For yet another convention, ‘consensus’ has emerged as the moving spirit behind the PDP politicking and choice of leaders. In 1999, at the first post-election convention of the party, the notion of ‘consensus’ was introduced and has been sustained, especially for the top-most office of the National Chairman.

The last but one convention, for instance, produced a former secretary of the party, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor as consensus candidate of the party for the chairmanship position, as other contenders for the plumb job, led by Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu announced their withdrawal from the race at the last minute at the Eagle Square venue of the convention after much horse-trading.

Even when Ogbulafor rode against the tide and found himself in troubled waters with Aso Rock, where Dr Goodluck Jonathan held sway as Acting President following the incapacitation of his then boss, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, the shopping for Ogbulafor’s successor was also done via ‘consensus,’ as the party bowed to the whims and caprices of Aso Rock, queuing behind it and its anointed candidate,’ former Enugu State Governor, Dr Okwesileze Nwodo.

The Spirit of ‘Consensus’ later showed itself across the PDP horizon when Nwodo’s dictatorial traits, which metamorphosed him into a maximum rule, hit the roof. Aso Rock could not take his firm grip, which some view as ‘pocketing’ of the party. Nwodo believed that the buck stopped at his desk, but Aso Rock viewed that as too autocratic and Nwodo was booted out unceremoniously like his predecessor, Ogbulafor, for the preferred choice, Deputy National Chairman, Mallam Haliru Bello Mohammed, to wear the party’s biggest administrative shoe, in acting capacity.

‘Consensus’ again played itself out, as it were, in the choice of Mallam Mohammed’s successor as the party’s helmsman. Mohammed successfully established himself as an ardent supporter of, and believer in, President Jonathan and his unfettered loyalty earned him the ministerial slot of the nation’s Defence ministry. Expectedly, again, the party queued behind the avowed and undisputed leader of  the party in Aso Rock in the replacement of Mohammed, which saw the emergence of Alhaji Kawu Baraje who occupied the coveted office (in Acting capacity) till the March 24, 2012 National Convention.

This whole thing about consensus in PDP, by the way, is traceable to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who within a year of ascendancy to power (1999) deftly upstaged the military powers that foisted him on the party and unleased this ‘consensus’ process that has endured. He ensured that no one with vestiges of the military and political past was in the race, as he successfully warded-off all of them.

He installed Chief Barnabas Gemade, his preferred candidate and a newbreed politician without any discernible link with godfathersim or power brokers. Ever since, Obasanjo, as president and as the party’s Board of Trustees (BOT) Chairman successfully entrenched this norm in the annals of the PDP.

For the 2012 convention though, the ‘Consensus’ tendency, philosophy and policy of the party was akin to a ride on a tiger’s back for Aso Rock. It was far from being the anticipated ‘smooth ride’ for President Jonathan as equally powerful blocs withstood the President in his choice of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, President of African Business Round Table, as Chairmanship candidate. Tukur had earlier  lost out at the party’s zonal congress held nation-wide a week to the convention, to relatively unknown younger politician.

Prior to the zonal congress in Tukur’s North-East geo-political zone where former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, Jonathan’s runner-up in last year’s PDP’s presidential primary, held sway, a kite was flown against the candidature of Tukur.

The kite rubbished the highly-esteemed credentials of Tukur as an ace politician, established technocrat and astute businessman known for political sagacity during his days as presidential aspirant  in the 3rd Republic, as it portrayed him as ‘too old’ for the job and being an ally of Ibrahim Babangida, who will carry out the bidding of a known foe of the Jonathan’s government.

This kite flew so well and robbed Tukur of victory at the zone, thus giving Jonathan more headache, sleepless night and turbulent ride to the convention.

Beside the challenge from the North East, governors of PDP-controlled states resolved not to be ‘Yes men’ to the yearning and leaning of the party’s leader and assumed ‘god’ of Aso Rock. Infact, they were defiant and harry in pursuing this resolve.

Jonathan, indeed, met a brick wall at the party’s NEC meeting that was expected to adopt Tukur as consensus candidate. The Tide learnt that the governors would not bulge at a close-door meeting held on the eve of the convention inspite of political maneuvering at the highest level of the party to achieve this.

The initial carrots offered by the President to pacify the governors over his choice of Tukur was also rebuffed, and vehemently too.

A credible party source who confided in The Tide and does not want his name in print said,” The leadership of the Nigerian governors Forum (NGF) was very vocal at the close-door meeting and insisted that the governors must be carried along in deciding who holds what office in the party.

The President and his Vice were told, point-blank, that as former governors, they’re well abreast of the enormity of the power that governors wield, hence governors’ power to dictate the pace of the convention should not be undermined.

Our source continued: “It was the National Assembly leadership that saved the face of the President and saved the day at the meeting. Senate President, David Mark was swift to reply the governors, who he reportedly told: “Yes, it’s true that governors wield power and nobody is saying governors do not have power, but those of you who came to power through the rulling of the court may not know or better appreciate what it takes to win election through the ballot box.

“If it is so (ie that the governors are unbending and unyielding in matters pertaining to the convention), then we (leadership of the National Assembly) will return to the National Assembly, hold consultations among ourselves (members) and come up with a communiqué.

The Tide learnt that this statement by Senator Mark was major instrument that weakened the governor’s position, and contributed to their caving-in, to allow the President a smooth sail at the convention.

