Anenih Quits Politics, What Hope For PDP?
The occasion was the public presentation of his autobiography entitled “My Life and Nigerian Politics”.
Although such event is used to make remarkable statements, and for a man like Anenih, whose impact in nation’s recent political history is legendary, everyone had expected him to make shocking revelations regarding some behind the scene undercurrents that culminated into certain decisions the government of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, of which he was major player, took.
And the retired police officer did not disappoint the audience in this area as he made revelations about the real power brokers of the government and why certain individuals could not succeed Obasanjo when he left office in 2007 after spending eight years in office.
But that was not all, for a man, who was also National Chairman of the then Social Democratic Party (SDP), the political party on which platform the late business mogul, Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola, contested and won the 1993 Presidential election, the audience was eager to know what played out behind the scene, leading to the cancellation and annulment of the election, and the eventual incarceration and death of Abiola in Military detention.
While Anenih did justice to these and many more, not many people were expecting the to hear his bomb shell as everyone looked at one another, with mixed feelings when he made the announcement.
“I am persuaded that I have no more ambition nor any point to prove in politics. I am, therefore, glad to declare that, from today, I shall be withdrawing from active partisan politics. I shall, however, continue to avail the country of my experience, give suggestions and offer advice, as a statesman,” he said.
With that statement, Anenih sent the gathering into a state of shock. How can Anenin quit politics at this time that the nation and his party, the PDP, seems to need him most? Anenih was not just a member of the PDP which ruled this country for 16 years, he was at a time Minister of Works and at another time Chairman of its Board of Trustees.
One of those shocked by the politician’s proclamation was former President Goodluck Jonathan, who in his goodwill message on the occasion urged Chief Anenih not to quit politics, disclosing that the younger ones will continue to look for him because of his experience and wisdom.
“We agree that you will not attend meetings at 2am, 3am, but, in the areas of security and politics, we will consult you,” Jonathan said.
But that was not all, Anenih also used the occasion to explain to the public on his brand politics, stating that “My cardinal focus and objective have always been to be an agent of positive development, unity and brotherhood in Nigeria. In the course of my political career, I have interacted with all manner of people and institutions”.
“I have seen people at their best and at their worst; I have worked with reliable people as well as fickle people; I have experienced undiluted loyalty and disloyalty from unexpected places. I have always tried to make the best of all situations. I can, therefore, say, with great pride, that I feel fulfilled in politics”.
This, the chairman of the occasion and former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, alluded to when he described Anenih as a role model to many because of what he called his consistent hard work and loyalty to national call.
Anenih’s decision to quit politics is coming to analysts as a shock, especially at a time the PDP is riddled with self inflicted internal crises. The politician is one of those PDP stakeholders are looking up to, as an elder, to rebuild the party and prepare it for a good showing in the next general elections.
Today, the party is factionalized into two, one being led by Ahmed Makarfi which has the support of PDP governors, former minsters and some notable party members, while the second is being led by Ali Modu-Sheriff. Both are constantly going into and out of court over legitimacy battle.
It is no doubt the crises in the party led to its loss in the recently held governorship election in Ondo State, among other misfortunes that have bedeviled it since its loss of the 2015 general elections.
Anenih, whose immense contributions and political sagacity saw to the growth and victory of the PDP in elections at various levels between 1999 and 2011, will be missed by the party at this period that it is struggling to put its pieces together ahead of the 2019 general elections.
Whereas the politician has continued to show his support for the party, he has since the defeat of the PDP in the 2015 general elections continued to display the spirit of a statesman by canvassing support for the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Interestingly, during the book launch, he also urged Nigerians to throw partisanship to the trash can and support the present administration.
“I, therefore, want to urge all Nigerians to persevere and hope for a better tomorrow. We must support and pray that God will give President Muhammadu Buhari the wisdom and vision to steer this country away from recession to prosperity,” he said.
Recall also that the politician, at the wake of an alleged plot by lawmakers elected on PDP platform in the National Assembly, early in the year, to impeach Buhari, called on them to sheath their swords and put the interest of the country and growing its democracy first.
While the issue still raged, he called on Makarfi, who was then Chairman of the party’s National Caretaker Committee, to dissuade the PDP caucus in the National Assembly from participating in the alleged “ill-advised adventure” to impeach the President.
