PDP cannot resolve internal crises before 2027 – Tapgun

By Andrew Agbese Sir Fidelis Tapgun is a former governor of Plateau State and has held many positions as a key stakeholder in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including being a member of the party’s Board of Trustees. In this interview he explained how the PDP found itself in the present predicament and why he believes the party cannot get out of the logjam before the 2027 elections. W hy has the PDP not been able to bounce back since it lost power in 2015? You would remember the controversy that trailed the convention of the party in Port-Hacourt.

Members of the Board of Trustees (BoT), and initially, the National Working Committee (NWC), wanted the convention held in Abuja, but somehow, the then governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, was vehement that it must be held in Port-Hacourt for reasons which later emerged, that he was eyeing the vice presidential ticket of the party. From what we gathered, his calculation was that a former governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, was going to emerge as the presidential candidate. Wike had positioned himself to be the vice presidential candidate and wanted to showcase his strength in Port-Hacourt.



The convention was moved to Port-Hacourt, but somehow, on the eve of the event, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar outsmarted them. Muhammadu Buhari was in power then, and there were strong forces who said if Atiku didn’t stand, Buhari was going to win the presidential election again. So Atiku was supported by powerful forces in the party and he emerged as the presidential candidate of the PDP.

I think that didn’t go down well with Wike. After that, campaign for elections went on, but since Wike didn’t get what he wanted, so many things went underground. From that time on, the party has gone through a lot of trouble.

Wike was supporting the party financially, both at the courts and its national headquarters to enable them run their activities. And of course, he was sponsoring candidates all over the place. He was preparing himself for the 2023 elections from what transpired later.

Again, he was positioning for the vice presidential ticket. Atiku said in an interview few days ago that after the 2019 elections, he was accused of not consulting widely within the party when he picked Peter Obi as his running mate. So he decided that the NWC should set up a committee to shortlist candidates for the slot of a running.

Wike was working towards that and had positioned himself to make sure that even the members of that committee were his supporters. The committee came out with a report and shortlisted candidates, but the presidential candidate was at liberty to pick whoever he wanted among those shortlisted. So the final decision would be made by the candidate himself.

Wike had staked all his hope in life for that position, but Atiku did not pick him; he rather went for the then governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa. That was when hell was let loose by Wike. That is the beginning of the eruption of the party because he vowed that Atiku was not going to win that election and he was going to work against him.

It was not hidden. That was what he did at every stage of the elections. He got some governors to work with him and got himself into the present government and managed to hold key members of the NWC in his pocket.

From the reports we get, he maintains them. And since the NWC cannot work in the interest of the party, it has become a problem. That is where we are now.

Unfortunately, the National Executive Committee (NEC) has been taken over; a lot of things are happening there. The problem is Wike. He is pursuing the PDP and not just Atiku.

Like I keep telling people, if he is the instrument the ruling party will use to dissipate the opposition, then it should be expected because it is a general thing all over the world that when one party is in power, it will make sure the opposition doesn’t get stronger so that they don’t alter the power structure. The moral issue is also there because if the NWC members are not morally strong themselves, then they would fall into every kind of trap. If the party knows that Wike is the problem, why is it difficult to address that problem? He has been able to position himself strategically within the party.

Why did I say that? I remember vividly that when Walid Jibrin was the chairman of the BoT, he told us that Wike had sent a message to the board, stating that he would start commissioning projects and he would be inviting certain members to do it. Some of us didn’t go, but those that went said they came back with a lot. Whether it is true or not, I don’t know.

So I believe he has been able to get strong supporters in the party’s hierarchy. This is so because if those there cannot take decisions in the interest of the party, then you know there’s something there. Ambassador Iliya Damagum is supposed to hold the position of the national chairmanship of the party in trust.

When Iyorcha Ayu left, the position was zoned to the North and the constitution of the party is clear about that – when an official leaves certain position in the party before the expiration of his/her tenure, another person from the zone should take over. So when Ayu left, someone from the North-Central was supposed to take over, but Damagum took over since he was the deputy national chairman. He has refused to leave and nobody has been able to do anything to him.

We hear strongly that he is close to Wike. Whether it is true or not, I don’t know. So it is a difficult thing because the human heart is very deep; only God can read it.

If certain things are supposed to be done and they are not done, then you know that someone is controlling it from somewhere else. What would you say about Atiku, who insisted on contesting when it was supposed to go to the South; is he not also part of the problem? The argument then was that since Buhari is from the North, the PDP must zone the presidential ticket to the South, but we said ‘no’ because Buhari is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and that is their own matter. Our own zoning was there and we were talking about the PDP, not the APC.

And as far as we were concerned, the last person that held that position in the PDP was Goodluck Jonathan from the South, so naturally, the next person after him should come from the North. If Jonathan had done two terms, the North would have taken it, but he didn’t complete the two terms, so that went. That was our argument and we still hold on to it.

The question of saying it must go to the South was just sentiment. Atiku didn’t do anything wrong at that time and the PDP didn’t do anything wrong. Where do you stand on the lingering dispute over the national secretary position of your party? The controversy surrounding the national secretary position is very unnecessary because the constitution of the party is very clear about that.

That national secretary position was zoned to the South-East; and our constitution states that if you hold a position and your term has not expired and you leave, somebody from your zone has to take over. That was what happened in this case. Senator Samuel Anyawu resigned and left to contest for the governorship of Imo State.

When he resigned, his people in the South-East nominated somebody to take his position, which was ratified by all the organs of the party. But he lost the election and came back and wanted to take the position again, contrary to the position of the party. That is what the party has been fighting.

Anyawu knows that what he is doing is not right as it is against the constitution of the party. But he is the one that knows why he is doing it. Do you see it as a plot to destroy the PDP? Yes, it is still part of the plot to destroy the PDP.

But you can’t blame the APC for doing what they are doing because nobody throws away power just like that. They are doing all they can to retain it and you don’t blame them. What do you suggest the PDP should do to get its house in order ahead the 2027 elections? From my assessment, the PDP cannot get back on its feet now until after 2027 because the ruling party will not allow it.

And you can’t blame them. The PDP is a very strong party on ground, so any party with power in its hands will try to ensure that it does not rise and is not being held by very strong officials. I don’t see the party getting strong for 2027 and nobody should deceive himself about that.

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