The leadership crisis rocking Nigeria’s main opposition party, the PDP has defied solution. It’s now been 11 months that visible cracks appeared in its leadership structure and since then the Party has not known peace.
Even the recent intervention by former president Goodluck Jonathan in order to bring a final resolution to the crisis, is threatening to go the way of earlier attempts to find a solution.
The birth of the people’s Democratic party 19 years ago ushered in democracy in Nigeria
But the years it reigned supreme brought with them challenges that now threaten the very survival of the party.
The party got its first baptism of crisis in 2001 with the tussle between former president Olusegun Obasanjo and other founding fathers over his choice of Senator Barnabas Gemade as chairman of the party over Sunday Awoniyi.
A year later, the former President was locked in a power struggle with his vice, Atiku Abubakar who enjoyed the following of the party leadership.
The party was yet to find its feet when Solomon Lar and Shuaibu Oyedekun rebelled against Ahmadu Ali.
But despite these power tussles, the party survived.
The problem has always been about internal democracy and the tendency for power blocs within the Party to hijack its structures to install people of their choice in positions of influence.
The recent power tussle that resulted in the crisis that has left a huge scar on PDP, was the formation of a new PDP by some aggrieved party members and their later defection to APC.
This cost the party the presidential election.
The impact of the crisis gave birth to the ongoing leadership tussle in the party.
Several reconciliation efforts have failed including that of President Goodluck Jonathan.The court is now the last resort and the Sheriff group is already crying foul.
The absence of a charismatic leader at the center that would unite all interests, has made it difficult to resolve this lingering crisis and the caretaker committee is already pointing accusing fingers at the ruling party as responsible for its woes.
Whoever comes up victorious at the supreme court would be faced with the huge task of repositioning the party ahead of the general election in 2019.
