The battle for the control of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna has started between the mainstream leadership and the faction led by Alhaji Kawu Baraje.
Since 2007, it has been an open secret that all was not well with the party in the state. However, the warring leaders have been able to manage their differences. The emergence of the the former governor, now Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, did not go down well with some party members, who felt that the former governor, Alhaji Ahmed Makarfi, now a senator, imposed him on the state. A few months after assuming office, the relationship between Sambo and Makarfi went sour.
From that moment, the Makarfi team was poised to pull the rug off his feet. But luck smiled on him. He was appointed Vice President, which paved the way for the former governor, the late Patrick Yakowa, to take over as governor. There is a renewed hostility now. Many of those loyal to Makarfi have gone back to the trenches, in a bid to wrest the party structure from the Vice President.
Even though Senator Makarfi has not personally identified with any of the PDP factions, some of his supporters have identified with the Abubakar Baraje-led faction. They accused the Vice President of failure to unite the party in the state. They alleged that, rather than revamp and shore up the fortunes of the party, he has contributed to the downward plung of its fortunes. Former Chairman of the party i Audi Yaro Makama, is leading the state faction that is supporting the Baraje faction.
The leaders of the faction recently argued in a statement that “the revolutionary decision to sack the erstwhile leadership under Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and replace it with the current one led by Baraje, needs to be replicated in all states chapters, especially Kaduna State, where the support base of the party has been shrinking, since 2007 when Sambo became governor and decided to rubbish the party and its supporters to no end.”
They said this decision was taken after deep reflections on happenings in Kaduna State, since the elevation of Architect Namadi Sambo as Vice President. “It is instructive that, since his elevation, the fortunes and prestige of the party has been declining, rather than improving, because he has been incapable of rallying the people under its umbrella.
Although this is hardly surprising, since he lacks the political wherewithal and the requisite structure, but it was expected that he would come to terms with his inadequacies and enlist the support of established political actors. “This expectation has been a forlorn hope because the Vice President has surrounded himself with political paperweights.
These hangers on drive Sambo’s vehicle of political exclusionism by hunting for enemies, even where they don’t exist. All efforts by concerned party members and elders to make him see reason, as well as draw the attention of the sacked party leadership, were in vain”, they alleged. The faction, which called itself “Save Kaduna Group,” further said that the “fortune of the party in Kaduna State began to nose dive, since 2007 and the relief envisaged after the 2011 elections was, unfortunately, short-lived and we are today back to the days of the locust.
Nothing positive is happening; governance is at a standstill; we have a government that is seemingly an auto pilot and, whenever the pilot remembers that he is supposed to be steering a ship, he begs for navigational and other aids from somewhere else”. However, the mainstream eadership of the part, promptly dismissed the split, saying that the PDP is in tact. Dismissing the New PDP, the party said those claiming to be the New PDP are only seeking cheap relevance.
Kaduna PDP spokesman Alhaji Ibrahim Mansur, who described the leaders of the New PDP as political opportunists, said that the “group of political opportunists led by Makama and a former member of the State House of Assembly, Yakubu Gideon Morik, is completely wrong. He said: “The Kaduna State Chapter of the PDP remains solidly behind the leadership of our National Chairman, Alhaji (Dr) Bamanga Tukur. “There is only one PDP, which is the one led by Bamanga Tukur.
This much has been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction. The claim by the so-called group is false and totally criminal, as the party is intact and united under the able leadership of Dr A G Haruna. The PDP in Kaduna State remains undivided and one big family that is committed to the Transformation Agenda of our leader, His Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and his Vice, Arc. Sambo”. Mansur lampooned the breakaway group, descring its members as politicians, who are well known for self centredness.
“Makama and his ilk are self-centred politicians, who are bent on discrediting Vice President Sambo over their insatiable quest for patronage and accumulation of wealth. Any attempt at creating confusion by political jobbers, under the guise of dirty party politics, will surely attract the attention of law enforcement agencies.
“We reject the negative ploy by Makama and a handful of ‘food is ready’ politicians in his camp aimed at creating confusion in the party. Makama must be reminded that there is time for everything; he cannot remain the chairman of PDP forever. It is his turn to follow others just like he was followed during his time”. However, the Tukur faction seems to be gathering support across the state among the youths.
The youths said those claiming to be the New PDP in the state were over heating the polity. The leader of the youths, Danjuma Sarki, described those behind the New PDP as desperate politicians and spent forces, who want to fight their way back into political relevance, after failing to come to terms with the fact that their time was up.