Remarkably, the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting ended with a volt-face, but with the governors’ position (of not supporting the candidature of Tukur) heavily watered down, thereby giving an inkling to the fact that a compromise or near compromise will be reached in subsequent meetings on the controversial choice of who leads the avowed largest party in Africa.

The governors had their meeting, ostensibly, to review the NEC meeting, so did the Presidency and leadership of the National Assembly, and, of course, in conformity with the aphorism that ‘the godfathers never sleep,’ the PDP’s godfather never slept on the issue as series of meeting were hatched, some of which dragged on late into the nights. There were obvious horse-trading and counter horse-trading while fences were being mended.

While horse-trading intensified, Jonathan found an ally in a political mega-force of the party in the north East, which rose in defence of Jonathan’s choice of Tukur and dismissed the allegations peddled against Tukur, especially his link with IBB.

The party’s chieftain in Kebbi State, Alhaji Abubakar Yelwa said “It was a mere weapon used to weaken the campaign of Tukur. Those from the South see Babangida as a god, an invincible political warhorse with fingers in every pie. We, Northerners do not see him that way. Everything, even the impossible ones are always attributed to him by the South. They said Jonathan made a mistake in picking on Tukur because he is Babangida’s boy Haba!”

As seconfs ticked away before the convention, the Presidency moved on and opted for the adoption of a carrot and stick approach. With a smattering of godfathers led by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on its side, the Presidency was unrelenting in initiating meeting to resolve the impasse before the convention. At this stage, the governors kept insisting on relevance, though subtly and behind the scene, just as the uncoordinated godfathers posed from the fringes and managed to put up a puerile voice.

The meetings were more pronounced some three weeks to the convention, as it became a daily ritual at the villa, for President Jonathan, as leader of the party, could not afford to be humbled by opposing forces, intransigence at the convention. Eventually the series of meetings paid off as the positions were amicably shared among the contending ‘forces’ the Presidency, Governors and Godfathers.

While the Presidency got the positions of National chairman, Deputy National chairman, National Secretary and National Organising Secretary the rest positions were produced by the governors. The godfathers were left out in this arrangement and as expected, the were disenchanted about it so they re-aligned, and pitched their tent with the governors, although to a considerable extent, their approach was considered nebulous, didactic and incongruous.

Their re-alignment and cohesion paid-off as subsequent meetings with the Presidency and the Governors produced a new sharing formula for the emergence of the new lords of the ruling party.

The new formula runs thus: Presidency: National Chairman, governors: Deputy National Chairman. National Secretary, National Organising Secretary and National Youth Leader, godfather/Leaders: Publicity Secretary, Woman Leader, National Auditor, Financial Secretary, Deputy National Youth Leader and Deputy National Organising Secretary.

Dr Shettima Mustapha, one of the contenders for the PDP plumb job was to act the  script that has already been written. He mounted the rostrum and announced the withdrawal of All But One of the eleven chairmanship candidates.

Those who withdrew and cleared the coast for Tukur were: Prof. Rufai Alkali, Senator Abba Aji, Adamu Muazu, Dr Musa Babayaro, Ibrahim Birma, Hon Adamu Bello, Gabom Lawan, Ambassador Idris Adamu Waziri and Arch Ibrahim Bunu.

In the final analysis, the trio Presidency, Governors and godfathers/leaders club left the convention satisfied that they won the day.

A closer look at those who emerged shows that Jonathan and his Vice, Arch Namadi Sambo have a loyalist each in the 12-member NWC, Tukur and Alhaji Abubakar Mustapher, Chairman and Organising Secretary respectiviely, Obasanjo ‘planted’ Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Bala Kaoje and Bode Mustapha Secretary, Treasurer and Auditor respectively, in addition to Ex-Governor of Ekiti State, Segun Oni, who emerged as South West Chairman, while Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Rt Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State produced the Deputy National Chairman, Sam Sam Jaja.

It is also important to note that the new Women Leader, Mrs Kema Chikwe, is an Obasanjo loyalist and the Youth Leader hails from Niger State, where another Obasanjo loyalist, Babangida Alliya sits as Governor.

Thus, while it could be safely said that Obasanjo has a sizeable control over the new NWC, same cannot be said of Jonathan and Sambo, thus asserting control over the NWC may prove an uphill task for the President and his Vice, except of course, they enlist the support of OBJ.

A PDP chieftain was emphatic and unequivocal on this. According to him, Jonathan and Sambo have very limited influence on the current exco. He cannot ride roughshod over the party”. What’s more? The party appears to have shot itself on the foot in its failure to assign role, no matter how passive it may seem, to its founding fathers, three of whom were  spotted at the convention, Chief Solomon Lar, Dr Alex Ekwueme and Prof Jerry Gana, but could play no role throughout the convention.

Chairman of the Conention Planning Committee, Chief Ojo Madueke believed that the aim of the convention, which is to “re-invent ourselves” was achieved while Chairman of the Electoral Panel and Defence Minister, Dr Mohammed, expressed satisfaction with the process that produced the Tukur-led NWC, but many believe it is actually an ‘affirmation’ of preferred candidates.

Meanwhile, out-going chairman, Baraje, left these words for the Tukur’s team: .. One of the major challenges that the next leadership of the party should checkmate is the issue of undesirable pressure groups (within the party),” which in his words “operates hydrated block against the advancement and progress of the party”.

How this came to fruition at the end of the day may largely be known as event unfold in days, months, or years to come, depending on how the powers that be in the ruling party interprets the drama.

Justus Awaji, Abuja