Monday 21 January 2013

PDP’S crisis and absence of Lar

 by  Isaac Shobayo
ISAAC SHOBAYO puts into perspective the tenure of Chief Solomon Lar as the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] and his continued absence from the political scene.
The history of politics in Nigeria, especially from the Second Republic to date, will not be complete without the name of Chief Solomon Lar. His name has remained a recurring decimal during military rule and the civilian era. His contribution to the political evolution of the country, coupled with the emancipation of his people cannot be wished away.
Lar became the  first civilian governor of the old Plateau  State, which included the present Nasarawa State, between 1979 to 1983 on the platform of the defunct Nigerian Peoples  Party (NPP). He was a co-founder of the party. He won the governorship election along with his deputy, Alhaji Aliyu Akwe Doma.  The governor’s achievements are still a reference point more than 30 years after. His feats then earned him the sobriquet of the Emancipator, an accolade which became his trademark and political slogan.
The elder statesman had a stint with the military regime during the Third republic when he became one of the leaders of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP). He was eventually appointed the Minister of Police Affairs by the administration of late General Sani Abacha but the former governor later resigned when he realised Abacha was not actually committed to restoring democracy. Lar soon became a torn in the flesh of the military government by joining forces with other compatriots across the country advocating a return to civil rule. He was among the founders of G-18, which later metamorphosed into G-34, which engaged Abacha in an intense battle of wits.
The natural exit of the former military leader culminated in the disbandment of the five fingers of a leprous hand as the Abacha parties were called then and the formation of new ones by the politicians themselves. Thus, during the new transition programme enunciated by the authorities, Lar became the pioneer National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) without much ado in 1999.
He was saddled with the responsibility of organising the party for major elections and guaranteeing its success at different levels. Consequently, Lar was instrumental to the emergence of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as the presidential candidate of the party at the convention held in Jos, the Plateau State capital. He remained the PDP national chairman until 2002 when he handed over to Chief Barnabas Gemade, now a senator while Lar later became the party’s Chairman, Board of Trustees [BoT].
According to his admirers, during his tenure as the PDP national chairman, Lar was able to entrench democratic norms and values in the party. For the two years he was in the saddle, PDP was devoid of rancour and administered based on dictates of the game. From all indications, his exist as the national chairman of the party marked the beginning of internal squabbles.
 At the height of the crisis between former President Obasanjo and his vice, Atiku Abubakar then, Lar threw his weight behind the former vice president’s bid for the presidency in 2007, further soiling the relationship between him and Obasanjo. At a point he was alleged to have defected to the Action Congress Party [ACN] in solidarity with Atiku.
 Because of his towering political height and sagacity, his residences in Jos and Abuja have become the meeting points for not just his supporters and party members, both also hordes of his admirers from different parts of the country. Many often come to seek political patronages either at the state or federal level. Ditto for those eyeing elective office, who believe they will need his blessing before embarking on prosecuting their political ambition.
 At a point in time, the common saying among the people of Plateau was that to get any political appointment at any level from Plateau, you must pass through Lar. And in spite of his old age, he remains the issue as far as the politics of the state is concerned because of his immense influence.
As part of his leadership qualities, Lar is also perceived an exceptional man of peace man by many. According to them, he is a strong advocate of peaceful co-existence of all. Based on this credential, he headed a 15-member Federal Government Special Committee on the recurrent Jos crises. Part of its terms of reference was to recommend how to prevent further violence in Jos, which has ravaged the Tin city since 2010. The Committee was made up of eminent Plateau indigenes and came out with a report that became a reference point. As an unrepentant apostle of peace and love, Lar abhors dichotomy and other forms of sentiments that breed hatred and animosity. This can be attested to by the fact that his core political loyalists cut across geographical, religious and tribal divides. This sterling quality was attested to by one of his associates, Bitrus Rwang, who said Lar usually lives for others to survive, adding that the old man strongly believes that his source of strength is the people and therefore the need to carry everyone along, irrespective of their creeds and tribal affiliations, all the time.
“In spite of his years of experience and having held various political offices, Lar has never abused those privileges. He does not believe in acquiring wealth. He is always ready to share the little he has with the people around him. Based on my association with him which spanned for close to 40 years, I can say he has never kept a lump of money in his house as most of the present day politicians do,” Rwang stated.
 Lar is  an ardent Middle-Belter and advocate of a separate identity for the people of the Middle-Belt. He was instrumental to the formation of the Middle-Belt Forum along with the likes of Professor Jerry Gana, Dr. Bala Takaya, Air Commodore Dan Suleiman [retd] and many others. In one of his interviews, he said the Middle Belt remained neglected, despite the great contributions it made to national unity, a reference to the sacrifices the people of the area made during the three-year Nigerian Civil War. He also complained of discrimination against Christians in the North, to the extent that they could not get land to build a church.
Based on his political activities, he has never failed to identify with the politics of the Middle-Belt. He began the struggle with the like of the late Joseph Tarka and up to date he still champions the struggle, as he is always willing and readily defends the cause of the minority in the North.
Apart from the campaign for a separate identity for the Middle Belt. The MBF is also tries to build bridges across the six geopolitical zones. It demonstrated this during the events that preceded the 2011 presidential poll. It will be recalled that during the political brouhaha over whether President Goodluck Jonathan should contest or not in the election, the Middle Belt Forum took a position different from that of the Arewa Consultative Forum.
From all indications, old age is gradually catching up with Lar, he is no longer as fervent as before in the political cycle. The PDP is no doubt missing his fatherly role, most especially at this trying period of the party.  Based on his contributions to the evolution of the party, many have been asking of the whereabouts of the iconoclastic political leader.
Despite the leadership style of former Plateau State Governor, Joshua Dariye, the elder statesman stood by him during the period on the premise that it was a misnomer for five lawmakers to impeach a sitting governor. In spite of the condemnations, the old man maintained his stand, saying that the 1999 Constitution must be strictly followed. When a state of emergency was also imposed on the state, he was one of those who condemned it in all its ramifications.
Over the years, he has been in the fore front of political negotiation, representing the Middle-Belt and the North in many cases. He held various peace and reconciliation committees for the sake of national stability and humanity. At the home front, he recently made an attempt to reconcile Governor Jonah Jang and the former FCT Minister, General Jeremiah Useni (rtd), who had been engaged in altercations over some political differences.
NigerianTribune

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