“If you don’t make the time to work on creating the life you want, you’re eventually going to be forced to spend a lot of time dealing with a life you don’t want.” — Kevin Ngo
As always, Nigeria this season has so much to write about. Take your pick from this list: ₦5 billion yacht story, ₦60 billion SUV, Governor Fubara’s attempt to retrieve his GSM SIM card from [godfather] Wike’s handset without permission, Wike’s first hand/hands-on learning of what it means to be an ex(Governor), Tinubu’s improved lopsided appointments from what Muhammadu Buhari left, trial-and-error policy on the Naira against the dollar, FBI release of crimes committed by Nigerians in their files without naming the criminals, manhandling of the President of the [toothless] NLC by Governor Hope Uzodinma thugs and the Police etc.
Notwithstanding this array of juicy topics, I am again writing on the main opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP. You may be right if you accuse me of over-flogging PDP. It’s for good reason.
I will not stop talking about PDP whose failure as a ruling party brought us to the Buhari era and its failure in opposition politics brought us to Tinubu. I daresay that PDP’s failure going forward will bring democracy in Nigeria to its knees.
The strength of any democracy lies not in the ruling party, but in credible opposition. You don’t expect someone who rigged themselves to power to discard the warped system that aided them. The ruling APC is enmeshed in many filthy things and cannot help itself. APC cannot help our nation and democracy either. Not with the dubious credentials in its baggage. If the opposition cannot help by hectoring the government party, then goodbye to democracy. So, if President Tinubu set out to utilize a willing hand like Nyesom Wike to kill the opposition, he should know it as a fact that he is also sending our democracy to the graveyard.
Now back to the PDP. Drawing from the metaphor of albatross, a magnificent bird often encountered by sailors on the high seas. This big bird is used in literature to depict an unbearable, unpleasant, and overpowering burden.
In 24 years, the PDP ruled 16 and descended into opposition for eight. The elected governors on the platform of PDP have serially and empirically shown that they are the party’s albatross.
As a political writer with the rare privilege to see the PDP from outside and inside and who is grieved by its slide, I know that PDP governors, more than any other variables, have been the undoing of this great party. Over time, its leaders tied their self-interest ahead of the party.
Despite the party’s motto of “Power to the People,” in reality, power in the PDP belongs to the governors. Whether PDP is in government or opposition, the governors at any given time collaterally should be held responsible for the declining fortunes of Africa’s once-biggest political party. Follow me as I give you a lowdown of facts portraying the nuisance called PDP governors.
The first crisis that engulfed the PDP in power in 2003 was caused by governors led by James Ibori of Delta State. They ganged up to attempt to deny Olusegun Obasanjo another term as President. But General Obasanjo deployed military maneuvers to overcome.
When Okwesilieze Nwodo came aboard as the National Chairman of PDP in 2010 and moved quickly to end the governors’ hegemony by seeking independent funding for the party, governors ganged up with Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, revolted and engineered Nwodo’s removal. That was the beginning of President Goodluck Jonathan’s journey to failure as the governors pushed him further to throw away Bamanga Tukur to bring in Adamu Mu’azu, the self-styled change agent who midwifed PDP’s exit from power.
The same poor financial commitment of the PDP governors paved the way for a potential hijacker and Father Christmas called Nyesom Wike who gave PDP the money it needed but he annexed the party and took a pound of flesh that now brought the party to be a subsidiary of the ruling APC. In Wike, PDP saw the danger of both abuse of power and the power of abuse. He brought Modu Sheriff, Uche Secondus, and Iyorchia Ayu but facilitated their ouster because of his presidential ambition.
Two quick ways to know a democracy that is endangered is how effective the respect for the rule of law and the strength of the opposition is. If these two critical variables of democracy are not functioning optimally, the foundation in such a setting is in quicksand. When these essentials of democracy are missing, impunity, rascality, and lawlessness germinate and grow. This appears to be the unambiguous picture in our political system in this country today.
