“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at a time of challenge and controversy.”

—Martin Luther King, Jr

 

By Omoniyi Salaudeen

 

It is not exactly clear whether the governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, is still on the side of his counterpart in Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, who has been agitating for the resignation of the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Iyorchia Ayu, based on the principle of power-sharing as enshrined in the constitution of the party.

All along, the two have maintained a common stand on the perceived lopsidedness in the composition of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party until last week when speculation was rife that Ortom had dumped his pal and ally, Wike.

The insinuation followed his reaction to a statement credited to the Jemgbagh Development Association, Abuja chapter, who accused him of working against the interest of a Benue son – Ayu.

But a release signed by Ortom’s Chief Press Secretary, Nathaniel Ikyur, said: “It is outright mischief for anyone, including the Jemgbagh Development Association, Abuja chapter, to accuse Governor Ortom of having a hand in the current travails of the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Iyorchia Ayu.

“It is an open secret that Governor Ortom worked tirelessly, along with other prominent Benue citizens, to ensure that Dr Ayu gets elected as the national chairman of our great party even against all odds. He cannot, therefore, turn round to work against him to be removed from office.”

But barely 24 hours after the denial of his alleged complicity in Ayu’s travails, Ortom made a counter remark, insisting that he remained sympathetic with Wike and frowned at the injustice meted out on him.

“There is no breaking away from our group. I still sympathise with Wike for the injustice meted out on him and our group. I just came back from London this morning with Wike and I still maintain my stand on what I said. I have not moved away from there. The party leadership has not been fair to Governor Wike based on the activities that took place during the convention and after the convention.”     

This is an ostensible political statement that is rather pretentious than assuring.

By pandering to the sentiments of his state’s union and at the same time affirming the propriety of Wike’s struggles for justice, Ortom has been inadvertently caught up in a web of a dilemma as to how to strike a delicate balance between the desire to protect his next political ambition and the ultimate need to safeguard his integrity before the eyes of his friend.

It’s a metaphor for confusion. He wants to have his cake and eat it.

Unlike Wike, Ortom’s stake in this election is higher being a candidate of the PDP for the Benue North West Senatorial District.

Perhaps, he has done a review of the situation and realised that fighting Ayu head-on along with his ally in Rivers would jeopardize his political interest in Benue. Sometimes it is necessary to review strategy because power politics is a dynamic game and there is always a need for self-preservation. As they say, “there is no permanent enemy in politics, but permanent interest.”

Of course, with or without his support, Wike will fight his battle to the end. But by trying to play safe, Ortom has already cast a shadow of doubt over the possibility of a sustained alliance against Ayu, his kinsman.

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Now, there is a moral angle to it, especially in view of the startling revelations of financial impropriety leveled against his leadership. As far as the issue of Ayu’s resignation is concerned, his stand remains a matter of conjecture.

Ayu has been in the eyes of the storm since the presidential primary of the party that saw the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the standard bearer of the party for the forthcoming 2023 general elections.

For the embattled national chairman, this is a case of double whammy or what one may call a two-blow attack. 

One, Wike and his allies who want a change of the status quo are not about to back down on their demand for justice, equity, and fairness.

Despite all the internal conflict resolution mechanism deployed by the National Working Committee (NWC) to douse the raging tension, there is no light at the end of the tunnel that there would be a compromise on the issue. 

The irascible governor of Rivers State, in a moment of embattled lucidity, had told off the party leadership that he was not expecting anything short of Ayu’s resignation because it would be immoral and unjustifiable for a party that could not respect its own constitution to go to the electorate to ask for their votes.       

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State also told Atiku unequivocally during the recent parley in Ibadan that Ayu must step down as national chairman for peace to reign in the party. 

This was further amplified by Bode George, who said:  “With what we are presently witnessing, our party may lose the next presidential election if we continue to disregard or fail to address the feeling and grievances of ‘alienation’ being presently experienced by the entire Southern population of this great country. If this issue is dismissed, we cannot expect votes from them.

“Until this party returns to the founding fathers’ principles of unity, with equity, fairness, and justice being the pedestal for any political decision taken in this party, and ensuring broad-mindedness to accommodate the concerns of all zones in this country, PDP becomes vulnerable to disaster in the 2023 elections.”

While the storm is still raging, another intriguing allegation of corruption scandal involving the chairman reared its ugly head. It is a messy, shocking and startling revelation. According to media reports, some key members of the NWC -Taofiq Arapaja, deputy national chairman (South), Dan Orbih, national vice chairman (South-south), Olasoji Adagunodo, national vice chairman and Stella Effah-Atoe, national women leader, were said to have been given N36, 000,000, N28, 800,000, N28, 800,000 and N28, 000,000 respectively as a bribe to silence them over financial misappropriation at the national secretariat.

With the latest twist, the drama may have just begun.

The revelation made so far could be a tip of the iceberg. This is even more so with Wike’s earlier threat to spill the beans if eventually pushed to the wall. As some of the eggheads among the stakeholders had earlier predicted, Ayu’s alleged financial misconduct is a great de-market for the party that is angling to take over the reign of power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Even if he is compelled to go now, the scandal may sound like a death knell for the PDP’s plan to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari. Under the present administration, there is already a huge distrust between the people and the government. But it cannot be taken for granted that the electorate will give their votes to any party or individual candidate without proper scrutiny. Without prejudice to whatever may be the defence of the national chairman, it is doubtful if the PDP can pass the test of public scrutiny. At this point, silence is no longer golden.

It is imperative for Governor Ortom to speak up now to convince Nigerians that he truly and sincerely believes in Wike’s cause and the future sustenance of the party as a credible opposition. 

Ortom was a minister of State, Trade and Investments in Nigeria during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

He was elected governor of Benue State in 2015 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.

He later ditched the party for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and was re-elected on May 29, 2019.