A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and the Leader of the Concerned PDP League (CPDPL), Comrade D. Z. Warmate, has expressed dissatisfaction over the poor handling of the internal crisis rocking the party in both the national and states and the unwillingness of party leaders to make sacrifices in the interest of the party.
Speaking with DENTON NEWS exclusively in Abuja, the federal capital territory of Nigeria, Warmate as a historian and political analyst traced the crisis bedeviling the party to three key factors; the Unity list, constitutional bypass, and poor reward system. Warmate wondered why Ayu is still there insisting on continuing as Nation Chairman, with all his unimpressive credentials.
“The lack of non-greedy leaders in our great party has led to the party facing various internal crises which are not letting the party waxing stronger ahead of the 2023 general election,” he lamented.
He said, “Adage in my place says, elders are like a dustbin, trash whatever you like in them, just like the dustbin, they will never complain. And also that in a house where there are elders a goat does not give birth tired to a tree or stick, but It seems goats are given birth tired to a tree or stick where there are elders in PDP, what a shame, and what do they want us to learn from them? And there are elders in PDP and the crisis at the national and almost all the states has remained unresolved. I grew up to know that elders stand for and always speak the truth. They play politics with integrity but today, they play integrity with politics because of selfish interest.”
“There’s a new lexicon in PDP called unity list and that unity list is what will destroy PDP and democracy in Nigeria, if care is not taken. A unity list is a process of slotting or allocating positions or offices amongst party leaders. This has led to the emergence of accidental and unprepared leaders without the requisite ability to lead the party and government. It has bred bad blood within the party and has led to the exit of members and leaders alike who felt cheated that, the sharing did not get to them or the one that got to them was not juicy enough. Sen. Kwankwaso and many others left the party for this reason. And people that do not like the undemocratic slotism or allotism system also left the party.
According to him, “party leaders’ inconsistent disposition to the constitution as amended 2017 is another big issue. The constitution is only a reference when it suits their greed or need. Let me just give you two examples; Section 17 says, ‘A person who has earlier decamped from the party, but later decides to return to the party shall lose the seniority and privilege conferred on him by his previous status.’ Is that the case in PDP, not at all, they even enjoy more privileges than those that have never left the party. Look at the issue of rotation that is giving everyone a sense of belonging which is expressly stated in section 7 subsection 3 (c), The party shall pursue these aims and objectives by – adhering to the policy of the rotation and zoning of the party and public elective offices in pursuance of the principle of equity, justice, and fairness;’ They jettison it and today take it or leave it, we are suffering from that unconstitutional decision. This is the bitter truth. That was why peter obi left the party.
There is no good reward system or mechanism in the party, and this has led to faith and fervent members and leaders alike to either leave the party or become passive in the activities of the party. The former deputy governor of Sokoto state, Barr. Mukthar Shehu Shagari left PDP for this reason.
Why It Is Necessary For AYU To Go?
Ayu going is not just necessary but very expedient because he is a political liability to the party rather than an asset right now. We have been demanding for him to go since the 20th of May 2022, on four grounds.
When we first called for Ayu to go, it was on the grounds of his incompetence, having observed his poor handling of the party primaries and how it birthed crisis at the states levels, that was even before the Presidential convention.”
“The second was when the presidential ticket was thrown open contrary to the provisions of the PDP constitution. His visit to Gov. Tambuwal described him as the hero of the convention, which exposed him as taking side with one aspirant against others and it was very insensitive and offensive.
The third ground was when incompetence, and biases now marginalization, (that’s the presidential candidate and the national chairman coming from the same region). And the fourth ground is his inability after three months to resolve the fallout of the presidential primary.
And also the National Executive Committee (NEC) has not been told how much was generated during the process leading to the primaries and the primaries. We are already in court on that.” A man that can not keep to his words, cannot be a man of integrity. It’s in the media that Ayu said, if a northern presidential candidate emerges by virtue of the open ticket, he will resign, but what do you see, a man cut up with greed and the euphoria of the office he occupies. otherwise with all these, he would have resigned since.”
Who Is Funding Your Group? I Asked This Question Because You Are Constantly On PDP Matter In The Media.
Simply put nobody. You know in Nigeria leaders and politicians don’t like truth. They only like lairs and praise singers rightly or wrongly. If they even want to assist you it is with a condition that, not minding if they are wrong or right, you must defend them and I can’t do that.
Do You think PDP Will Win The 2023 Presidential Election?
Only if Ayu resigns. For PDP win ability Ayu Must Go. I say this because Atiku’s vote base has always been the south but with the Northernisation of PDP, he will lose the majority of southern votes. Maybe he is feeling confer because no northerner is in the presidential race with him but forgetting that APC has the majority of states in the north and with the crisis in the PDP now, he maybe is shocked with the outcome of the result, That’s all will say.
Do you know that some top-ranking PDP members from the south have started saying that PDP has outlived its usefulness in the south and should be rejected. So Atiku should not allow himself to be deceived the second time and should learn from his 2019 experience, all those that promised him more than ten million and forty million votes, could not win their LGA how much more their states, you saw the result at the end.
What Is Your Take On The Recent Comments by Lamido and Jibril?
We condemn the condemnable and commend the commendable so the bitter truth is that, former governors, Sule Lamido, Babangida Aliyu Mau’zu, and Sen. Deni Melaye, do not have an iota of moral right to question Wike’s hanger or fraternity with anybody. That’s all I will say, I leave the rest to their paid minders. And as for our BoT Chairman, Sen. Walid Jibril, he spoke the way an elder should speak, the truth though, he just echoed what we have been saying and demanding for the past three months.