“It is no doubt that this is an obvious move by some spent forces to launch themselves back into political relevance after failing to come to terms with the fact that their time is up and a new order has taken pre-eminence in the state. “We, therefore, call on the general public to disregard them and their antics for underserved recognition at a time like this when the party is poised to consolidate on its victory at the last local government council elections.
“We are baffled that these desperate politicians, who claimed that the fortunes and prestige of the party has been declining, rather than improving because the Vice President, Arch. Namadi Sambo has been incapable of rallying the people under its umbrella. But it must be stated that, in the history of the party in the state, there has never been a time when the party was victorious in 22 out of the 23 local government council chairmanship elections and also won 246 out of 255 councillorship seats in the state.
Suffice it to say that Yaro Makama and his co-travellers lack the simple sense of assessment of political fortune and integrity of a party or are they suffering from some kind of dementia,” Sarki said. Justifying its support for the Old PDP, the youths said, since the emergence of Sambo as the governor and his elevation to his current position, the party in the state has continued to wax stronger.
It added that it would amount to sheer blackmail or crass ignorance to claim not to be aware of the in-road the party is making as a result of the purposeful leadership of the state governor and the vice president. They described Sambo as a leader of the party in the state and the entire northern states.
“We, therefore, wish to state our unalloyed loyalty to the party leadership in the state headed by Hon. A.G. Haruna, the government of Kaduna and that of the Goodluck/Sambo and call on all well-meaning people of the state to continue to rally round them”, they said. Urging the people to remain focused and resolute in the pursuit of the Transformation Agenda, the youths called on past and present leaders to be cautious with their statements.
They called for efforts that would further consolidate the purposeful leadership of the governor. “We should all learn to explore the necessary process of seeking redress within the party whenever we are aggrieved, instead of resorting to crude means that might polarise us”. Similarly, local government chairman on the platform of the PDP also dismissed the New PDP, saying that the PDP remained one in the state. They pledged their support to the state executive of the party and the governor.
Speaking at a news conference, the Chairman of ALGON said what is happening in the party was normal, pointing out that they remain loyal to the party. There is no doubt that there are serious efforts in the state to ensure that the Vice President loses out in the party in the state, he alleged. It is, however, not known what Sambo and his team are doing to ensure that the party remains one.
While there are efforts at reconciling the two factions at the national level, there is no effort at reconciliation in the state. Unless this is done, the party may be heading for the rock, especially, with the All Progressive Congress (APC) strongly mobilising ahead of the 2015 elections
Since 2007, it has been an open secret that all was not well with the party in the state. However, the warring leaders have been able to manage their differences. The emergence of the the former governor, now Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, did not go down well with some party members, who felt that the former governor, Alhaji Ahmed Makarfi, now a senator, imposed him on the state. A few months after assuming office, the relationship between Sambo and Makarfi went sour.From that moment, the Makarfi team was poised to pull the rug off his feet. But luck smiled on him. He was appointed Vice President, which paved the way for the former governor, the late Patrick Yakowa, to take over as governor. There is a renewed hostility now. Many of those loyal to Makarfi have gone back to the trenches, in a bid to wrest the party structure from the Vice President.
Even though Senator Makarfi has not personally identified with any of the PDP factions, some of his supporters have identified with the Abubakar Baraje-led faction. They accused the Vice President of failure to unite the party in the state. They alleged that, rather than revamp and shore up the fortunes of the party, he has contributed to the downward plung of its fortunes. Former Chairman of the party i Audi Yaro Makama, is leading the state faction that is supporting the Baraje faction.
The leaders of the faction recently argued in a statement that “the revolutionary decision to sack the erstwhile leadership under Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and replace it with the current one led by Baraje, needs to be replicated in all states chapters, especially Kaduna State, where the support base of the party has been shrinking, since 2007 when Sambo became governor and decided to rubbish the party and its supporters to no end.”
They said this decision was taken after deep reflections on happenings in Kaduna State, since the elevation of Architect Namadi Sambo as Vice President. “It is instructive that, since his elevation, the fortunes and prestige of the party has been declining, rather than improving, because he has been incapable of rallying the people under its umbrella.
Although this is hardly surprising, since he lacks the political wherewithal and the requisite structure, but it was expected that he would come to terms with his inadequacies and enlist the support of established political actors. “This expectation has been a forlorn hope because the Vice President has surrounded himself with political paperweights.
These hangers on drive Sambo’s vehicle of political exclusionism by hunting for enemies, even where they don’t exist. All efforts by concerned party members and elders to make him see reason, as well as draw the attention of the sacked party leadership, were in vain”, they alleged. The faction, which called itself “Save Kaduna Group,” further said that the “fortune of the party in Kaduna State began to nose dive, since 2007 and the relief envisaged after the 2011 elections was, unfortunately, short-lived and we are today back to the days of the locust.