In a four-page letter to Mr. Makarfi, dated July 15, 2016, Anenih said he was persuaded that the time was neither right nor the reasons compelling enough to contemplate the impeachment of Mr. Buhari.
Thus, he urged Makarfi to personally lead the process of consultation with PDP members in the National Assembly, with a view to getting them to play a patriotic, rather than partisan role, at this time of national economic and social uncertainty.
The letter, titled: “The PDP Caucus in the National Assembly and the threat to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari” reads: “I am constrained to write this letter by my love for our great country and my long years of involvement in the pursuit of peace, co-existence and national development.
“I am concerned about the noises coming out of the National Assembly to the effect that some of our distinguished Senators and Honourable Members are contemplating a move to impeach the President.
“I feel even more disturbed that the PDP Caucus is being rumoured to be actively involved in this plan to ‘go for the jugular’ of the Executive. The rumoured role of the PDP Caucus is, indeed, the main reason I have chosen to write this letter to you.
“I wish to appeal to you to use your noble office as the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of our great party to dissuade our party members, in the National Assembly, from embarking on or participating in this ill-advised adventure. I am persuaded, Sir, that the time is neither right nor the reasons compelling enough to contemplate the impeachment of the President.
“I do not doubt that the National Assembly may have its grouse against the President, but I am sure that the options of consultation, dialogue and negotiation have not yet been exhausted. We should all assist in persuading our members to persevere in the pursuit of these options.
“I do not believe an attempt at impeachment, at this time, is in the best interests of the party, or the country. Such a move will create tension, instability and even crisis in our body-politic. It will unleash all those fissiparous forces which, in the last few months, have begun to gain momentum.
“Fundamentally, as the main opposition party, I believe the PDP should concern itself with an inward review of why Nigerians lost faith in us and in our party’s vision for Nigeria; our focus should therefore be on trying to figure out how we can once again regain this trust.
“As a party in opposition, what I expect is constructive criticism of the ruling party when it goes wrong. Playing an active role in the internal power struggles between factions of the ruling party is an unnecessary distraction, and an exercise that appears to promote personal agenda rather than the National Interest.
“I am not unaware that the times are hard; that Nigerians are groaning under the weight of unpaid salaries and astronomical increases in the cost of living, that ballooning security problems are increasingly threatening to rip apart the fabric of our national existence, and that Nigerians feel more divided today than they have ever felt, but it would be unfair to blame this President or this Government for all of these problems. Instructively, none of these problems was floated as justification for the threat of impeachment by the National Assembly.
“On the economy, it is a well-known fact that all oil-producing countries are suffering from an economic down-turn because of the radical drop in the price of crude
oil. As a mono-product economy, dependent on crude oil, there is no magic bubble that could have insulated us completely from the systemic shocks caused by the attendant loss of revenue.
“Rather than seek scapegoats, the situation demands that all our institutions, political parties and leaders should set aside all partisan interests, and work together to wade through these difficult times.
“It is, therefore, my wish and prayer that you, personally, lead the process of consultation with our members in the National Assembly, with a view to getting them to play a patriotic, rather than partisan role, at this time of national economic and social uncertainty.”
Born on August 4, 1933 in Uzenema-Arue in Uromi, Edo State, Anenih joined the Nigeria police force in Benin City in the year 1951. After obtaining his secondary school qualifications, he attended the police college in Ikeja, and was among the lucky individuals selected for further training in the Bramshill Police College, Basingstoke, England in 1966 and the International Police Academy, Washington DC in 1970. He was the police orderly to the first indigenous Governor General of Nigeria, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe. He also worked as an instructor in various Nigeria’s police colleges, and in the year 1975, he was assigned to the Administrative Staff College (ASCON), Lagos. Tony Anenih retired from the Nigeria Police after he became a Commissioner of police. After his retirement from police, Anenih joined politics, and became the State Chairman of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) between 1981 and 1983.
It was under his chairmanship that Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia was elected as a civilian Governor of the old Bendel State. After the formation of the the new political party, the Social Democratic Party, Tony Anenih became its National Chairman from 1992 to 1993. When in the year 1994, a constitutional conference was constituted to discuss a forward for Nigeria, Tony Anenih was appointed a member. Tony Anenih was a member of the PDM until early April 2002. In early April 2002, he joined the PDP. He was said to have been the brain behind the April 26, 2002 declaration of Obasanjo at the International Conference center Abuja. He was deputy national coordinator of Olusegun Obasanjo’s campaign Organisation in the years 1999 and 2003 national elections. After Obasanjo became president in 1999, Chief Tony Anenih was appointed Minister of Works and Housing. He later became the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP.
