The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the leading opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were deeply entangled in internal crises in 2021.
The crises in the two big parties which spread from the centre to the state chapters led to the emergence of parallel executives in some states.
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APC convention
Political pundits say one of the major reasons that triggered the APC crisis in the year under review was the failure of the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planming Committee to organise an elective national convention.
The caretaker committee was inaugurated on June 25, 2020, following the dissolution of the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC). It was saddled with the responsibility to, among other things, reconcile aggrieved members and organise a national convention.
But tongues had kept wagging over the issue as the committee had twice gotten extension of its timeline.
There were protests within the party with some aggrieved members taking court action against the caretaker committee and demanding its dissolution on grounds that it was alien to the party’s constitution.
Governor Buni also received heavy bashing within the period as many party members had challenged him to quit his position as chairman of the caretaker committee, arguing that it was illegal for him as a serving governor of Yobe State to occupy an executive position in the party concurrently.
However, despite that the convention date had been fixed following a meeting between President Buhari and some APC governors recently, controversies are still raging as February was fixed for the convention without any specific date.
Aspirants for the various offices and many other party members are still pushing for a specific date to be fixed for the convention.
APC congresses
APC ward, local government and state congresses held at different times during the year were characterised by intense crises and violence that led to the emergence of parallel executives in some states.
Daily Trust reports that the crises over congresses were occasioned by relentless tussle by some APC bigwigs to hijack and control the party structure in their respective domains.
Our correspondent learnt that the crisis is raging in Rivers APC, Ekiti, Ogun, Oyo, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Osun, Kano, Abia, Zamfara and Kwara, where factions are battling for supremacy.
The intense crisis in the APC led to the setting up of a National Reconciliation Committee recently headed by Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
PDP leadership crisis
The PDP also had its own fair share of crises within the period under review as its national leadership crisis culminated in the suspension of its national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus.
Secondus was first suspended by the executive of his Ward 5 of Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State. His travail was attributed to his frosty relationship with his governor, Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.
All attempts by Secondus to get “justice” through the courts failed as he stood suspended and a new crop of the party’s NWC was elected at the party’s October 30-31 national convention and later sworn in on December 10, 2021.
A high court sitting in Port Harcourt had granted an order of interim injunction restraining him from parading as the PDP helmsman.
Secondus attempted a fightback as another high court in Kebbi State reinstated him. However, his victory was short-lived as another high court sitting in Cross River State granted an interim order banning him from resuming office a few hours after his reinstatement.
The various organs of the party had however met in Abuja, where they appointed Yemi Akinwonmi as the party’s acting national chairman. Dr Iyorchia Ayu is now the new national chairman of the party.
Gale of defections
The PDP suffered a gale of defections in 2021 as scores of its stakeholders jumped ship to the ruling APC.
This was sequel to the APC resolve to whittle the PDP structure to enable it to win elections and retain power in 2023, thanks to the political dexterity of Buni who many believed had done a lot in stabilising the APC in his early days as chairman.
PDP governors who defected to the APC in 2021 are; Governors Ben Ayade of Cross River State and Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State. Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State had earlier defected in the last quarter of 2020.
Similarly, a former national chairman of the PDP, Chief Barnabas Gemade; former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode; former governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel; Senators, members of the House of Representatives, States Assembly members and many others also pitched tent with the APC.
