SDP’s leadership crisis: Fresh calls for reconciliation

The leadership crisis in the Social Democratic Party (SDP) which made the factions to support different candidates of other political parties in the last presidential election has remained unresolved even as concerned members plead with the leaders to save the party, reports Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu

THE leadership crisis in the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which peaked during the last Presidential election early this year, has remained unresolved as the executive committee under the leadership of Acting National Chairman, Chief Supo Shonibare, continues to flex muscles with the Prof. Tunde Adeniran and Alhaji Shehu Gadem-led executive committee.

Worried by the development, concerned elders and members are pleading with the warring factions to reconcile in the interest of the party. But the leaders of the factions seem adamant even as they continue to disclaim one another.

Last week, the Shonibare faction of the party, in a press statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Mohammed Alfa, accused Adeniran and the other members of his executive committee of scuttling all efforts to unite the different tendencies in the party.

It cautioned Prof Adeniran and members of his committee to stop parading themselves as national executive committee members of SDP, alleging that at no time were they ever elected into any National Executive Committee position of the party.

Following this allegation, The Nation checks during the week revealed that beyond the issue of who, between Adeniran and Shonibare, is the authentic leader of SDP, the various interest groups within the party are yet to forgive each other over their roles during the last presidential election.

It would be recalled that though former governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, emerged SDP’s Presidential candidate in the 2019 Presidential Election, groups within the party sharply disagreed with each, leading to a clumsy situation where some endorsed and supported the candidacy of All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari, while other members and leaders of the party supported the candidate of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

At that point, there was confusion over the status of the former Chairman of the party, Chief Olu Falae. The confusion peaked when Falae finally retired from active politics and reportedly handed over his position to Adeniran. Also, the matter of who was the party’s presidential candidate was taken to court, thus compounding the confusion.

In a recent interview with a national daily, Prof Adeniran clears the air on whether the court overruled the party on its presidential candidate in the 2019 election.

According to him: “The court did not overrule; because of the court process that was on, we thought certain things should be done and we wanted the person who emerged-Donald Duke-to take some steps while the other person went to court. Professor Jerry Gana felt that no southerner ought to have emerged. Everybody has the legitimate right to what they feel is good. They were both in court and the party was also taken to court and in the circumstances, there was no way the party could prepare and field a candidate. We realised that the party had already been demobilised by that act of demobilisation. So, instead of going ahead, we decided that whoever wanted to go ahead would do so on its own.”

On whether he has accepted Shonibare as the authentic Acting Chairman of the party, Adeniran said: “Anybody can call himself anything. Ask for his office in Lagos or in Abuja or wherever.  I was made the Acting National Chairman by the party on the exit of Chief Olu Falae, a great Nigerian who led the party until early this year. I was the Deputy National Chairman (South) and the constitution of the party says whoever is the Deputy National Chairman from the same zone that the National Chairman comes from, should step in at the exit of the National Chairman for one reason or the other. Supo was not the Deputy National Chairman but a Zonal Vice Chairman in charge of the South-West. I was in charge of the entire South, the three zones. So, when Chief Falae, a great man who will not circumvent the rule of law, was stepping aside, on the basis of the party constitution, he recommended that I should take over pending the ratification by the National Working Committee and the NEC. The NWC knew what the procedure is and when the issue came up, they unanimously elected me as the Acting National Chairman. We took off and continued but because there were some individuals, who because of the Jerry Gana-Donald Duke case, took side with Jerry Gana; and that was used as cover by Supo and others to say they are having their own executives. But since then, they have realised that there is no point in dividing the party and the SDP is moving on under my leadership,” he said.

THE GENESIS OF THE CRISIS

Our investigation shows that the crisis in SDP could be traced to the intrigues that led to the rumour that the then National Chairman of the party, Chief Olu Falae, had retired as the leader of the party. That was shortly after Prof Jerry Gana took the party to court. Though Falae openly denied the resignation report then, it was obvious to observers that a major leadership crisis has actually begun in the opposition party.

