Last Monday, the Niger State governor, Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu played host to the top stalwarts of the ruling Party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party who converged in Minna, the capital city of Niger state to forge the way forward for the party in the zone.

Following the various challenges that had confronted the party in the zone which precipitated the takeover of Nassarawa state by the opposition Congress for Progressive Change, the PDP, according to the organizers is trying re-invent itself especially with the new acting Chairman, Alhaji Baraje coming from the zone.

*Gov Aliyu Babangida

All the party executives from the zone both elected and appointed were present and it does appear that Niger state might assume the new headquarters for the zone since the PDP has lost Nassarawa to CPC. Before now, Nassarawa state has always been the headquarters of the party in the zone.

During the event, the state governor of Niger State who prefers the prefix of Chief Servant was on hand to declare the meeting open and also used the opportunity to appeal to the members of the party to continue to have faith in the leadership of the party saying that what the “party needs at this time, is for all hands to be on deck in order to achieve the objectives for which the party was established.” He stressed that the party “must not take the opposition for granted in its renewed effort at galvanizing the party and repositioning it for optimal performances at all levels of governance. Let me remind all of us here present that the object of our commonality is the party. We must therefore give ourselves all the necessary support, to make those who represent us perform their responsibilities without fear or favour.”

Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu also reiterated the need for all party executives to give maximum support to the new Acting Chairman, who incidentally is from the zone. According to him; “the zone has always been a 100 percent PDP State but for the skirmishes in Nassarawa that necessitated our lost. We are not going to give up. We are going to reclaim Nassarawa for sure, but doing that and achieving same will require more than just reaching out.

We must network; we must instill discipline amongst ourselves. We need to continue to talk to ourselves and re-address our minds to those issues that made us the darling of the electorates in recent past. We must rise up to the challenges of supporting our own dear brother and friend Alhaji Baraje, who has now assumed the very important position of Acting National Chairman of the party”, he submitted. The governor also applauded the efforts of the party at the various levels and expressed confidence in the leadership ability of the President Goodluck Jonathan_led administration.

According to him, “President Goodluck Jonathan is a man of his word. He has told Nigerians repeatedly that he will quit in 2015. We must believe him because he is a man of integrity. The party is also conscious of its integrity before the electorates. Nigerians must learn to trust their leaders and believe in what they say. President Jonathan has said it on several occasions that he does not have any political ambition to stay beyond 2015. Why are people finding it difficult to believe him?, he queried.

2015 Agenda

Speaking at the event, the Acting National Chairman of the Party, Alhaji Ahmed Baraje frowned at the level of indiscipline in the party and called on all party executives and members to be more productive and responsive to the yearnings of the people. According to him, “the country is too big for one individual or group of individuals to swallow. Hence, it becomes incumbent on all and sundry to wake up to the fresh challenge of making the party the toast of all.”

At the climax of the meeting was the official opening of the new zonal secretariat of the party donated by the Niger State government under the leadership of Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu. The Secretariat, which is an imposing structure, is located at the heart of Minna town, North Central zone of the country.

Beyond the success of the North Central meeting lies the underpinning quest for the soul of the party in the North Central zone ahead of the preparations for the 2015 elections. An inside source that spoke to Saturday Vanguard observed that “from the look of things, and with the large turnout of party chieftains and executives from the zone, one is bound to suggest that there is more to this than meets the eye. But of course, you know the governor likes to ensure that he succeeds in anything he indulges in, so we were not surprised at the level of organizational excellence recorded at the meeting. As a party, we are very happy to identify with this new effort at helping the party to grow”. When asked further if there was an indication that everything was in respect of 2015, the member of the party who also attended the meeting but craved anonymity said; “you media people have a way with questions. You read meanings into everything that appeals to your imagination. You create something out of nothing. You must bear in mind that the governor was called upon to host the meeting on behalf of North Central zone. We did not have any 2015 agenda in our minds. We are looking at the party’s post election and trying to see how best we can reposition , and here you are asking questions about 2015. That is too far away to be contemplated at this material time. Please dis-abuse your mind from such thinking. All that we know is that Niger State has done well to have organized this elaborate meeting and because the governor does his things in a big way , the people of the State and the zone love him. We were not surprised at all”.

