The tenure of the National working committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will expire in March next year at the time the party will be fighting a serious battle of survival, especially with the large number of its members that have defected and may still do so to APC at both the federal and the state levels of the party.
One of my colleagues has described the PDP as a headless body and that it needs a tough leader to revive its lost glory. The question on the lips of many people is-who is that leader that can re-awaken and revive the lost glory of the PDP?
Already there are about seven or eight contestants for the national chairmanship position.
They include Senator Bala Mohammed, former FCT Minister, Prince Uche Secondus, PDP acting Chairman, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, PDP Zonal Vice Chairman, Dr. Peter Odili, Alhaji Mohammed Wakil, former Minister of State for Power, Alhaji Idris Umar, former Transport Minister. Many more other political heavyweights from other zones are likely to join the race since democracy has allowed this to happen in the party.
Apart from the fact that the party’s fortune is at its lowest ebb, there is a distinct disharmony among its members at all levels.
Moreover, there is an overriding need to get a dynamic and proactive leader that can unite the members and enable it to present a formidable opposition to the APC. Another important reason why the party needs a first class leader is for the purpose of ensuring that it will play a crucial role in the 2019 election that is not too far from now.
There is no doubt that PDP really needs a strong leader to do a lot of work for its members all over the country.
With the track record of achievements at both the National Assembly where he was a front –running senator from Bauchi South to the five-year tenure of office at the FCTA as its longest serving Minister, Bala Mohammed has garnered the experience needed not only to manage the party as at now but to propel it to greater height in the years to come.
The party needs a leader with Bala’s Midas touch and a calm approach to issues and not the present antagonist and harsh manner of campaign of calumny which had led the party to lose the 2015 elections in many states and at the federal level.
Months after Senator Bala Mohammed left office as FCT Minister, a few critics are still hauling insults at him. Though Bala is not a saint but many people will certainly not agree with the desperate attempt by his opponent’s and perceived enemies to disparage him.
There seems to be a widespread belief that politics has a way of tainting noble people which obviously is the case with Bala Mohammed who after serving as FCT Minister from 2010 to 2015 is being disparaged.
It goes without saying that Bala did his best towards delivering services to the people of the FCT and supported worthy causes.
Bala is a complete gentleman of repute. He is humble, calm in his approaches, very receptive, level headed and above all, a de-tribalized Nigerian. He is also loyal to a fault.
Before his stint at the FCTA, Bala had an unblemished record in the federal civil service where he rose to the position of a substantive director and later went through the grass-root politics to win an election as a senator. This was apart from his appointment to the position of Secretary of the Northern senators forum for many years.
It is because of these facts that Senator Bala is considered as the right leader to be given the post of the PDP chairman. Apart from what Bala had succeeded in achieving at the FCT, he has become a bridge builder of sort, because he has followers and he is respected almost all over the country. Bala is also a leader who is trusted and accepted by many politicians, including his peers and people who have occupied ministerial positions like him.
Moreover Senator Bala deserves to be given the PDP chairmanship position because it has been zoned to his area i.e. North – eastern part of the country and his colleagues, including those who wanted to be the chairman of the PDP have now indicated that Bala should be given that position.
Bala, as chairman of the PDP, will properly reposition it to bring back those who have earlier decamped.
This is because senator Bala is a strategist and will use his huge experience and contacts to woo those who have left the PDP. In other words, he will be able to make the party a much more vibrant one and ready for the 2019 elections when probably another popular politician from the northern part of the country will seek for the presidency after President Buhari’s tenure of office. [myad]
