By Chukwudi Nweje
For many critical observers, the fortunes of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), had been hanging in the balance since the emergence of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the presidential primaries of the party on May 30, 2022.
Those who have followed events in the main opposition party would agree that the road to PDP’s victory in the general election is strewn with thorns and thistles. The main opposition party has gone from one crisis to the other despite the perception in many quarters that the PDP is in a good position to wrest power from the ruling party, All Progressives Congress(APC).
However, with the appointment of Saraki, Udom, Shekarau, and Anyim into top campaign positions, the PDP presidential candidate has again proved to be ready to bring on board all tendencies. Many believe that as a politician with a huge wealth of experience, Atiku will soon resolve all the internal problems bedeviling the party ahead of the election.
In the calculation of critical observers, the aspect of the challenge currently facing Atiku’s candidacy is where Saraki’s acumen in reconciliation and bridge building will be much needed.
It is not surprising that since the last presidential primaries of the PDP in Abuja, Dr. Saraki has indicated to party leaders and the faithful that he is moving on and that his next goal is the victory of the PDP in the 2023 presidential election.
Typical of him, he has embarked on subtle, quiet engagement with stakeholders in the party on how to resolve the disagreements arising from the presidential primaries.
While he maintains a close relationship with Atiku and has given his words to the former Vice President on his readiness to support him, he has also made it clear to Waziri Adamawa that the right move is to bring everybody on board and make the party approach the next election as a united, indivisible and solid platform. Unlike some elements around the candidate, he has made contact with the various aggrieved groups to achieve genuine reconciliation.
Up till today, he remains one of the leaders behind Atiku that all the various tendencies in the party can trust and relate with. This is because of the general perception that Saraki stands for justice, fairness, equity, inclusivity, and peace.
Not a few also think that Saraki is the only presidential aspirant in the PDP who has the most support among youths within and outside the party. It is believed the youth see him as one politician who understands their language, hopes, and aspirations and can relate very well with them.
It is for these reasons that Atiku has always believed that Saraki is an important element that will not only strengthen his campaign for the presidency but can also add value to his plan to provide effective and efficient leadership to the people.
His appointment by Atiku as Special Envoy was designed as a unique post that will make him an interventionist with an open-ended assignment. As Special envoy, he is expected to bring on board his capacity, competence, and experience for devising a strategy that will keep the PDP candidate ahead of the opposition.
Many believe that his organizational ability, energy, and reach will be needed on the Atiku-Okowa campaign train.
He is also expected to use his reach to function as a bridge between the various groups in the electorate – the old and the young, the North and the South, the private sector and the political class, the Muslims and the Christians. It is expected that he will be deployed by Atiku to reach the various divides in the country.
As a consensus builder, he will be expected to deploy the skill he used in welding the 8th National Assembly together in the aftermath of the unprecedented change of party in government at the federal level.
Therefore, many believe he would be Atiku’s emissary in addressing the issue of reconciliation at the national and state chapter of the party. The new appointment is not just a move by Atiku to officially endorse the mediatory role that Saraki has been playing but also a continuation of the last assignment he handled for the PDP national headquarters where he served as chairman of the National Reconciliation and Strategy Committee (NRSC).
It will be recalled that the NRSC saved the PDP from hemorrhaging last year when most of the party’s state branches were engulfed in crisis. The committee headed by Saraki eventually resolved the crisis in Osun, Ogun, Borno, Niger, Lagos, Nasarawa, Plateau, and other states. It was the intervention of the committee that led to the successful national convention of the party last October in which members of the current National Working Committee (NWC) were elected.
To many critical observers, Saraki will bring to the table his international connections and good relationship with the foreign diplomats in Nigeria and their home governments. It is also believed he has the right connections with necessary international bodies and groups needed to further get acceptance for Atiku in international circles.
Part of Saraki’s brief is also to rally the private sector behind Atiku’s candidacy and also get them to support the campaigns with much-needed funds, ideas, and facilities.
Many see the appointment of Saraki as a recognition of his ability to represent Atiku at high-level meetings and with various key stakeholders. Saraki has both executive and legislative experience having served at the highest levels at both levels.