By Madu Onuorah
The above question has become necessary following the uncertainty pervading the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2023 general elections. Suddenly, the party that went through a tortuous judicial battle and was saved by the Supreme Court of Nigeria during the era of former Governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff few years ago has again returned to the Court and are at the mercy of the same Supreme Court.
Even if it survives another round with a Supreme Court rescue, will they not be bruised enough for the battle ahead?
How did they get here? Who returned the party to litigations and for what purpose? Who took the National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, to court and for what reason? How did the party arrive at having three National leaders at a time, Prince Uche Secondus as suspended National Chairman by court, Elder Yomi Akinwumi as acting National Chairman and Iyorchia Ayu as the National Chairman-elect?
Is this a correct picture of an opposition party aspiring to win election? Is this what they should be having on the eve of a general elections? How did they get here?
Governor Nyesom Wike has publicly acknowledged that he facilitated the removal of his kinsman, Prince Secondus, from office and he is proud and happy doing it.
The brouhaha of PDP’s return to court is clear. It began after several attempts through all the organs of the party by Governor Wike of Rivers State to remove Secondus failed, apparently for want of convincing reasons. Then, on Monday August 23, 2021 they ran to Justice Okogbule Gbasam of Degema Judicial Division of Rivers State, using his ‘boys’ to file a suit, PHC/2183/CS/2021, and got an interim order against Prince Secondus.
As concerned party members tried to use a Kebbi High Court on Thursday 26 August through Justice Nasirat Umar in suit No KB/HC/M.170/2021 to reinstate Prince Secondus, they ran to Justice Edem Kooffreh of Cross River High Court to obtain another interim injunction against Prince Secondus.
And they followed it up against the advice of Senator David Mark-led Elders Committee to push the case at the Degema High Court and got another ruling against Prince Secondus.
Prince Secondus and his lawyers, clearly aware that the court’s position is against the spirit and the letter of the PDP constitution, decided to appeal against the ruling of the Degema High Court. The substantive matter of this case is still awaiting hearing at the Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal.
It is now in public space how Governor Wike have been celebrating the suspension of Prince Secondus, how he openly acknowledged and owned up to the fact that he facilitated his removal. All the issues above are verifiable.
The empirical fact is that Governor Wike agreed that he removed Prince Secondus from office and that the removal was based on the Degema High Court ruling which he openly agreed to have facilitated. We have no evidence that Prince Secondus went to court against the party. In all, Prince Secondus appearances in court was in response to attempts to use court to legitimize his illegal removal and humiliate him out of office.
Prince Secondus position which took him to the Appeal and Supreme Court was to get judicial interpretation to the blatant ambush and flagrant abuse of the party constitution outcome of which will be in the larger interest of the party.
With all these on the eve of general election, is PDP really in contention for the 2023 elections especially the Presidential race? Forget the grandstanding, the party is in disarray and it is caused by the aftermath of avoiding the requirements of their constitution and returning to court for direction. We may pray and hope that PDP has not undermined its own journey to Aso Rock come 2023. But with the state of the party right now arising from the court cases and humiliation of Prince Secondus and the disregard of its constitution, only heavenly intervention can change this fact.