People's Democratic Party (Nigeria)

People's Democratic Party
Chairman	Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo
Secretary-General	Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje
Founded	1998 (1998)
Headquarters	Wadata Plaza, Michael Okpara Way, Wuse 5, Abuja
Ideology	Economic liberalism, Social conservatism
Official colours	Green, white, red
Seats in the Senate	72 / 109
Seats in the House	150 / 360
Governorships	23 / 36
Website
PDP, INEC PDP, Yar' adua 2007
Politics of Nigeria Political parties Elections

The People's Democratic Party is a political party in Nigeria. Its policies generally lie towards the right wing of the political spectrum. It has won every single Presidential elections since 1999, namely: 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011, and is the dominant party in the Fourth Republic.

History

Presidential and Vice Presidential Nominees

President	Vice President	Election	Outcome
Goodluck Jonathan	Namadi Sambo	2011	Won
Umaru Yar'Adua	Goodluck Jonathan	2007	Won
Olusegun Obasanjo	Atiku Abubakar	2003	Won
Olusegun Obasanjo	Atiku Abubakar	1999	Won

In the legislative election held on 12 April 2003, the party won 54.5% of the popular vote and 223 out of 360 seats in the House of Representatives, and 76 out of 109 seats in the Senate. Its candidate in the presidential election of 19 April 2003, Olusegun Obasanjo, was re-elected with 61.9% of the vote.

In December 2006 Umaru Yar'Adua was chosen as the presidential candidate of the ruling PDP for the April 2007 general election, receiving 3,024 votes from party delegates; his closest rival, Rochas Okorocha, received only 372 votes.^[1] Yar'Adua was eventually declared the winner of the 2007 general elections, held on April 21, and was sworn in on May 29, 2007, amid widespread allegations of electoral fraud. In the Nigerian National Assembly election, the party won 260 out of 360 seats in the House of Representatives and 85 out of 109 seats in the Senate.

At the PDP's 2008 National Convention, it chose Prince Vincent Ogbulafor as its National Chairman on March 8, 2008.^[2][3] Ogbulafor, who was the PDP's National Secretary from 2001 to 2005, was the party's consensus choice for the position of National Chairman, selected as an alternative to the rival leading candidates Sam Egwu (who was backed by Obasanjo) and Anyim Pius Anyim. All 26 other candidates, including Egwu and Anyim, withdrew in favor of Ogbulafor. Meanwhile, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje was elected as National Secretary.^[3]

However, in recent weeks, wave of mass defection has hit the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) across Nigeria, with many aggrieved members decamping mostly to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). The aggrieved members who are moving with their supporters will no doubt, boost the chances of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the presumptive Presidential flag bearer of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) ahead the 2011 general elections in Nigeria.^[4] The Action Congress of Nigeria ACN, bolstered by its recent electoral victories, is gearing up to win even more states including the coming presidential elections by forming alliances with other opposition parties.^[5]

As delegates from Nigeria's ruling party are gathering in the capital for a convention to choose their presidential nominee for the upcoming 2011 general elections in April, an Enugu High Court has granted an interim order restraining the party’s national chairman, Okwesilieze Nwodo, from “parading himself as chairman of the party.” ^[6]

Political ideology

The party has a neoliberal stance in its economic policies and maintains a conservative stance on certain social issues, such as same sex relations.

Economic issues

The PDP favors free-market policies which support economic liberalism, and limited government regulation. In 2003, President Olusegun Obasanjo and Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala embarked on a radical economic reform program, which reduced government spending through conservative fiscal policies, and saw the deregulation and privatization of numerous industries in Nigerian services sector — notably the Nigerian Telecommunications (NITEL) industry.^[7]

On the other hand, the PDP adopts a more leftist stance towards poverty and welfare. In 2005, President Obasanjo launched Nigeria's first National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to ensure that every Nigerian has access to basic health care services.^[8]

The PDP strives to maintain the status quo on oil revenue distribution. Though the PDP government setup the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to address the needs of the oil-producing Niger Delta states, it has rebuffed repeated efforts to revert back to the 50% to 50% federal-to-state government revenue allocation agreement established in 1966 during the First Republic.^[9]

Social issues

The PDP is against same sex relations, and favors social conservatism on moral and religious grounds. In 2007, the PDP-dominated National Assembly sponsored a bill to outlaw homosexual relations, making it punishable by law for up to five years in prison.^[10]

The party is a moderate advocate of state-autonomy and religious freedom for the Nigerian provinces. In the year 2000 the introduction of Islamic law in some states in Northern Nigeria triggered sectarian violence in Kaduna and Abia states. The PDP-led federal government refused to bow to pressure from the southern, predominantly Christian states to repeal the law, and instead opted for a compromise where Islamic law would only apply to Muslims.^[11]

References

1. ^ Africa | Nigeria party picks its candidate. BBC News (2006-12-17). Retrieved on 2011-04-30.
2. ^ Debo Abdulai, "PDP Convention: Intrigues, horse-trading as Ogbulafor emerges chairman", Nigerian Tribune, March 9, 2008.
3. ^ ^{a b} "Nigeria: As Ogbulafor Emerges PDP Chairman, Obasanjo Loses Grip", Daily Trust, Abuja (allAfrica.com), March 9, 2008.
4. ^ Obasanjo threatens to quit PDP – The Guardian. Nigerian Bulletin (2011-01-06). Retrieved on 2011-04-30.
5. ^ 2011: Defection wave in the PDP. Vanguardngr.com (2010-12-02). Retrieved on 2011-04-30.
6. ^ [1]^{[dead link]}
7. ^ Nigeria Gb. (PDF) . Retrieved on 2011-04-30.
8. ^ [2]^{[dead link]}
9. ^ [3]^{[dead link]}
10. ^ Africa | Nigeria moves to tighten gay laws. BBC News (2007-02-14). Retrieved on 2011-04-30.
11. ^ AFRICA | Sharia compromise for Nigerian state. BBC News (2001-11-02). Retrieved on 2011-04-30.

External links

Africa portal

• Assemblyonline Nigeria News
• PDP Related News Items