Falae did not help matters when he said then that he only retired from active politics but had not resigned his position as the National Chairman of SDP.

He said, “I was determined to retire from active politics when I clock 80.  After I clocked 80 last September, I wanted to announce my retirement but the national convention of the party was starting days ahead, and after the convention, Prof. Jerry Gana took us to court. That is why I could not announce.

“So in line with the party’s constitution, Prof. Tunde Adeniran is the defacto National Chairman, I have retired but I did not resign,” he said.

The fact that a major crisis has been birthed was further revealed with the emergence of Chief Supo Shonibare’s executive committee. What followed was that each of the factions expelled the other leading to serious confusion.

It began when the Adeniran faction expelled former Minister of Information and National Orientation, Prof. Jerry Gana, from the party.

Almost at the same time, the faction also expelled Shonibare, who was announced as the new Acting National Chairman of the party by another faction backing Prof. Gana.

Also, a faction announced that the party’s presidential candidate in the presidential election and former Cross River State governor, Mr. Donald Duke, was placed on indefinite suspension.

Addressing the media at the party’s headquarters, Abuja, the National Publicity Secretary of the faction, Yemi Akinbode, said Gana and Shonibare were suspended for alleged gross misconduct and anti-party activities.

Akinbode said Duke’s suspension became imminent because the former governor of Cross River State failed to commence campaign since emerging the standard bearer.

He further said that the decision was in accordance with the party’s constitution to discipline erring members, claiming that the decision would not have any negative effect on the party because it would give it an opportunity to reposition itself in future.

He accused Shonibare of indulging in anti-party activities. “It is imperative to let Nigerians know the divisive tendencies of Professor Gana, a man who wants to be the president of Nigeria, would descend so low by sponsoring some persons from some sections of Nigeria for anti-party activities along ethnic divides, promoting primordial religious bigotry. This is not befitting of a man who wants to be the president of Nigeria,” he said.

The crisis deepened when the two factions adopted different presidential candidates in the presidential election. While one adopted President Buhari of APC the other faction adopted PDP’s Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

Falae however did not waste any time before distancing himself from the party’s withdrawals from the Presidential race and adoption of President Muhammadu Buhari in the forthcoming election.

Falae who made this known in Akure, Ondo State capital, while reacting to the adoption of President Muhammadu Buhari as its candidate in the election, said he was not part of the decision because he had resigned as the Chairman of the party.

According to him, he planned to announce his exit from active politics last year September during his 80th birthday but had to tarry because of the party’s convention which was around the corner.

He said the party was dragged before the court by a presidential aspirant of the party, Jerry Gana, after the convention, saying the litigation stopped him again from making a public declaration of his exit from active politics.

He said “I was here in Akure when I learned about the party’s decision. I was not at the meeting and part of that decision. I was not at the meeting because since last year I have decided to retire from active politics.

“I took the decision when I turned 80 last year and I would have announced it on the 21st of September when I turned 80, but we found out that the National Convention of the party was just 13 days ahead which is 6th October

“I felt that to announce my retirement two weeks to the convention would disrupt everything, so we didn’t announce it; waited till after the convention.

“But after the convention, Jerry Gana went to court and sued the party and me and we were in court for three months and I could not announce it because of the litigation.

“You can see why it has not been announced till now and that is why you did not see me at that meeting since I retired,” he said.

CALL FOR RECONCILIATION

Expressing regrets over the effects of the 2019 Presidential Election intrigues on the party, which was hitherto considered as one of the major opposition parties in the country, concerned members of the party are today calling for reconciliation. “We all know that SDP had great prospects before that leadership crisis. There is urgent need to rebuild the party. It is unfortunate that APC and PDP joined hands to destroy the party during the last elections. We must go back are rebuild this great party,” Uche Nwosu, an SDP member in Abia State said.

Nwosu is not alone on this call. Sources in Abuja said some elders have recently approached the leadership of the two factions to eschew pride and save the party. It remains to be seen how far the concerned stakeholders will be persuaded by these pleas.