Even though the Obidient Movement has provided more trenchant and stinging opposition propelled by its torchbearer, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, PDP still maintains the status of the main opposition party due to many factors. It has more elected persons across the country among the opposition parties than any other party outside the ruling party. It has also been in power for 16 years at the center and was at one time controlling 28 of the 36 states of the federation. Even by INEC mystery vote allocations in the February 25 presidential election, the PDP still came second.
So, when the presidential flag bearer of the PDP in the contentious election, Atiku Abubakar decided to speak last week, many Nigerians and indeed the international community were all eyes and ears to hear and see him provide direction to the opposition camp in the polity.
Even the controversial president sat on the edge to hear him. Did he disappoint his audience? Many applauded Atiku’s outings that Monday as one of his best lately.
Many believed that by his commanding statement, the former Vice President was setting the stage for vibrant opposition with him as the ringleader.
“As for my party and me, this phase of work is done. However, I am not going to go away, if you think I am going to go away, forget about it.
“For as long as I breathe, I will continue to struggle with other Nigerians to deepen our democracy. I will continue to work for the return of political and economic restructuring that the country needs.”
He even charged the youths he would need for the battle ahead to get set to take their destiny into their own hands. The opposition family found Atiku’s statement reassuring and uplifting coming after the demoralizing ruling of the Supreme Court that made Atiku describe the apex court as the lost hope of the common man, a reversal of its original role as the last hope.
Spin doctors at the Aso Rock Villa tried to play down Atiku’s outing but could not. Instead, the disappointing injury done to the statement came from within, from no less a group than those who should be Atiku’s main backer in the struggle ahead, the PDP governors.
Lately, PDP governors have proved to be the most disappointing and politically disastrous group with the shameful way they have carried on their sycophancy. Their toadying remains utterly disgusting and has aroused extreme indignation in all persons of decency.
Shortly after the Atiku Abubakar press conference, the Bauchi State, Governor, Bala Mohammed, who heads the PDP Governors Forum rather than give weight to what their flag bearer said, called his press conference to lavish encomium on President Tinubu and even went ahead in his panegyrics to thank him beyond his expectations. Hear an opposition governor: “The leadership of the PDP extolled the leadership of the President. Congratulated him on behalf of the President (Atiku) and expressed our appreciation that all the PDP governors who have gone through the tribunal have emerged victorious. We know that that is his leadership. There was professionalism in the conduct and way and manner the judiciary is working under his leadership and he has shown that he is a President for everybody, a President for PDP, a President for APC.”
Even Seyi Tinubu, the President’s son, cannot do better in hero worship. This unsolicited paean on Tinubu came less than 24 hours after Atiku’s press conference had lambasted the judiciary but here are his party’s governors saying the judiciary under Tinubu is run professionally.
Most of the political watchers who listened to the Bauchi governor were unanimous that with characters like this in opposition, democracy is dead in Nigeria. Democracy cannot thrive where opportunists and survivalists lead the opposition. People like Nyesom Wike will destroy his party to survive and have successfully recruited other PDP governors who now feel that it’s the best way to go. It’s for political characters like Wike that the Rwandan Community Worker Bangambiki Habyarimana, the author of “Pearls of Eternity” reminds us:
“Nothing is sweeter and [more] addictive than power. The unlucky soul this demon possesses, if he is not sacrificed on its altar, will sacrifice others himself to get it.”
Characters like this do not care what posterity holds for them, they are only interested in themselves not the society. They do not care if you tell them that household names like Obafemi Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello, Joseph Tarka, Adaka Boro, Emeka Ojukwu, and the present craze of Nigerian youths, Peter Obi did not go this route of destroying the system just to sail through.
NOW THE QUESTION.
Is there still a way left for PDP to breathe? Has PDP run out of pages or is there still room to write an epic chapter in our democracy? The choice is theirs, Kelvin Ngo’s opening admonition says all that awaits the party if it fails to act NOW.
A lot of sacrifice is needed. Iyorchia Ayu and his team in NWC must bow out. Atiku should consider heading the BOT with more credible members, not beggars. The party needs new energy. It should consider a grand alliance and go for a candidate who can win the election. To do otherwise is to sing Nunc Dimittis for PDP. God, help our democracy.
