A former presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has expressed concerns over the party’s loss of its core values.
The party chief, in a reaction to the just concluded PDP national convention, warned that the leadership crisis in the PDP could threaten the nation’s democracy beyond anyone’s imagination.
Calling for the urgent resolution of the leadership crisis, he flayed the decision of the organisers for flaunting court restraining orders and going ahead with the convention.
The politician, who is one of those eyeing the PDP presidential ticket, says if not resolved, the crisis in the opposition party could derail Nigeria’s democratic journey.
According to him, today’s managers of the party have strayed from the direction set for it by the founding fathers.
He called for dialogue, broader consultations and inclusive internal party governance, warning that the decision to expel some key stakeholders can only worsen the party’s woes.
”The founding fathers of the PDP deliberately built a platform capable of preventing further military intervention in governance, safeguarding national unity, and strengthening federalism.
“This inclusive foundation gave the PDP an early advantage, enabling it to win nearly two-thirds of elective positions in the December 1998 local government elections, a milestone that helped stabilise Nigeria’s returning democratic order in 1999,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
He added that the current fragmentation, conflicting court rulings, and exclusion of some stakeholders contradicted the principles that once made the party a strong national platform.
“Inclusion, not exclusion, is the tradition of the PDP. We must strive to bring all sides back to the table to save the PDP and save Nigeria’s democracy,” he said.
Olawepo-Hashim urged the party leaders to prioritise unity and meaningful reconciliation instead of deepening the existing fault lines.
The leadership crisis in the PDP has led to the defection of no fewer than five governors who were elected on the party’s platform in 2023.
Two factions have emerged from the crisis, with the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, leading the mainstream PDP faction, while the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, is leading another faction.
Attempts by the Makinde-led faction to exclude the Wike camp from the running of the party’s affairs have continued to
deepen divisions in the party.
The conflict came to a head with the expulsion of Wike and some prominent members of his camp by Makinde’s mainstream PDP at the party’s disputed national convention in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Some PDP governors, including Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa) and Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), have since dissociated themselves from the expulsion of the party chieftains, even though the two governors participated in the convention.