Zonal rallies and PDP’s seeming resurgence

Deputy Editor, LEON USIGBE, writes on the apparent revival of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as exemplified in the massive turnouts of its supporters in key government strongholds.  

Faithful of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are pumping their chests that last Saturday’s mega rally in Osogbo, Osun State, is an affirmation that the party has truly rebounded and poised to relaunch into power having spent most part of the last year touting itself as rebranded and repositioned. Doubters first rook notice from its Jigawa State version of the mega rally in March which must have come to many as a surprise because having lost the sheen of power, pilloried as a hot bed of corruption and often the subject of slander, it was no longer expected to be a major attraction for many especially in states governed by the national ruling party, the All Progressive Congress (APC).

But if the PDP March 2, 2018 Dutse rally was meant to send a strong message to such doubters, the party must be seen to have achieved that. Jigawa is in the North-West, the stronghold of the APC and President Muhammadu Buhari who observers believe must now be wondering what has changed between when he recorded a clean sweep of votes in 2015 and now, when it appears that thousands of people there are turning to the opposition party.

Jigawa is the home of PDP presidential aspirant, Alhaji Sule Lamido. As former governor of the state, perhaps he retains enough aura to be able to galvanise and mobilise the people for himself and for the party and the success of the rally can be attributable to something like that. But what about Katsina State, the home of President Buhari? The last PDP governor in the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Shema, harassed with court processes over alleged corrupt acts in office, had maintained a low profile and had consequently been hardly seen in public since leaving office in 2015. While not discountenancing his contribution to the success of the mega rally, it may not be taken that he was the sole factor responsible for the massive mobilisation of Katsina people for that exercise.

Analysts though believe that it was a major coup for the PDP in April to have been able to pull off this north west zonal mega rally in the president’s backward. It set tongues wagging.  A party perceived to have died, suddenly waking up, finding its voice and the courage to talk down on the president’s party with thousands of locals, most of who would have voted for the APC in the last general election, cheering.  To many people, it is the sign of changing times. Timid PDP politicians who had been perceived to be intimidated and cowed, and still bemoaning their election loss, now appear to be emerging from their hibernation and openly challenging and speaking to power.

The two North-West mega rallies provided the PDP the opportunity to highlight the failure of the ruling party without having to shout itself hoarse. The party simply pointed at the dire situation in the country across board, the enduring poverty, insecurity, corruption, among others, that the people are still contending with despite the assurances that they were given during the electioneering campaign. The party drummed it home that it has become much more difficult for people to feed now as well as to meet up with other basic responsibilities; that killings of the innocent has become a norm, and nothing appears to work in a country that was promised perfection by the APC. The crowds’ reaction and chants to every pronouncement from the speakers were indicative of how they feel about the ruling party. From their chants, they feel cheated that the promises of change have left them rather shortchanged. This has now been replicated in Oshogbo’s south-west zonal rally.

Just like Jigawa and Katsina states, Osun had been considered a stronghold of the APC. But many people now doubt the ability of the ruling party to hold on to it in the forthcoming gubernatorial election given the turnout of Osun people in the last PDP rally in the state capital.  They were there in their thousands and passionate about the opposition, and analysts are of the view that their seeming embrace of the PDP at this time is an indication of their frustration with the eight years of the APC which, it appears, has failed to meet their yearnings and aspirations. About 8,000 former APC members including two current members of the state house of assembly, defected to the PDP at that rally.

This should be a worrying sign for the ruling party, observers say. The leaders of the APC defectors, Fatai Diekola and Tijani Oladosu, told the crowd that their investments in the APC had been a waste. They argued that out of the desire for the progress of Osun State and trust for the governor, Rauf Aregbesola, they had done their bit to ensure that APC won the elections in Osun, which according to them had been repaid with dashed hopes and bad governance.  They said with the benefit of hindsight, they made a mistake which they now regret.

Prince Uche Secondus, the national chairman, under whose craftsmanship the former ruling party seems to be enjoying a renaissance, presided over the Osogbo rally just like he did in the Jigawa and Katsina versions before it. With him were major stakeholders from across the country including three top contenders for the PDP presidential ticket; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Lamido, former Governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi as well as serving Governors, Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti and Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom; party leaders and PDP politicians from all around the country.

Many of them had something to say about the disappointment and deceit they believe the ruling party has become. Secondus was confident that the mood of the state is for a change in government and therefore stressed the need for the people to obtain their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) with which they can effect the desired change.

The party boss told the mammoth crowd that Nigeria is drifting under APC and needs to be rescued from the incompetent hands of the ruling party, saying that all hands must be on deck to achieve this goal. He cited what he saw as the tyrannical tendencies of the government as witnessed by its perceived attempt to muzzle the National Assembly and the opposition, an attitude, which he said will not save the APC from being unseated from power. Secondus said Nigerians are now fed up with that and are eagerly awaiting election coming up next year to kick out the APC. “No amount of antics and harassment will discourage us because we are doing the desires of Nigerians. APC government has destroyed this country and made life meaningless. we have no alternative than to kick them out,” he told the jubilant supporters. But before this expected defeat of the APC at the national level, he said Osun people must use the September gubernatorial election to make a bold statement that the state belongs to the PDP.

Former vice president Abubakar told the crowd of cheering supporters that now is the time for Nigerians to unite against all forms of divisions threatening the nation, urging all PDP stakeholders across the country to make the required sacrifice and forge a united front to defeat President Buhari and his APC in next year’s election. The former nation’s number two citizen observed that all indicators in the polity are showing that the time is ripe for the opposition to rise on behalf of the Nigerian people and take back their country from the voyage of destruction that the ruling APC is making it to undertake. He was confident that when the PDP returns to government next year, it will reposition the country on a true path of peace and prosperity through restructuring and the strengthening of critical national institutions of government.

Lamido, on his part, also asked party members to close rank and be prepared to send APC packing while Fayose, rendered a Yoruba song to herald the exit of President Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.  “Buhari a lo! Buhari a lo! Osinbajo a tele!” meaning, ‘Buhari will go and Osinbajo will follow him.”

It is the views of observers that these recent rallies have heartened the PDP hierarchy and its followers in the country and they are increasingly becoming confident that the party has warmed its way back to the hearts of Nigerians and therefore are seeing a silver lining in a cloud which had seemed very dark since 2015.