6-year single tenure

Against the backdrop of the single term tenure of six years, some members of the party told Saturday Vanguard that the issue has not been formally discussed because it is still a proposal. One of the members of the party in Niger State and a political appointee who does not want his name in print said that “we do not want to over flog this issue.

We have heard all the hues and cries over nothing. People have called the President names. But just like the governor said; we of the PDP trust the good intentions of the President. He has told all of us Nigerians that he will not be a beneficiary of the process, yet Nigerians do not believe it. Why? People should learn to believe their leaders so that the country can move forward.

In his answers to questions posed by Saturday Vanguard, the source who is one of the special advisers to the Niger governor said that “Nigerians are fond of making deductions from something.

This is the North Central meeting of the PDP. It is being held to look at best ways to reposition the party. You will agree with me that any reasonable party should seek a platform to take stock after elections. That is exactly what the PDP North Central is doing. We also expect other zones to convene such meetings and look at the pros and cons of the election and how best to confront future challenges.” Said the source, “the Chief Servant is not a man known for double standard.He will say it the way it is. He doesn’t want people to continue to look at the President as if they do not trust him, that was why he said that the President is a man of integrity and would not renege on his promise to leave in 2015. There is nothing wrong about that. I think the governor must be applauded for speaking out in such distinctive manner. He is a man of action. And people know him to be blunt on issues without mincing words.

“We have designed a road map for developmental initiatives in the State. We are also getting the people involved. The governor has made it a point of duty to all of us that we cannot afford to disappoint the people in our effort to collectively work towards fulfilling their aspirations. We have just finished a retreat recently which was designed to acquaint the political appointees with the workings of government. We were practically taught so many things that we were unaware of before and that is the spirit of this new mandate.”

Presidential materials

There are indications that the North Central zone might be a pot pourri of some political undercurrents in the months ahead. There are also indications that there are viable presidential materials from the zone . Unconfirmed reports have it that Senate President David Mark is interested in the job, as well as Dr. Bukola Saraki. Also fingered in the plot for 2015 is General Ibrahim Babangida who will be turning 74 by then if truly he still intends to run for the position.

Earlier, the Minna General has told Nigerians, that he has bowed out of partisan politics after his outing in the last elections. According to him; “ I am leaving the stage for younger elements. I will offer my advice from my home from time to time when the need arises”. In the event that General IBB does not participate, feelers have it that he might be throwing his political weight behind the State Governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, who is also a potentially qualified aspirant to run for the office.

If that happens, that puts the governor ahead of other aspirants in the zone because the political influence of IBB is still considered to be legendary. With the imposing secretariat erected at Minna, tongues are already wagging of a likely show down among all the big guns in the party prior to the 2015 political undertakings.

If this option is anything to be contemplated, then political observers are yet to see real horse trading. The respective political heavy weights in the zone must be seen to deliver on their campaign promises if the people are to take them serious. They must be able to show the difference in their ability to perform when given certain responsibility. And this reason might explain why the governor is fast transforming the State in line with the transformation mantra of the Jonathan administration.

The State has concluded plans to introduce Ward Development Projects in all the over 200 wards in the State. What this intends to achieve, according to the State Governor, is that every ward is expected to benefit on a monthly basis, one million naira project drawn from the requirement of the people in such ward. According to him, the people at the grassroots will be made to suggest what is of utmost priority to them so that by the time government springs into action, they will not accuse government of not meeting their demands.

Despite the paucity of funds in some States including Niger State, this might be a hindrance but the Dr Muazu says he has the magic wand to make things happen. “We will make judicious use of what we have to get what we want”, he concluded.