And the retired police officer did not disappoint the audience in this area as he made revelations about the real power brokers of the government and why certain individuals could not succeed Obasanjo when he left office in 2007 after spending eight years in office.
But that was not all, for a man, who was also National Chairman of the then Social Democratic Party (SDP), the political party on which platform the late business mogul, Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola, contested and won the 1993 Presidential election, the audience was eager to know what played out behind the scene, leading to the cancellation and annulment of the election, and the eventual incarceration and death of Abiola in Military detention.
While Anenih did justice to these and many more, not many people were expecting the to hear his bomb shell as everyone looked at one another, with mixed feelings when he made the announcement.
“I am persuaded that I have no more ambition nor any point to prove in politics. I am, therefore, glad to declare that, from today, I shall be withdrawing from active partisan politics. I shall, however, continue to avail the country of my experience, give suggestions and offer advice, as a statesman,” he said.
With that statement, Anenih sent the gathering into a state of shock. How can Anenin quit politics at this time that the nation and his party, the PDP, seems to need him most? Anenih was not just a member of the PDP which ruled this country for 16 years, he was at a time Minister of Works and at another time Chairman of its Board of Trustees.
One of those shocked by the politician’s proclamation was former President Goodluck Jonathan, who in his goodwill message on the occasion urged Chief Anenih not to quit politics, disclosing that the younger ones will continue to look for him because of his experience and wisdom.
“We agree that you will not attend meetings at 2am, 3am, but, in the areas of security and politics, we will consult you,” Jonathan said.
But that was not all, Anenih also used the occasion to explain to the public on his brand politics, stating that “My cardinal focus and objective have always been to be an agent of positive development, unity and brotherhood in Nigeria. In the course of my political career, I have interacted with all manner of people and institutions”.
“I have seen people at their best and at their worst; I have worked with reliable people as well as fickle people; I have experienced undiluted loyalty and disloyalty from unexpected places. I have always tried to make the best of all situations. I can, therefore, say, with great pride, that I feel fulfilled in politics”.
This, the chairman of the occasion and former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, alluded to when he described Anenih as a role model to many because of what he called his consistent hard work and loyalty to national call.
Anenih’s decision to quit politics is coming to analysts as a shock, especially at a time the PDP is riddled with self inflicted internal crises. The politician is one of those PDP stakeholders are looking up to, as an elder, to rebuild the party and prepare it for a good showing in the next general elections.
Today, the party is factionalized into two, one being led by Ahmed Makarfi which has the support of PDP governors, former minsters and some notable party members, while the second is being led by Ali Modu-Sheriff. Both are constantly going into and out of court over legitimacy battle.
It is no doubt the crises in the party led to its loss in the recently held governorship election in Ondo State, among other misfortunes that have bedeviled it since its loss of the 2015 general elections.
Anenih, whose immense contributions and political sagacity saw to the growth and victory of the PDP in elections at various levels between 1999 and 2011, will be missed by the party at this period that it is struggling to put its pieces together ahead of the 2019 general elections.
Whereas the politician has continued to show his support for the party, he has since the defeat of the PDP in the 2015 general elections continued to display the spirit of a statesman by canvassing support for the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Interestingly, during the book launch, he also urged Nigerians to throw partisanship to the trash can and support the present administration.
“I, therefore, want to urge all Nigerians to persevere and hope for a better tomorrow. We must support and pray that God will give President Muhammadu Buhari the wisdom and vision to steer this country away from recession to prosperity,” he said.
Recall also that the politician, at the wake of an alleged plot by lawmakers elected on PDP platform in the National Assembly, early in the year, to impeach Buhari, called on them to sheath their swords and put the interest of the country and growing its democracy first.
While the issue still raged, he called on Makarfi, who was then Chairman of the party’s National Caretaker Committee, to dissuade the PDP caucus in the National Assembly from participating in the alleged “ill-advised adventure” to impeach the President.
In a four-page letter to Mr. Makarfi, dated July 15, 2016, Anenih said he was persuaded that the time was neither right nor the reasons compelling enough to contemplate the impeachment of Mr. Buhari.
Thus, he urged Makarfi to personally lead the process of consultation with PDP members in the National Assembly, with a view to getting them to play a patriotic, rather than partisan role, at this time of national economic and social uncertainty.
