A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) state governor has warned that his
party might lose the 2019 presidential election if it fails to address
the concerns of party leaders over a plethora of issues he said were
drawing back its campaign for the election.
According to the
governor, who asked not to be named so he is not victimised by the
party, said there is deep frustration in the PDP camp just over six
weeks to the election “and time is running out.”
He said in an
interview with PREMIUM TIMES, “All is not going well with our campaign
and the commitment of many top party leaders to the campaign is
suspect.”
The governor, who is considered very influential in the
party, said he had been contacted by many leaders of the party from
across the country who were worried about the preparation of the PDP for
the presidential election.
“It seems as if we (including Atiku)
have conceded the election to Buhari even though the Nigerian people are
behind us. The momentum has fallen, the possibility of victory is
getting slimmer every day,” the governor lamented.
He said party
leaders were aggrieved by alleged lack of consultation by the
presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, before making key appointments
of his running mate and head of the campaign organisation.
Among
the worried leaders he named are state governors Ibrahim Dankwambo of
Gombe, Nyesom Wike of Rivers and Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto; as well as
former governors Ahmed Makarfi, Sule Lamido, and Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Four of the serving and former governors ran for the PDP presidential ticket against Mr Abubakar.
But the governor said the concerns they expressed had nothing to do with their loss of the party’s ticket.
“He (Atiku) did not consult anybody before appointing Obi (former Anambra State governor, Peter).
“They
(party leaders) are saying we should have sat down to do a proper
calculation on where the running mate should come from, whether from the
South-west or the South-east.
“The thinking among many leaders
is that the running mate should have come from the South-west because
you have from there people like Tinubu (former Lagos State governor,
Bola, of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) who is
politically-savvy and (Vice President Yemi) Osinbajo who has integrity
and credibility.
“Why will the people of the South-west abandon Tinubu and Osinbajo to vote PDP and Atiku?”
“People
believe that we should have instead given the South-west the vice
presidency and make a commitment to hand over power to the South-east
after an Atiku presidency.”
The governor also said the South-east
leaders of the party have remained lukewarm to the PDP campaign because
of Mr Abubakar’s choice of Mr Obi as his running mate.
“(Deputy
Senate President, Ike) Ekweremadu and many South-east leaders including
the governors; their commitment is not total. Obi is considered an APGA
person who only defected to the PDP during the (former President
Goodluck) Jonathan era because he had nowhere else to go. In any case,
what is his electoral worth in the South-East.”
Mr Obi served two
terms as governor of Anambra State on the platform of the All
Progressives Grand Alliance but left APGA for the PDP in 2014 after
falling out with his successor, Willie Obiano, whose reelection he later
failed to stop.
The worried governor also faulted the structure and composition of the PDP presidential campaign organisation.
“There
is also Saraki (Senate President, Bukola) who like Atiku is a recent
returnee to the party. He was appointed the head of the campaign.
“Real
leaders who have been committed to the PDP, people who did not leave
the party during rain or shine, they have been sidelined by the
newcomers. Why were leaders like Lamido and Makarfi not given central
roles in the campaign?”
Structure of campaign
“The
campaign has a faulty structure. Saraki has a lot of baggage. As a
sitting Senate President, he cannot oppose the president vigorously as a
leader of another arm of the same government. He also still has a lot
to do running that arm of government.
“To worsen the matter, in a
zone (South-west) where you have leaders like Bode George, you
appointed (former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele) Fayose as campaign
coordinator.
“What can Fayose do against people like Tinubu and
Osinbajo? Who can Fayose talk to in the zone? Who will he coordinate?
The campaign in the South-west is structured to fail.”
The governor said there are concerns over the situation of the PDP in other zones too.
“The
situation in Kano, where a lot of votes will come from, is going from
bad to worse. Although Kwankwaso is the coordinator (for the
North-west), he does not appear to be too keen due to lack of
consultation. His supporters have started returning to the APC,
including the former deputy governor. Nothing is happening in that state
now.”
Hafiz Abubakar was deputy to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje
until he resigned from the government and APC to join PDP. He has now
returned to the APC after failing in his bid for the governorship ticket
of the opposition party.
Atiku and the love for Dubai
The
worried governor also warned of negative implications of the frequent
visits by Mr Abubakar to Dubai, the glittering city in the United Arabs
Emirate and dragnet for shoppers, tourists and investors from across the
world.
“Atiku’s love for Dubai is giving the impression that his
only interest in Nigeria is the election. Why the frequent trips to
Dubai, a place seen as where people go to hide loots? The frequent trips
to Dubai is a big minus.
“After dropping the Obi bombshell (the
announcement of his running mate), he left for Dubai for six weeks, not
making use of the huge momentum gained in Port Harcourt (the PDP
National Convention where Mr Abubakar won his nomination).
“A
group of leaders was to meet him before Christmas only for them to learn
that he had travelled to Dubai for holiday. Why go to Dubai to hold
meetings about an election that will happen in Nigeria?”
Incoherent Messaging
The
governor further observed that the PDP flag-bearer has neglected to
properly strategise to formulate his message to the Nigerian voters for
the election.
“There is no investment in a developing a strategy.
The messaging is incoherent. What are the central messages we are
pushing to Nigerians?
“We are just making comments like ‘I will
sell the NNPC’ (the government cash-cow Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation, which Mr Abubakar has promised to privatise) and throwing
around unsubstantiated allegations. A matter of such great concern
should have been handled better.”
Too many campaign spokespersons
He said the PDP presidential campaign has too many spokespersons and lacks coordination.
“Some
people are speaking on behalf of Atiku personally, others are speaking
from the campaign office, some are speaking from PDP headquarters while
there are those speaking from the Atiku Media Office. And what they are
saying are sometimes contradictory to each others.”
The governor, however, said the situation could still be salvaged if all the concerns he raised are addressed quickly.
“If
we do so, the possibility of turning things around is still there,” he
said, but again quickly stressed, “time is fast running out.”
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