By
Theophilus Ilevbare
As Nigeria’s politics
continues to take shape ahead of the 2015 elections, the leadership deficit of
the PDP came to the fore once again with a festering crisis tearing the party
apart. Spirited attempts by former heads of states and the incumbent President
to reconcile the warring factions have so far fallen on deaf ears. The ruling
party is like a time bomb, doomed for implosion! The sad reality of plunging
the nation into avoidable political crisis stare us in the face as the party’s
predilection to press the self-destruct button is rather habitual.
The party exhibited its
favourite pastime - dancing naked in public - this time at the Eagles Square,
venue of the Mini Convention, where aggrieved members of the PDP stormed out to
form a parallel faction now known as the ‘new PDP’. Members of the faction
including notable governors from the north, joined by their counterparts from
Rivers and Kwara States, led by former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, with
Abubakar Baraje as Chairman.
There was another drama as
aggrieved members of factions in Anambra State PDP resorted to fisticuffs to
press home their grievances. Such disregard for decency and decorum has become
the hallmark of the party. The continuous existence of the party might be a
mirage when viewed against the backdrop of its inability to justify its
existence for 14 harrowing years other than plundering the nation’s resources.
It is derisory that the party still thinks it can railroad voters in 2015 into
its conquistadorial mission.
The subversion of democratic
principles to the whims and caprices of the party's hierarchy is fast becoming
the norm in the PDP. The job of taking Nigeria out of the abyss unto the path
of prosperity, it does seem, we cannot continue to entrust into the hands of
such mendacious, unrepentant and rapacious rascals, donning the garb of
democrats.
2015 will come upon us
like a thief in the night, we must begin to be wary of self-seeking power
grapping politicians who have failed the acid test of demonstrable leadership
capacity. Their ability to make rational decisions is in doubt much as the lip
service they pay to the vaunted transformation agenda of the present
administration is evident in the dwindling fortunes of all sectors of the Nigerian
economy.
The recent squabble came
as good news to many Nigerians who see the PDP as a monster that has colluded
with the ruling elite for over a decade to loot the treasury, institutionalise
corruption and ensure that Nigerians remain in perpetual captivity. That the
party has survived series of crisis not occasioned by mass defection is largely
due to the lack of a formidable opposition. As the APC, Atiku’s PDM, VOP - rumoured
to be backed by the aggrieved governors in the ‘new PDP’ – are fast changing
the political landscape, sooner rather than later, we shall witness a mass
exodus of dissenting PDP members.
Bamanga Tukur’s tenure as
the PDP chairman has been nothing short of calamity on the party that
pontificates as the largest party in Africa, as if political parties are
defined and identified by size alone. At a time when the political minefield is
being reshaped with APC and others, it is expected that Tukur would not push
his game too far as the party continue to totter precariously on the brink of
disaster. So far, he has failed to show tact, diplomacy and political savvy in
dealing with the challenges that a party of strange bedfellows like the PDP
pose.
The ruling party, as
always, downplays the crisis rocking the party as one that should be expected
in any large family. Some like Nysome Wike, go to such extent to show their
political naivety by saying political crisis “beautify democracy”.
Sadly, the perpetual wrangling
in the ruling party has nothing to do with Nigerians; it is not about policies,
or issues that border on how to move the state forward, or how to build
institutions, create jobs and develop infrastructure to improve the lives of
the populace but instead it is how to massage their already over bloated egos
and further their selfish ambition.
More worrisome is the deployment of state
resources and apparatus to fight perceived enemies. The current in-fighting and
political skimming the PDP is enmeshed, is nothing but jostling for 2015
elections. A truly democratic party will not estrange members for aspiring to
any political office. Such actions are not only antithetical to every known
democratic tenets but tyrannical.
The split must have come
as cheery news for the main opposition party, APC. How prepared they are to
cash in on the PDP break-up and woo the aggrieved gladiators to their camp remains
to be seen. It is not a co-incidence that since the APC was formed the party at
the centre has never known peace. Now, the ruling party seem to be on the path to
perdition.
There’s no gainsaying the
fact that the PDP has been sitting on a keg of gun powder for much of the time.
The leadership of the party has completely ignored calls over the years to
deepen democracy by eschewing factional politics, instilling discipline and
ensuring a level playing ground for all members. Matter of fact, the party
needs a reform, not just reconcile aggrieved members, if it is to wriggle
itself out of the snarl it is currently mired.
Past failure in putting
its house in order culminated in the official rascality and uncivilised manner
party members conducted themselves at the convention, a testament to the poor
rating of the PDP's leadership capacity.
Political observers have surmised
that the ‘Old PDP’ is headed for the rocks. The Baraje faction is taking their time
to garner more members, goodwill from the public and ultimately, destroy the
PDP, before finally making deft political moves to the new parties: PDM, VOP or
the APC.
Mr. President's desire to
run for 2015 at all cost against the wishes of aggrieved governors, and his
quest to have a firm grip of the party's machinery, by launching a counter
attack to whittle down the influence of those opposed to his ambition, coupled with
the wind of the opposition, is what is tearing the umbrella to shreds today.
The president's foot soldiers are ready for a showdown with the ‘new PDP’.
Without a clear cut
policy direction, the continuous existence and dominance of such a party will
mean total ruination of all the attractions, stimulations or semblance of
democratic principles that has given Nigerians hope in governance. The reality
of the situation is, the party is already headed towards destruction. The death
knell is sounding loud and clear. Nigerians must rise up to bail the country
from the firm grip of the PDP powers that be who have plundered the resources
of the country in a mafia-like circus.
The war of words between
the Tukur and Baraje factions is bound to leave a bad impression on the minds
of Nigerians. The PDP wittingly or unwittingly is nursing a dangerous death
wish. The party behaves as if it has no opposition which can capitalise on its
monumental weaknesses, or they assume that whatever their weakness, they can
still capture power in 2015 and it seems every action of government is now
deliberately intended to intimidate opposition, within and outside the party,
against President Jonathan’s pesky 2015 ambition.
This perception from the
public can erase whatever good luck is left in Jonathan or any PDP politician
for that matter. Such negative politics that elevates party chaos with its
attendant reconciliation process with tax payer’s money over governance must
henceforth be put on the back burner.
theophilus@ilevbare.com
http://ilevbare.com
twitter: @tilevbare
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