The much anticipated People’s Democratic Party [PDP] presidential primary elections in Nigeria has come and gone. Leaving the victorious singing victory songs and the vanquished to rue their fate. That the PDP presidential primary elections were a bitterly fought and acrimonious political battle is to say the least. It succeeded in splitting the ruling party in Nigeria down the middle.
Before proceeding to examine the general theme of this discourse, it may suffice for us to go down memory lane and embark on an historical analysis of the political party PDP and also the suzerainty that Northern Nigeria exercises over the political firmament of Nigeria.
The PDP was formed from the ashes of G34 (Group of thirty four eminent persons in Nigeria) who opposed the transmutation of the late Head Of State of Nigeria, Late Army General Sani Abacha into a civilian president back then in 1998. At that time, the country was at the peak of a political crisis caused by the unjustified annulment of the June 12 1993 presidential elections believed to have been won by the late MKO Abiola.
The G34, at that time was like a moral interventionist movement in the political affairs of Nigeria, a sought of conscience of the nation at a time the ship of state was gradually sinking. Following the death of General Abacha, in 1998, the G34 transformed into a political party known as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This marked the gradual diluting of the puritanical and altruistic ideals of the group. Several powerful tendencies and entrenched interests, particularly the military class both serving and those on the reserve list seized the control of the soul of the party.
This culminated into the adoption of a former military Head of State and ex Army General Olusegun Obasanjo who had been jailed by the Abacha regime as the presidential candidate of the party then. The emergence of Olusegun Obasanjo as the presidential candidate of the PDP in 1999 is largely attributed to the efforts of powerful political powerbrokers in Northern Nigeria then. They were able to foist Olusegun Obasanjo on the country then, despite the opposition to his candidature especially from members of his own ethnic group who are predominantly found in the South Western part of Nigeria.
That Olusegun Obasanjo became the 1st civilian president of the 4th republic after the exit of the military in May 29, 1999 is largely attributed to the political dexterity of the North and its politics. It was simply a perfection of the political sagacity which the North had been known for since the days of the late Ahmadu Bello the 1st premier of the Northern region. This had been the situation in Nigeria right from independence. The politics of the North was that of a well honed political strategy that ensured that the north always had its way on the political issues that affected Nigeria. MMM
However, recent trends, in the politics of the PDP and maybe Nigeria may have begun to put a lie on these and also gone ahead to reveal that the assumption of the north’s supremacy in Nigeria’s political affairs as a bogey. The reasons for arriving at this conclusion could be adduced to the recently concluded PDP presidential primary elections where the incumbent president an ethnic minority from the south of Nigeria trounced the so called northern consensus candidate of the PDP. For the first time in the history of Nigeria, the North was openly divided on the choice of a presidential aspirant to support even within the PDP. Despite the fact that some group of elderly northern politicians had come out openly to adopt and endorse one of their own as the “northern consensus candidate”.
But what could have been responsible for the comprehensive defeat of the so called northern consensus candidate? This brings us to the theme of this discourse, and in attempting to provide answer[s] to this question, 2[two] broad themes could be arrived at as exemplars/answers to this question namely:
- Complicity of the Northern political elites
- Revolt of the Northern masses.
All other reasons for the collapse of the Northern consensus candidate project may be found within these two [2] broad themes.
The 1st point may be situated in the fact that the successors to the Ahmadu Bello/NPC [Northern Peoples Congress] political empire in the North have misused and abused the political structure left behind by the late political strategist. It is instructive to note that during the lifetime of the late Ahmadu Bello, he sought to actively build and project the image of a monolithic and united north with one destiny. As a matter of fact, it took a discerning observer close examination to know that the North as being projected by Ahmadu Bello was actually a spatial unit made up of several and many disparate ethnic groups. But kudos must be given to Ahmadu Bello for being able to a large extent wield these disparate ethnic groups into a single entity with a common goal and destiny. During the his life time, Ahmadu Bello sought to build social, economic and political bridges across the north, such that it wasn’t surprising that his closest personal aides were ethnic minorities within the north who didn’t even share the same faith with him. But what did his successors do with his legacy? Certainly history will not be kind on them, as they overtly and covertly rubbished his legacy over the years with the politics of hate, exclusion, ethnicity, religion, prebendalism, and other divisive actions that has turned Northern Nigeria into a volatile region with incessant ethno religious crises, and economic deprivations, hence should it be surprising that the “falcon can no longer hear the falconer?”
The second [2nd] point is an offshoot of the 1st as it seems the vast masses of the north are beginning to come to terms with the insincerity of their so called leaders, and have begun to take their respective destinies in their own hands, by identifying who their true leaders her. It is within these context that the seemingly indifference of the northern masses to the Northern consensus presidential project may be located. The widespread poverty and destitution in northern Nigeria particularly amongst its largely youthful population, when juxtaposed with the crass opulence and extravagance of their political leaders and their children may have begun to catch the attention of the masses in the North.
But, could the defeat of the Northern consensus candidate by an incumbent southern minority candidate really signify the laying to rest of the Northern bogey in Nigeria? The forthcoming April 2011 general elections in Nigeria looks set to answer this poser.
The geographical region referred to as northern Nigeria covers more than half of the total land area of Nigeria. It is also a region with vast agricultural potentials as a variety of tropical agricultural systems is widely practiced there leading to the mass cultivation of food and cash crops. As a matter of fact, the popular and defunct groundnut pyramid was one of the regular features and symbols of this region during the heydays of agriculture in Nigeria.