The letter, titled: “The PDP Caucus in the National Assembly and the threat to impeach President Muhammadu Buhari” reads: “I am constrained to write this letter by my love for our great country and my long years of involvement in the pursuit of peace, co-existence and national development.
“I am concerned about the noises coming out of the National Assembly to the effect that some of our distinguished Senators and Honourable Members are contemplating a move to impeach the President.
“I feel even more disturbed that the PDP Caucus is being rumoured to be actively involved in this plan to ‘go for the jugular’ of the Executive. The rumoured role of the PDP Caucus is, indeed, the main reason I have chosen to write this letter to you.
“I wish to appeal to you to use your noble office as the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of our great party to dissuade our party members, in the National Assembly, from embarking on or participating in this ill-advised adventure. I am persuaded, Sir, that the time is neither right nor the reasons compelling enough to contemplate the impeachment of the President.
“I do not doubt that the National Assembly may have its grouse against the President, but I am sure that the options of consultation, dialogue and negotiation have not yet been exhausted. We should all assist in persuading our members to persevere in the pursuit of these options.
“I do not believe an attempt at impeachment, at this time, is in the best interests of the party, or the country. Such a move will create tension, instability and even crisis in our body-politic. It will unleash all those fissiparous forces which, in the last few months, have begun to gain momentum.
“Fundamentally, as the main opposition party, I believe the PDP should concern itself with an inward review of why Nigerians lost faith in us and in our party’s vision for Nigeria; our focus should therefore be on trying to figure out how we can once again regain this trust.
“As a party in opposition, what I expect is constructive criticism of the ruling party when it goes wrong. Playing an active role in the internal power struggles between factions of the ruling party is an unnecessary distraction, and an exercise that appears to promote personal agenda rather than the National Interest.
“I am not unaware that the times are hard; that Nigerians are groaning under the weight of unpaid salaries and astronomical increases in the cost of living, that ballooning security problems are increasingly threatening to rip apart the fabric of our national existence, and that Nigerians feel more divided today than they have ever felt, but it would be unfair to blame this President or this Government for all of these problems. Instructively, none of these problems was floated as justification for the threat of impeachment by the National Assembly.
“On the economy, it is a well-known fact that all oil-producing countries are suffering from an economic down-turn because of the radical drop in the price of crude
oil. As a mono-product economy, dependent on crude oil, there is no magic bubble that could have insulated us completely from the systemic shocks caused by the attendant loss of revenue.
“Rather than seek scapegoats, the situation demands that all our institutions, political parties and leaders should set aside all partisan interests, and work together to wade through these difficult times.
“It is, therefore, my wish and prayer that you, personally, lead the process of consultation with our members in the National Assembly, with a view to getting them to play a patriotic, rather than partisan role, at this time of national economic and social uncertainty.”
Born on August 4, 1933 in Uzenema-Arue in Uromi, Edo State, Anenih joined the Nigeria police force in Benin City in the year 1951. After obtaining his secondary school qualifications, he attended the police college in Ikeja, and was among the lucky individuals selected for further training in the Bramshill Police College, Basingstoke, England in 1966 and the International Police Academy, Washington DC in 1970. He was the police orderly to the first indigenous Governor General of Nigeria, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe. He also worked as an instructor in various Nigeria’s police colleges, and in the year 1975, he was assigned to the Administrative Staff College (ASCON), Lagos. Tony Anenih retired from the Nigeria Police after he became a Commissioner of police. After his retirement from police, Anenih joined politics, and became the State Chairman of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) between 1981 and 1983.
It was under his chairmanship that Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia was elected as a civilian Governor of the old Bendel State. After the formation of the the new political party, the Social Democratic Party, Tony Anenih became its National Chairman from 1992 to 1993. When in the year 1994, a constitutional conference was constituted to discuss a forward for Nigeria, Tony Anenih was appointed a member. Tony Anenih was a member of the PDM until early April 2002. In early April 2002, he joined the PDP. He was said to have been the brain behind the April 26, 2002 declaration of Obasanjo at the International Conference center Abuja. He was deputy national coordinator of Olusegun Obasanjo’s campaign Organisation in the years 1999 and 2003 national elections. After Obasanjo became president in 1999, Chief Tony Anenih was appointed Minister of Works and Housing. He later became the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP.
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