How internal crisis threatens PDP’s survival in Katsina

The ongoing internal conflict within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Katsina State can jeopardise the party’s prospects in the forthcoming elections unless genuine reconciliation efforts are undertaken, stakeholders have observed. The party is currently divided into two formidable factions: one led by Senator Yakubu Lado, the party’s gubernatorial candidate in the 2023 elections; and […]

The ongoing internal conflict within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Katsina State can jeopardise the party’s prospects in the forthcoming elections unless genuine reconciliation efforts are undertaken, stakeholders have observed.

The party is currently divided into two formidable factions: one led by Senator Yakubu Lado, the party’s gubernatorial candidate in the 2023 elections; and the other by Dr Mustapha Muhammad Inuwa, a former Secretary to the State Government and Atiku/Lado campaign director in the 2023 general elections.

The crisis which, according to observers, dates as far back as 2007, has intensified recently, especially with party congresses on the horizon. Each faction is vying to control the party structure in the state – a crucial factor in securing the party’s ticket for the next general elections.

Spiking the already tensed situation in the state, the Inuwa-led faction has accused the caretaker committee appointed by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) of hoarding the congress forms from the party’s headquarters and distributing them clandestinely to Lado’s loyalists, thereby excluding others.

After failed attempts to gain the attention of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), the Inuwa faction took its grievances to Abuja. They protested in front of the party’s national headquarters and submitted a formal petition seeking urgent intervention.

Stakeholders observed that the Katsina PDP crisis appears intractable, with some attributing it to interference from the NWC. Critics argue that the NWC is influenced by Nyesom Wike, the current FCT minister, who is believed to be weakening the party to favour the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Although the NWC has repeatedly denied this allegation of being under the influence of Wike, Dr Inuwa alleged that Wike, through the NWC, is exacerbating the crisis not just in Katsina State but nationwide, to the benefit of President Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.

“It is common knowledge that both Samuel Ortom (former Benue State governor) and Wike have declared that they have no candidate to support in the 2027 presidential election other than President Tinubu,” Dr Inuwa stated.

But local political leaders believe the crisis stems from a leadership and power struggle between technocrats and those perceived as less educated within the party. The Lado faction, perceived as less educated, has been the major financier of the party in the state for some time, which played a huge role in the lead-up to the 2023 elections.

Some pundits also suspect that the ruling APC in the state might have exploited the PDP crisis, possibly sponsoring members to fragment the party ahead of the 2023 elections, which favoured the current APC administration. The recent defection of former Governor Ibrahim Shema to the APC is cited as an example.

It could, however, be recalled that the crisis escalated in the lead-up to the 2023 elections when Senator Yakubu Lado mobilised his allies in Kano and announced the dissolution of the party’s leadership under Salisu Yusuf Majigiri. This move was attributed to Majigiri’s decision to contest the governorship election.

Lado’s faction declared Lawal Danbaci Daura as their chairman, while Majigiri, an ally of Shema, claimed he had already handed over to Lawal Uli as the caretaker chairman. This resulted in two factional chairmen in the state, leading to litigation and the NWC intervention, which appointed a caretaker committee to oversee the party’s affairs in Katsina.

During the 2023 election campaign, Lado supported Wike as his presidential aspirant, while Shema’s side backed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who eventually emerged as the flagbearer. Consequently, the Majigiri-led faction campaigned for Atiku and expressed neutrality in the governorship election.

The leadership crisis ultimately cost the PDP the governorship election, with many members publicly supporting candidates from other parties, including the eventual winner, Governor Dikko Radda.

How the crisis started and why it festered – Don

Dr Kabir Umar Yandaki, head of Department of Political Science at Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina, shared his insights on the crisis.

He argued that but for the leadership crisis in Katsina and Ogun states, the PDP should have been stronger in the states.

“Why I said this is because it is only Katsina and Ogun that have produced both a PDP president and Speaker of the House of Representatives in the whole country – former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Speaker Dimeji Bankole in the case of Ogun and the late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua and former Speaker Aminu Masari for Katsina State,” he said.

However, the PDP in Katsina has been engulfed in a leadership crisis since 2007, following the late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua’s move to Abuja, he said.

“At the time Shema was elected governor, some people who felt he was not the right person to be the governor began to form factions, even though it was not apparent because the president was alive then.

“But later, when Shema concluded his two terms in 2015 and APC took over, he failed to support the party financially and otherwise, and that was how Yakubu Lado took over as the strong pillar of the party. But the other group sees Lado as someone who is not as educated as they are, but he has used his financial muscle to hold the party,” he said.

Dr Yandaki attributed the party’s crisis to a lack of ideology and selfishness, with no one willing to be led by another. He suggested that the PDP’s 16-year rule accustomed its leaders to the benefits of governance, making them reluctant to be in opposition.

“That is why their members usually defect to the ruling party; hence, they are easily penetrated,” he added.

Despite the Dr Inuwa-led faction’s vow to restore “sanity” to the party before the July congresses, Dr Yandaki believes that Lado’s firm grip on the party, supported by the national headquarters, makes it difficult to wrest control from him.

He emphasised that cooperation between all factions is essential for the PDP to regain power in Katsina, as neither side can succeed independently.