A tattered umbrella

The Party’s founding fathers in their wisdom thought it would be a symbol of a cover under which the weak and oppressed could find protection in a democratic dispensation. Unfortunately for the nation the umbrella only provided cover for corrupt governors, fuel subsidy scammers, pension fraudsters, election riggers, asset strippers, failed contractors and bank fraudsters. […]

The Party’s founding fathers in their wisdom thought it would be a symbol of a cover under which the weak and oppressed could find protection in a democratic dispensation. Unfortunately for the nation the umbrella only provided cover for corrupt governors, fuel subsidy scammers, pension fraudsters, election riggers, asset strippers, failed contractors and bank fraudsters. Formed in 1998 the PDP has been ruinously ruling Nigeria since the beginning of the 4th Republic. From the Presidency to the National Assembly, state governors and houses of assembly, local government chairmen, and councillors, they dominated the political landscape.
 Never conceived as a genuine political association the PDP was formed as a coalition of “big men” who wanted to continue being relevant and feather their nests despite its negative effect on national development.  Not known for any overriding ideology their catchphrase “PDP power” aptly illustrated their guiding philosophy – power for the sake of it! At a point in time the Party was so strong and intoxicated by success that they declared themselves the “largest Party in Africa” and quite preposterously predicted they would rule the nation for at least the next sixty years. This could indeed have been the case because all Nigerians ask for is good governance no matter who is in office. However the party “forgot itself” as its leaders fell in love with the trappings of office and ignored the responsibilities that go with it. Future students of political history will collate the various remote reasons, methods and means through which PDP eventually lost their control over the polity, but in truth the main reason they ruled for so long was because the opposition was fragmented.
Eventually though their overwhelming arrogance, dismissal of alternative views and unsuccessful socio-economic policies instigated major opposition parties to forget their differences and combine to form a massively formidable opposition. PDP’s loss at the recent polls marked the end of a glorious era for the party and inglorious era for the nation. In sixteen years they never mastered the art of good governance instead they perfected methods of election rigging. Those “in the know” allege that after voting, result sheets would be taken to secure locations where the remaining votes in the electoral register would be allocated to the eventual winners. It became so commonplace that anything other than a “landslide” victory was unacceptable.

The seeds of PDP’s eventual defeat were planted long before 2015. Despite its name the Party lacked both people oriented programs and internal democracy. Imposition of candidates was their stock in trade, and even where primaries took place they were rigged. Courts were full of litigation by PDP candidates protesting over internal Party matters. The party’s downfall started right from the beginning during Olusegun Obasanjo’s presidency. The self-obsessed Obasanjo relished the opportunity to be in charge once again and brushed aside all democratic niceties. In his “democratic dictatorship” he ruled as a virtual sole administrator pocketing INEC and ensuring all elections were “successful” in returning PDP to office. He gave birth to the arrogance, derision of opposition, complacency towards mismanagement of our affairs and loss of support that became the Party’s stock in trade.  Ever before the elections things looked grim for the Party, and the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) decision to introduce Permanent Voter’s Cards and card-readers spelt doom.
The Permanent Voters Card (PVC) reduced the effective voters register, while accreditation drastically cut the figure further. The number of accredited voters could not be altered due to the use of card readers. Under the new system results are reconciled with the number of accredited voters rather than with the voters register consequently millions of phantom votes on the register which had kept PDP in power all these years evaporated. Contrary to claims that the card reader was used to rig elections, the areas where results showed “landslide” victories by any Party were mainly where card-readers were not used or other voting guidelines not strictly adhered to. Although the fall of the PDP was the people’s wish, the total collapse of the Party will leave the nation in another dilemma. A one Party state is not good for democracy but the truth is unless they change their ways the PDP cannot be a viable opposition Party. Now that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is in power the nation requires an opposition Party with a clearly spelt out people oriented manifesto which they intend to follow. The truth is that no matter how bad the APC government is, very few people would want a return to the awful days of PDP misrule, but the APC requires vibrant opposition to keep it on its toes.
The PDP-controlled National Assembly was a disappointment. Although devoid of regular impeachment proceedings, their voracious appetite for wealth accumulation amplified calls for a unicameral legislature. In sixteen years not a single law was passed which directly improved the lot of citizens. Financially profligate, the PDP lived well beyond its means and indeed the means of the nation. There is little doubt that in a depressed economy such as ours many of the billions donated to PDP campaigns were the proceeds of corrupt practices. President Jonathan has confessed openly to being “caged”.  Nigerians are grateful to him for un-caging both himself and the nation. It remains to be seen whether the PDP can repair its tattered symbol and convince Nigerians to give members another chance in the future.