Any moment from now, the national leadership of People Democratic Party (PDP) will announce the dissolution of the party’s structures across the country. When this happens, present occupants of the various chapters and tiers of the party will cease to exist.
Realising this, various caucuses have begun to position themselves perfectly to, during the next few months, hijack the levers of authority within the PDP. Alliances are being forged; old enemies are coming together while friends whose interests clash are drifting apart.
This latter scenario aptly describes the situation in the South West PDP as there are two broad caucauses jostling for the soul of the party in the zone. The two, believed to be entrenched with the right contacts are oiling their arsenals in readiness for the epic battle ahead.
One of the two groups include the one believed to be loyal to a current leader who is said to be the highest ranking party officer by virtue of the fact that he presides over an influential organ of the PDP. The man is also the only Nigeria for now who has the record to have ruled the nation twice, first as a military head of state and as an elected president.
His contender for the soul of the party in the south west is a former leader who is gradually edging his way back into reckoning after suffering political humiliation. He recently came back from prison after he was convicted of embezzling huge sums of money where he served last.
Those queuing behind the influential leader are said to be stalwarts who are officers of the party who seek to return to their post while those lining up behind the scheming leader belong to the group of aggrieved members who have one axe or two to grind with the powerful leader.
While the leader is relying on his contacts within the power equilibrium and his antecedents, the other is said to have secured the support of a top government functionary who is believed to be scheming for the top job in the land (the presidency) come 2015.
In the past few days, activities have reached a feverish pitch as the two groups are daily mobilising and strategising to outdo one another. In the ensuing political drama, the seeming underdog seems to have scored some political points as its nominees have been offered juicy appointments into government establishments.
Sensing the dangers of allowing its opponent dominate the field, the other group, relying on its contacts have blocked its adversary from further nominating candidates for government posts. The occasion to establish its dominance provided itself when nominations were sought for ambassadorial appointments.
Apparently tipped off by its contacts in the seat of power, a ready list of nominees was forwarded direct to the President who wasted no time in accepting it, to the dismay of the other group who had assured its followers that its list would scale through like the ones before it.
Not to be caught off guard and to redeem the situation, series of petitions are believed to have trailed the list, especially the persons penciled for the assignment. The thinking is that the list would be jettisoned in the end and that they (the opposing group) would now have the opportunity to present its own.
Presently, the influential leader is exploiting its contacts in the right quarters to ensure that the problem is nipped in the bud, while also gathering its loin for the epic battle ahead.