Nothing positive is happening; governance is at a standstill; we have a government that is seemingly an auto pilot and, whenever the pilot remembers that he is supposed to be steering a ship, he begs for navigational and other aids from somewhere else”. However, the mainstream eadership of the part, promptly dismissed the split, saying that the PDP is in tact. Dismissing the New PDP, the party said those claiming to be the New PDP are only seeking cheap relevance.
Kaduna PDP spokesman Alhaji Ibrahim Mansur, who described the leaders of the New PDP as political opportunists, said that the “group of political opportunists led by Makama and a former member of the State House of Assembly, Yakubu Gideon Morik, is completely wrong. He said: “The Kaduna State Chapter of the PDP remains solidly behind the leadership of our National Chairman, Alhaji (Dr) Bamanga Tukur. “There is only one PDP, which is the one led by Bamanga Tukur.
This much has been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction. The claim by the so-called group is false and totally criminal, as the party is intact and united under the able leadership of Dr A G Haruna. The PDP in Kaduna State remains undivided and one big family that is committed to the Transformation Agenda of our leader, His Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and his Vice, Arc. Sambo”. Mansur lampooned the breakaway group, descring its members as politicians, who are well known for self centredness.
“Makama and his ilk are self-centred politicians, who are bent on discrediting Vice President Sambo over their insatiable quest for patronage and accumulation of wealth. Any attempt at creating confusion by political jobbers, under the guise of dirty party politics, will surely attract the attention of law enforcement agencies.
“We reject the negative ploy by Makama and a handful of ‘food is ready’ politicians in his camp aimed at creating confusion in the party. Makama must be reminded that there is time for everything; he cannot remain the chairman of PDP forever. It is his turn to follow others just like he was followed during his time”. However, the Tukur faction seems to be gathering support across the state among the youths.
The youths said those claiming to be the New PDP in the state were over heating the polity. The leader of the youths, Danjuma Sarki, described those behind the New PDP as desperate politicians and spent forces, who want to fight their way back into political relevance, after failing to come to terms with the fact that their time was up.
“It is no doubt that this is an obvious move by some spent forces to launch themselves back into political relevance after failing to come to terms with the fact that their time is up and a new order has taken pre-eminence in the state. “We, therefore, call on the general public to disregard them and their antics for underserved recognition at a time like this when the party is poised to consolidate on its victory at the last local government council elections.
“We are baffled that these desperate politicians, who claimed that the fortunes and prestige of the party has been declining, rather than improving because the Vice President, Arch. Namadi Sambo has been incapable of rallying the people under its umbrella. But it must be stated that, in the history of the party in the state, there has never been a time when the party was victorious in 22 out of the 23 local government council chairmanship elections and also won 246 out of 255 councillorship seats in the state.
Suffice it to say that Yaro Makama and his co-travellers lack the simple sense of assessment of political fortune and integrity of a party or are they suffering from some kind of dementia,” Sarki said. Justifying its support for the Old PDP, the youths said, since the emergence of Sambo as the governor and his elevation to his current position, the party in the state has continued to wax stronger.
It added that it would amount to sheer blackmail or crass ignorance to claim not to be aware of the in-road the party is making as a result of the purposeful leadership of the state governor and the vice president. They described Sambo as a leader of the party in the state and the entire northern states.
“We, therefore, wish to state our unalloyed loyalty to the party leadership in the state headed by Hon. A.G. Haruna, the government of Kaduna and that of the Goodluck/Sambo and call on all well-meaning people of the state to continue to rally round them”, they said. Urging the people to remain focused and resolute in the pursuit of the Transformation Agenda, the youths called on past and present leaders to be cautious with their statements.
They called for efforts that would further consolidate the purposeful leadership of the governor. “We should all learn to explore the necessary process of seeking redress within the party whenever we are aggrieved, instead of resorting to crude means that might polarise us”. Similarly, local government chairman on the platform of the PDP also dismissed the New PDP, saying that the PDP remained one in the state. They pledged their support to the state executive of the party and the governor.
Speaking at a news conference, the Chairman of ALGON said what is happening in the party was normal, pointing out that they remain loyal to the party. There is no doubt that there are serious efforts in the state to ensure that the Vice President loses out in the party in the state, he alleged. It is, however, not known what Sambo and his team are doing to ensure that the party remains one.
While there are efforts at reconciling the two factions at the national level, there is no effort at reconciliation in the state. Unless this is done, the party may be heading for the rock, especially, with the All Progressive Congress (APC) strongly mobilising ahead of the 2015 elections
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