Acting National Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party, Setonji Koshoedo, shares his thoughts with MUHAMMED LAWAL on why his party lost the 2023 presidential election, the crisis in the Rivers State chapter of the party, among other issues

How will you rate the performance of the Peoples Democratic Party at the federal level since you joined the party?

Sincerely, I will say our performance was fair enough if you consider the huge impact of the defection of (Peter) Obi and (Rabiu) Kwankwaso to the Labour Party and New Nigerian People’s Party respectively. I think we performed well.

Don’t you think the situation could have been managed before Obi left the PDP for the LP?

In a way, yes! That could have been managed. We failed to manage the cause of his defection and allowed him to carry away our youths’ votes. The PDP has the capacity to convince the youths through our actions and inactions, but our selfish ambition made us make wrong decisions that chased them away. That’s another lesson we need to learn for the future.

I think we lost as a result of the insensitivity of the top leaders of our party. Some of them felt overconfident and displayed a larger-than-life attitude towards the election. Some were even relying on the opposition to make up the votes. We lost not because we were not capable of winning, but simply because of arrogance and pride. I hope it will be a lesson for us.

The PDP used to be a strong political party in Lagos State. Now, it has been alleged that the party no longer has that power like before. How will you react to this?

The PDP is still strong in Lagos. The people of Lagos prefer the PDP, but the abnormalities in Lagos State elections never allowed the political party to win. Even when we win, they manipulate the result and ask us to go to court. I guess Nigeria is now experiencing what the Lagos PDP was crying loudly against.

There have been allegations that thugs always unleash terror during elections. What do you say to this?

You can say that again. The Igbo in Lagos can say better. If there is a better word than terror for elections in Lagos, please, use it to describe elections in Lagos. A situation where not just thuggery, but also occultism have to be applied in an election, you know what it is.

Do you subscribe to the claim in some quarters that the emergence of the LP has taken the chances of the PDP in Lagos State?

No! How can? Labour Party has no political structure. Its (LP’s) emergence was just a wave that had settled down since. You can see that in the results of the recent off-season elections. The structure of a party provides the technicalities required to win elections. Labour Party does not have that technical know-how. So, they cannot in any way jeopardise the chances of the PDP in Lagos State.

It has been a sing-song among the people that the PDP is gradually going into political oblivion. How do you feel about this?

Well, that is their personal opinion. From what I know, the PDP is just going through a phase that is needed for its reformation. A party that is that spread and structured cannot just go into oblivion like that. All that is needed is for the party to restrategise, and it will bounce back. That is what we, the stakeholders of PDP, are doing now. We will surely bounce back.

How did you feel when you were appointed the acting National Secretary of the PDP amidst the crisis in the party?

I resumed as the National Secretary of the PDP in an acting capacity as provided by the constitution of our party. So, there is nothing like being amidst a crisis in the party. The process of appointing a substantive National Secretary is in progress, and I will stop acting when that process is completed. However, I feel challenged by the appointment and I’ve since chosen to introduce measures to improve the operational culture of the organisation for better performance in the future.

What have you been doing so far to salvage the leadership crisis in the party?

Our party has laid down processes for resolving crises in its constitution, the National Working Committee has resumed applying the processes in a way that will not escalate the crisis, but rather resolve it and make the party bigger, stronger, and reliable.

Now that elections are over and governance has started, will the PDP serve the responsibility of an opposition to the ruling party?

Yes. That is part of what we are putting much energy into. A strategic committee is being put in place to displace the APC in general elections. And we are not going to do it alone; we are collaborating with other parties to form a stronger force of opposition against the hardship of the APC upon Nigerians.

Will you say that the 2023 election was rigged as alleged in some quarters?

No election has ever been perfect in Nigeria. We can ask the Independent National Electoral Commission why this is so. If there was no trace of rigging, candidates wouldn’t have gone to court. In fact, the last election was more than rigging. Call it another name.

Many have alleged that the Nigerian judicial system has been manipulated. This came after the verdict of the court ruling that upheld the election of Bola Tinubu as the President of Nigeria. Do you still have hope in the judiciary?

That should be a question for Nigerians to answer. Any comment from a party chieftain could be misinterpreted. But we all saw the confusion in the judiciary. A lot needs to be done to rekindle the hope of Nigerians. Let me simply say that our judiciary is a work in progress.

The current economic situation in the country is pushing more Nigerians into poverty. What is your advice to the people?

It’s so unfortunate. I think we need to rethink our politics. It’s not enough to just win elections; Nigerians should look beyond just supporting a candidate. They need to also find out if the candidate has anything to offer. My advice to Nigerians is to rethink their politics to avoid such in the future.

Do you think the 2023 national budget will raise Nigerians out of poverty if well implemented?

Well, Nigerians have spoken. The budget lacks meaningful intention. Priority is for more selfish items than for main items that can impact well on the generality of the people. But then, let’s not conclude on the assessment of the budget yet. Let’s wait and see its impact on the people eventually, though I don’t expect anything better.

Members of the House of Representatives and senators have been criticised for their choice of ostentatious lifestyle amidst the country’s dwindling economy. What are your words on this matter?

Having passed through the National Assembly in the past, there are issues you as an individual cannot say no to. However, when the majority could not be considerate enough of Nigerians in this bad economic period, it means that the majority are self-centered. And that queries their personalities. You cannot give what you don’t have. Again, Nigerians need to do personality checks on who is representing them before voting.

There have been speculations that the PDP and some other parties are planning to form a coalition. Is it true, and why has the PDP agreed to it?

The trend of events in our politics calls for strategic actions. Stronger actions can only be taken collectively. The PDP has to look beyond itself to provide strong opposition and create alternative solutions to the products of the erroneous policies of the ruling party.

Many people have warned that if the PDP stands to win the 2027 presidential election, they must field a new candidate. Is your party still considering fielding Abubakar Atiku?

The party has a process to elect its candidates. Whether Atiku or any other person, the due process must be followed. That does not mean there can’t be other hidden prerequisites within the party to be considered. Whatever the case, the PDP will be transparent and democratic about it.

There are speculations that Peter Obi will leave the LP. Is the PDP considering reconciling aggrieved members so that the party can flourish again because it is believed that the fallout between Obi and the PDP caused your party to lose the 2023 presidential election? Also, what’s the plan for Kwankwaso of the NNPP?

Whoever wants to come back to the party is free to return as long as the overall interest of the members is not jeopardised. The PDP has room to accommodate everyone.

Some PDP members are saying the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has been said to be involved in anti-party activities. Is the party going to sanction him?

The current state of the party demands that the National Working Committee should tread with caution. So, they, in their wisdom, tried to play most atrocities down. Pre-investigation of what transpired during the last election showed that many more committed worse errors than Wike or any of the G5 members. Is it wise to sanction almost all our leaders or find a way to bring everyone back together? The NWC has made it clear that no one is above the party. If there is the need to sanction anyone, the party will do so according to the provisions of the law without preferential treatment.

Twenty-seven members of the PDP in Rivers State have defected to the All Progressives Congress. What measures is the party taking to resolve the crisis?

The party has made its position known. They stand losing their seats. And we are backing that up with a legal action.

Is the party backing the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, at this critical moment?

The party will always stand by its own. He was elected the Governor of Rivers State on the platform of the PDP. The party will always protect his or her own. We will take every necessary action to keep our party going in Rivers State.