Interview

Last week’s defections of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, his deputy, Sir Monday Onyeme, predecessor in office, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, and their supporters from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC, increased concerns that Nigeria is headed for a one-party state. One of the founding fathers of the party, Senator Chris Ekpenyong, identifies where PDP got it wrong. Ekpenyong, who served as Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State under the Attah administration from 1999 to 2007, says the party may find it difficult to rise again,

As a founding father of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, what can you say about the defections of Delta State governor, among others, to the APC?

It means Tinubu has killed the PDP. I’m sure Akwa Ibom may follow soon. Everybody wanted former VP Atiku to clearly state that he wasn’t going to contest, but his persistence has forced people to make their own decisions. This is dividing the North and the South. What do we do now? The party has been destroyed. I honestly don’t know how they can rebuild it to challenge the APC in the future.

Does this mean the elders of the party didn’t do enough to prevent these high-profile defections that are about making Nigeria a one-party state?

Who do I talk to? The people we could talk to are no longer interested. The first mistake PDP made was handing over the party to the governors. That was the mistake founding fathers like Obasanjo made. Obasanjo seized the party. The only ones who stood up to him were the late Chief Sunday Awoniyi and former Vice President Alex Ekwueme, who actually founded the PDP. We joined Ekwueme when the party evolved from G34 to PDP. My boss, former Governor Victor Attah, benefited from that transformation. Chief Don Etiebet, who brought PDP to Akwa Ibom, left as far back as 2001 because of how he was treated after Attah took power. PDP ruled Nigeria for 16 years. Some people once said PDP would rule for 60 years. But where are they now? The party was left in the hands of governors, who now control everything. They know why they’re defecting, it’s mostly to protect themselves from the EFCC. We’ll wait and see what happens when Tinubu finishes his two terms. Will the North use APC for their own turn? We are heading for a one-party state. It’s left to them. I no longer have the locus standi to fight back. Those who looted the nation’s wealth have done their worst.

Was there ever a time you foresaw the decline of the once-powerful PDP?

Of course, yes. The moment the party was handed over to governors, it was clear. During the Second Republic, the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) wasn’t controlled by governors. If it had been, I wouldn’t have become a member of the House of Assembly at such a young age, even while serving as a Youth Corps member. I had no money. I considered joining the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), where things might have been easier, but I chose NPN because my people were conservatives—and I even defeated an incumbent. Back then, the party was run by the people, who contributed to its funding. Now, the governors run everything.

It was learnt that more PDP governors, especially those seeking second term, might also defect…

My state governor, Eno, has already declared support for Tinubu. He’s also backing the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio. What next? I called Fubara (suspended Rivers governor), he didn’t answer. But I sent him a message. I told him that since Tinubu was in France, he should visit him because this whole battle is about delivering Rivers State votes to Tinubu. The young man is being humiliated by Wike, and the President has done nothing. Instead, he installed an administrator in the state. This is clearly about votes. Fubara has to survive politically, if not, he’ll be rubbished.

The current set of PDP governors seem to be capitulating. Does this show a lack of spine?

They are weak. All they care about is power and their own survival. A few governors from the North might jump ship too. Atiku is the problem. He should have focused on rebuilding the party instead of always aiming for the presidency. What can he do now? My governor wasn’t even nominated to attend the NEC meeting in Kano in August. I don’t see any hope for the opposition. Tinubu has already neutralized them. As things stand, only a movement from the people can bring real opposition. What’s happening now is the requiem for the PDP. I spoke to Okwesilieze Nwodo, a former governor and party National Chairman. We had a long discussion.

He said he was hopeful the issues would be addressed at the Convention—but what’s likely to come out of it now? Many people who benefited from PDP don’t even care anymore. Those who could have helped revive the party in the North are dormant. It’s over. Tinubu already controls the South, and the North has no choice but to give him votes. PDP made a huge mistake after late President Yar’Adua’s death. They should have let someone from the North continue. But they insisted it was the South’s turn. That disrupted the balance. I don’t see PDP coming back. Maybe after Tinubu’s tenure, people will decide to create a new party.

But the Constitution doesn’t provide room for independent candidates…

If you choose to contest as an independent and they eliminate you at the last minute, what can you do?