Two weeks ago, it appeared as if the Peoples Democratic Party was going to burst at its seams when the National Executive Committee of the party announced the election of the former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as its chairman. Even by the notorious standard of the PDP, it was one decision that shocked even the most optimistic of the party’s supporters as many critics believed that it was the final nail on the coffin of the party

By Ben Agande

Expectedly, many  people who apparently and justifiably did not understand the rationale behind bringing in a former Board of Trustees Chairman of a rival political party to be the chairman of a party in opposition that is struggling for survival rose up in arms against the choice of the party’s NEC.

The criticism was as torrential as it was strident. From the Board of Trustees to other nascent groups like The Rescue Group and the PDP Former Ministers Forum, the opposition appeared as if it was going to overwhelm the two-term governor of Borno state.

Pragmatic assessment

But a combination of deft political moves, compromises and pragmatic assessment of the over all impact of a prolonged crisis in the party made for a middle of the road settlement. After taking the move himself by reaching out to all the aggrieved parties, Senator Sheriff, whose appointment was a product of the governors of the party, found refuge in the protective cover of the governors.

Alimodu-Sheriff

So when the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu and the leader of the PDP caucus in the National Assembly convened a meeting of all critical stakeholders and some aggrieved members, it was obvious that the bile that had followed the emergence of Sheriff was no longer going to be potent.

Not surprisingly, when the governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko announced after the meeting that a truce had been reached, and even members of the BOT who less than twenty-four hours earlier were vehement in their opposition against Sheriff, had accepted to work with him as the national chairman of the party, it became obvious that the cyclone of opposition that greeted his emergence had ended up as a storm in a tea cup.

And taking advantage of the leeway offered by the temporary truce, Sheriff threw his weight fully to the job. Fully aware that his stay in office is just for three months, Sheriff is determined to make a difference, knowing that in the fluid nature of politics, no agreement is cast in iron that cannot be renegotiated.

As a first step, Senator Sheriff appointed some of his trusted and reliable aides to help him in the daunting task of making a difference.

He announced his onetime commissioner, Inuwa Bwala, a consummate journalist as his Special Assistant on Media while another of his trusted aides, Hon. Shettima Shehu, a former member of the House of Representatives, was appointed the Special Assistant to the National Chairman on Special Duties.

But beyond the appointment of personal aides, Senator Sheriff has set about reorganizing the secretariat of the party which was moribund after the crushing defeat of the PDP in the last election. Unlike four weeks ago when the PDP secretariat was a ghost of its former bubbling self, Senator Sheriff has injected a new lease of life to the secretariat.

He has become the rallying point for despondent members of the party who have seen in him, a spirit of rejuvenation and renewal.

For many members of the party that already saw themselves as a flock of sheep without shepherd, Sheriff’s emergence provided a rallying point, and members have started trooping in once again.

Last Thursday, prominent leaders of the party from across the country opened the floodgates of visits that has become a daily occurrence since Sheriff’s tenuous hold on power was strengthened by his acceptance by the Board of Trustees members.

Platform of the party

While the former chairman of DAAR Communications, Raymond Dokpesi and the former governor of Imo state, Achike Udenwa came individually to pay homage to the PDP chairman, former members of the  House of Representatives under the platform of the party since 1999 came together to pledge their loyalty to the new chairman of the party. Former deputy speaker of the party, Chief Emeka Ihedioha led the over thirty members of the group to visit the chairman.

For a man who was not a member of the party when most members of the house that came to visit him held sway, there was no other way for him to be reassured that he is fully in charge, even if for just a short period.

From individual pledges, state organs of the party have keyed into the new leadership of the party to pledge their loyalty. The Benue state executive council of the party led by its chairman, Dr. Emmanuel Agbo was among the first to pledge loyalty.

The significance of Dr. Agbo’s visit is not so much that he led members of his executive to pledge loyalty to the chairman, but the fact that he is the chairman of state chairmen of the party sends a strong message that perhaps, the earlier dissension against the emergence of Sheriff was at the point of being overcome.

For Sheriff, the present assignment as the chairman of the PDP has the potentials of rewriting his political history.

He has sufficiently reawakened the consciousness of the members of the National Working Committee of the party, most of whose members had stopped going to the office before the emergence of Sheriff. His emergence has once again brought the PDP back to national discourse, even if for negative reasons.

Founding fathers

Even though some of his predecessors had tried, without success to woo back members of the party who had left in disenchantment, Senator Sheriff has set in motion machinery to bring back some founding fathers of the party who left in frustration.

With only three months in office, Senator Sheriff has a Herculean task ahead of him. He is saddled with the responsibility of organizing the national convention of the party.

How he can do this and how the result is accepted or otherwise by the generality of the members of the party will determine to a large extent, whether his name will be written in the credit or debit side of history of the PDP.