Borno PDP: The enemy from within

In the build up to the 2011 elections, signs have emerged again that the PDP has neither learnt its lessons nor has the national leaders realised that unless the house is put in order, the party is likely to be worse off, regardless of its potentials to win. Ironically, everyone within the party is conversant […]

In the build up to the 2011 elections, signs have emerged again that the PDP has neither learnt its lessons nor has the national leaders realised that unless the house is put in order, the party is likely to be worse off, regardless of its potentials to win. Ironically, everyone within the party is conversant with the problems afflicting it, their genesis and the damage it has wrought on it. And all these problems are largely self-centred and self-inflicted. Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim Imam, the party’s gubernatorial flag bearer in both the 2003 and 2007 elections is at the centre of this debacle and its unending misfortunes. In the two elections that he was fielded, he became an easy meat for the ANPP and since then no one is oblivious of the capacity of Kashim Imam to win elections in Borno state. In fact, in all several elections he had contested about two decades ago, he is on record as having lost them all.

The ANPP’s Ali Sheriff tends to realise Kashim’s electoral liability and has infiltrated the leadership of the PDP at all levels and is believed to be the source of the current crisis within the party. The rumour that has gained grounds in political circles in Borno state is that the ANPP has mobilised resources to ensure that the PDP fields Kashim in the forthcoming 2011 election. The understanding is that, it will be easier for ANPP’s likely candidate to coast have to victory if Kashim is fielded again. The current crisis within the party is centred on this problem and some national leaders of the party and their local collaborators are the ones fuelling it on the altar of the cash which they are alleged to have collected from the ANPP.

Many party faithfuls suspect that Kashim Ibrahim and Hajiya Inna Ciroma constitute the mastermind behind the crisis, ably supported by Paul Wampana and Vincent Ogbulafor. All of them are suspected to be acting the script of the ANPP which they know is angling to sabotage the PDP.

The recent storming of the Wadata Plaza, the National Secretariat of the party, by a group of the PDP youth wing from Borno state to protest what they saw as plans to remove the duly elected party officials from ward to the state levels, was a natural demonstration of the bottled up anger of the followers of the party. The elections were conducted freely and fairly, but when the results tended to go against some interests they collaborated with some elements within the party at the national secretariat to attempt sabotaging the election in order to sneak the names of stooges to ensure that some persons are placed at an advantage in readiness to emerge the party’s candidate for 2011.

Curiously, the PDP has an array of fresh blooded politicians who have the appeal, the capacity and acceptance to defeat the ANPP.  Again, the need to ensure fairness and power shift to the Southern part of the state made this more compelling. Both the northern and central senatorial zones have produced more than two governors each while the southern part has, all these years, been marginalized and condemned to producing the deputy governor. Quite a number of highly educated, well connected and politically-relevant PDP members are on the blocks, ready and willing to take their place as governor to contribute their quota in the quest to provide the necessary leadership to develop the state.

The likes Ambassador Sa’idu Pindar and a host of other PDP leaders from the area have all paid their dues and can easily lead the way to making Borno better. This is even more desirable due mainly to the rudderless leadership the state was made to go through in the last couple of years under a reckless and careless leadership. Borno has, in the last six and half years, collected close to N200 billion  from the federation account, but  the state is still as backward as it has been due to the lack of good leadership.

It, therefore, behoves on all and sundry within the PDP fold to insist that the right thing is done so that the party’s victory is assured to end the party’s continued opposition as well as sufferings of the people of the state.

Gujbawu, is a lecturer in the department of Mass Communication, UNIMAID and Chairman, Coalition for Democracy and Good Governance, a Maiduguri-based NGO.