Emerging balance of forces in PDP breakup

It is important to first begin this analysis by saluting the courage of the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and the gallant Governors of the PDP extraction that despite the threat of federal might and deployment of apparatuses of coercion chose to take the path of honour by staging a walkout at the convention which […]

It is important to first begin this analysis by saluting the courage of the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and the gallant Governors of the PDP extraction that despite the threat of federal might and deployment of apparatuses of coercion chose to take the path of honour by staging a walkout at the convention which has now being nationally and internationally accepted as the right thing to do in the face of the increasing abuses to all democratic norms by the party’s leadership in alliance with the Presidential Villa.
It isclear that the walkout which was precede by the parallel convention at the Yar’ardua Centre which produced Abubakar Kawu Baraje as Chairman and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinola as the secretary marked the beginning of a new era for Nigerian politics. The development has shown in very clear terms that no group or individuals whether in or out of government can continue to brazenly take Nigerians for a ride. It has also exposed very clearly that what is crucial in a plural federal democracy is the will of the people that are governed and not necessarily the personal idiosyncrasies of the few in position of power and authority no matter how high such positions may be.
The very important lesson to learn yet from this healthy development is that Nigeria has reached that stage of political maturity where a few people no matter how powerful they may be cannot hold the majority by the balls. We have seen in the last few months how the institution of government at the highest level was deployed to serve pecuniary political interests in Adamawa, Rivers, and other parts of the country.
We saw how the leadership of the PDP under BamangaTukur has deployed sufficient resources in trying but unsuccessfully to destabilize the party in Kano and Sokoto states where the will and might of the people in no uncertain terms gave decisive blows on these Abuja hawks and their shenanigans.
Today, it is clear that despite the Vila sponsored terror against the Nigerian Governors Forum where 19 Governors elected their leaders but only for the minority 16 to be recognized by the presidency, and where the president of the Republic would through his wife and other cohorts unsuccessfully sponsor attempt by 5 members of Rivers State House of Assembly against the will 28 others to impeach the Governor of the state, the incessant abuses and total disregard to civility, order and constitutional procedures have come to pass.

It is very clear that the president has lost control of the largest chunk of the nation’s democracy and the continued muddling throw approach adopted only confirms that sooner or later what would be left in the hands of the president and his co-travellers would be a few states out of the 36. What a shame. Poor politics, negative intentions for the country in the view of this piece are responsible for this peoples triumph against the dictatorship of the old PDP.
We call on INEC to take stock of the serial abuses and constitutional infractions of the old PDP and call it to order by dully recognizing the constitution of the new PDP under Abubakar Baraje. This is a good omen for Nigerian democracy; it is a welcome development and the path of honour to save the nation and its peoples against these cabals that have held the nation by the balls.
We must sound a note of caution to this group of seven. They have staked all that it takes for the sake of the nation and its politics. Their attempt to redeem Nigeria from the incapacities of Goodluck Jonathan must be sustained by all means. Now that battle line has been drawn and the winners in the struggle are certainly the G7, it will not be beyond the old guard in the old PDP to deploy all resources including the security agencies to cause disharmony and breach this nascent arrangement.
Equally on as a strategy is the political dimension, which include among things, the inclusion of some Governors within the old PDP fame to pretend as converts into the new arrangement. The strategy has it that such governors would pretend that they have bought into the new deal and would only play the role of informants.
Another group of governors from the PDP have since the walkout developed cold feet and, as reports suggest, are plotting how to join the new group. Prominent among the names mentioned are the Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo and his counterpart in Benue. Indications are that these Governors have already began desperate moves to change camp in view of the apparent futility of the old PDP machine in the emerging political realities in the country.
It is insinuated that and from all indications that these two governors especially are either trying to play the moles by acting as insiders while in reality their objective may be to serve as fifth columnists that would henceforth unplug any arrangement that the new party might come up and report same to the old order. This, the new PDP must be weary of and watch very closely any attempt by such people to infiltrate and possibly scuttle an arrangement that has since received national attention and the nation sees as a major relief against the old PDP’s impunity.
These two and possibly a few others more may not after all be trusted in the ensuing struggle for change which definitely the party and the nation are undergoing at the moment.

Certainly Nigeria will never be the same again and the new PDP phenomena may after all be the trigger that would free the nation’s political landscape that will give the voter the latitude to decide his or her representatives at times of elections.
This piece salutes the courage and wisdom of the PDP G7 and employs that the spirit of the move met be kept flying very high. They will be backlash of course, largely orchestrated by the old guard and their supporters in government who do not shy at deploying state resources and muscle to try to silence the new momentum. Nothing good comes easy or cheap; these are risks they must accommodate and forge on for a better nation to emerge.
Sule wrote from Gwagwalada, FCT