14/08/2024
A little research on the Nigerian Political journey of the 3rd Republic.
There is NO WAY Obasanjo would have defeated Alex Ekwueme and emerged as PDP presidential candidate in 1999 if not for Atiku Abubakar.
Ekwueme was the Leader of G34 and oversaw the process by which G34 became PDP. G34 had 36 original members, one drawn from each state (but Sule Lamido and Abubakar Rimi were jailed by Abacha ahead of the inaugural meeting in Lagos, so only 34 members signed their original press release).
In becoming PDP, G34 dissolved into political groups and met in the home of Prof. Jerry Gana on Mambilla Street in Abuja. Five political associations, each with 7 representatives. They were:
All Nigerian Congress with Chief Sunday Awoniyi, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, Alhaji (Dr.) Bamanga Tukur, Alhaji Aminu Wali, Chief Alani Bankole, Alhaji Bello Kirfi and Alhaji Iro Dan-Musa.
Social Progressives Party with Chief Solomon D. Lar, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Rimi, Chief Jim Nwobodo, Prof. Jerry Gana, Baba Sule Lamido, Ambassador Wilberforce Juta and Dr. Iyorchia Ayu.
Peoples Consultative Forum with Uncle Bola Ige, Chief Olu Falae, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Lanihun Ajayi, Senator Francis Okpozo, Chief Olusegun Osoba and Chief Ayo Opadokun.
Peoples National Forum with Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Senator Onyeabo Obi, Dr. Sylvester U. Ugoh, Senator Francis Ellah,
Senator Emeka Echeruo, Chief Sonny Odogwu and Prof. ABC Nwosu.
Peoples Democratic Movement with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Alhaji Lawal Kaita, Chief Tony Anenih, Chief Sunday Afolabi, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, Professor Ango Abdullahi and Chief (Mrs.) T**i Ajanaku.
These 5 groups with 7 representatives each met semi-formally on Tuesday the 18th of August, 1998 at Jerry Gana’s home to discuss
the ideology and tactics of the new party to be formed. They discussed all night and then met formally the following day at Sheraton Hotel in Abuja with a larger audience.
Politically, everyone agreed that power should shift to the South but there were two conflicting political ideals in those meetings.
The majority group felt that the transition programme should continue from the Second Republic where Alex Ekwueme had been Vice-President to Shehu Shagari - power to the SE. Ekwueme carried the room.
The minority group felt that the transition programme should continue from the Third Republic where MKO Abiola was elected President - power to the SW.
As the Chairman of G34 and protem Chairman of the newly proposed PDP, Ekwueme had the upper hand and as this became clear to the SW delegation under the political group Peoples Consultative Forum, they pulled out of PDP and began discussions with those trying to form All Peoples Party (APP).
Despite the big names of these leaders, most of them were not grassroots solid or active. Because all these leaders had last played politics in the Third Republic (1992/93) days of SDP/NRC. Abacha had formed five political parties (CNC, UNCP, NCPN, DPN and GDM) which by now held sway at the grassroots in the late 90s. From a practical politick perspective, most of these leaders decided to accommodate strong and young politician who had participated in the Abacha transition under five parties.
This was then the public reason for the pull out of PCF from PDP: their refusal to work with anyone who had participated in the Abacha transition via the five parties while Abiola was in jail (although they later pragmatically embraced them in AD).
PDM on its part actively embraced those politicians at the ward and LGA and immediately became the strongest of all those groups.
Obasanjo had only just been released from prison in June 1998, his Otta Farm and other businesses had taken a major hit and only survived by the efforts of his friend, Otunba Reuben Oyewole Fasawe.
Obasanjo did not feature in the formation of PDP or in the initial conversations of who was to be President from 1999.
Baba was simply just grateful to be out from prison while Atiku was politically active in organising PDM within the PDP.
The PDM group within PDP comprised of associates of the late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua. The Tafida was imprisoned by Abacha alongside Obasanjo and he had passed on in prison in 1997. Because he had handpicked Atiku Abubakar to run for President in his stead in 1993, Atiku was considered the active leader of the group, although Lawal Kaita who was older but less active in the field, was somewhat the background leader.
PDM became the strongest group within the then newly formed PDP set up for two major reasons: 1. It worked with many contemporary and active politicians from the five Abacha parties especially and 2. It had no favoured presidential candidate. Its Leader, Atiku Abubakar, only wanted to be Governor of Adamawa.
In PCF - Bola Ige and Olu Falae wanted to be President and that was mainly why they pulled out of the PDP.
In SPP: Jerry Gana and Abubakar Rimi wanted same but decided to back down for the South and supported Jim Nwobodo.
In ANC - Adamu Ciroma had presidential ambitions but backed down also. Based on old alliances with the South-South, the group members split and supported Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas, Phillip Asiodu or Don Etiebet.
In PNF - Alex Ekwueme clearly had ambitions to be President but Francis Ellah also wanted same.
So all these groups had presidential aspirations, except PDM which focused on capturing delegates at the grassroots and commanding party structure from the bottom. Their sympathies were however with Alex Ekwueme who then stepped down as protem Chairman of PDP, to enable him run for the presidential ticket.
Being the most proactive political faction in the emerging PDP, the group held constant caucus and expanded meetings and at one of those meetings in Bolingo Hotel where key decisions were to be taken, Rtd. Gen. Aliyu Gusau came to the venue and asked to speak with Atiku. Atiku stepped outside and was informed that the group should back Olusegun Obasanjo for the PDP presidential ticket. Because the tendencies that supported Ekwueme were strong in PDM, Atiku had to adjourn the meeting to allow background discussions and conversations go on.
Gusau was not speaking for himself and Atiku knew it. Gusau was the right hand man of Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida whose childhood friend, Abdulsalami Abubakar, was now the Head of States.
Obasanjo had been released from prison by Abubakar on the 15th of June 1998 and on the 27th of the same month, IBB visited him at Otta Farms.
Military insider Ishaya Bamaiyi confirmed that Generals T.Y. Danjuma, IBB and Aliyu Gusau had held meetings and concluded on Obasanjo as the next President, even before Obasanjo was informed. They had gone further to secure the reluctant backing of the sitting Head of States, Abdulsalami Abubakar. IBB’s visit to Otta was only to convey to Obasanjo the decision that had been taken. Abubakar was reluctant because he wanted nothing to do with the politics but IBB understood that a full civilian in power could mean many problems for the former military rulers.
Meanwhile, June 12 winner, MKO Abiola, was still alive - until July 7, 1998 when he died mysteriously (and conveniently) while in detention.
Articles began to fly in the int’l media that Obasanjo was best to lead Nigeria. An example was one by Sam Kiley in The Times of July 9, 1998 titled “Yoruba General is best hope to avert civil war”.
Obasanjo was questioned by the media and he retorted “how many Presidents does Nigeria want to make out of me?”. A visit to A*o Rock soon changed Baba’s mind.
According to Abubakar, Obasanjo visited him in A*o Rock and said he was going to sue the military govt for wrongful imprisonment. Abubakar instead offered him ‘rehabilitation’ to get back on his feet. Abubakar’s NSA, Abdullahi Mohammed, was then asked to serve as the go-between to keep an open line of conversation. (Obasanjo retained him later as CoS.)
Sensing that the road was clear, Obasanjo then entered politics fully and joined the Peoples Democratic Party. Later on, became the first democratically elected president of the 3rd Republic.
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