Fayose resisted
it. The military was mobilised to cage Adebayo and his group which included
Governor Bola Tinubu and former Governor of Ogun State Chief Osoba. Since then,
Governor Fayose has been operating freely, as it were. The situation has further
sidelined Chief Adebayo in the scheme of things. Any new political arrangement
that could help him confront the weight of PDP in the state would be a welcome
one.
LAM ADESINA
Like his other colleagues in the AD, former Governor Lam Adesina is in dire need
of a new platform to extend his political career which is being truncated by the
continued factionalisation of the AD.
Even though his performance as governor did not meet much of the people’s
desires in the state, his successor, Rasheed Ladoja, has not fared better but he
enjoys the might of the PDP to put Adesina in a disadvantaged position.
The thinking of both Adesina and most chieftains of the AD is that a new
political platform that could unite the old AD and the remnants of ANPP and
other Awoists is the only antidote to confront the might of the PDP and they
would gladly jump at it.
ADEBAYO ADEFARATI
Former Governor Adefarati has actually been at the receiving end from the PDP
government in Ondo State. The Segun Agagu government has been on his trail over
alleged corruption during his time. Even with such political heavyweights like
former Secretary to Government of the Federation and presidential flagbearer of
the ANPP/AD ticket in 1999, Chief Olu Falae, Adefarati has been finding it
difficult resurrecting AD in the state. Like his colleagues, he was quick to
jump at the mention of new party because that remains the only option upon which
they can extend their career in politics.
BISI AKANDE
Former Governor Akande of Osun State has actually not featured in any discussion
for the formation of new political party but with the body and soul of his AD
faction which he leads deeply involved, it is as good as saying that he is
involved.
With Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola still pursuing him over the contract mix-up in
the Bola Ige secretariat during his tenure and Senator Akinfenwa still
challenging the legitimacy of his own AD, it makes real political sense for him
to join his colleagues in the AD to seek a new platform to pursue their ambition
which appear glaringly truncated in the factionalised AD.
