Of a giant party’s hypocrisy

With all sense of humility and responsibility I identify Nigeria’s ruling party, the PDP, a political amorphous group that prides itself as Africa’s largest political party, a hypocritical party. The party may be large in terms of its unpopularity and huge electoral fraud at every election that the nation has had since 1999 when this […]

With all sense of humility and responsibility I identify Nigeria’s ruling party, the PDP, a political amorphous group that prides itself as Africa’s largest political party, a hypocritical party. The party may be large in terms of its unpopularity and huge electoral fraud at every election that the nation has had since 1999 when this form of civilian rule was re-introduced years after protracted military incursion into the body polity.

About a year ago after the demise of President Yar’adua, Goodluck Jonathan finally was sworn in as the president. The task was to finish a term earlier began by his principal who was killed by a protracted ailment.

The thinking of several citizens then was that perhaps this man and party would give the nation the required leadership by owning up to an agreement which in real life gave birth to the political antecedence of many people in positions of authority among which is Jonathan himself.

Unfortunately, political scheming and intrigues took over and the calls for the disregard of zoning arrangement became thick in the air and Goodluck Jonathan bought into it, removed the party chairman and even accused him of corruption committed almost ten years earlier when he was a minister in the presidency.

The crux of that corruption allegation and subsequent trial of Vincent Ogbulafor was primarily political. Immediately he was removed as the PDP chairman, the issue became low profile since the objective of getting rid of him was achieved. What was Ogbulafor’s sin? He said the presidency was still a northern affair given the failing health of the then president and in consonance with the subsisting agreement in the party.

A new chairman was appointed but he too did not last when he tried to imitate how party primaries are done in saner climes. Reforming the party was not needed in an election year because that will mean making the party respond to the wishes of the people. Okwesillezi Nwodo was removed mid-way and the ambition of the president and party continued unabated.

Now that elections have been conducted with the PDP retaining its image of massive fraud in the South East and South South, a new government is about to be formed and the noise all over Wadata House and Aso Presidential Villa is on the need to zone leadership positions in the National Assembly. A process that was only recently truncated and rejected by the same gang that is now calling for its reinstatement and respect!

In parliaments all over the world, the in-thing is respect for seniority and the majority. One would think that after that extensive national debate and apprehension which led to the massive post-election and even pre-election violence in several parts of the country, the party and government will give peace a chance.

The other time, I heard somebody say after the constitution of Justice Lemu Panel that the president needn’t get out of the presidency and his party if he desires to know why the violence took place. His insistence on standing for election was one reason more than any that caused that much national apprehension. Atiku Abubakar also said that during the campaign for the party’s ticket by various candidates.

In the Senate, the president and the party are ramping up their support for David Mark, the incumbent. So many things are standing in his favour. The North Central zone is apart from Nasarawa State mainly PDP. He is the most senior senator aside from Senator Gwarzo who is also returning to the red house for the fourth consecutive time.

In the case of the congress, there is a big problem. The presidency and PDP are desperate in satisfying the wishes of former president Obasanjo in order to fortify and massage his ego after that massive electoral defeat he faced in the hands of ACN in the south west. A region that was previously under the PDP has completely fallen out and only five of the more than sixty members of the House from the zone are from the PDP.

One thing that is clear is this. There is an undisputed resolve by the south west to ditch the ruling PDP. It is therefore unthinkable for either the PDP or the presidency to think that it makes any political sense and rationality to insist on hoisting a Speaker from a zone with only five members of the party in parliament. How does the PDP south west caucus sit? With only five members, among which is the Speaker? This is again ridiculous.

If the House of Representatives on its own chooses to elect its Speaker from among the five members from the south west, that would be okay and wouldn’t be a problem because it will be an internal decision that is supported by certain professional or political fact. If any of the members from that region is a fourth time member for instance, the parliament and leadership of the party would have sufficient points to make, but under this order, reason and rationality are lacking.

The issue of seniority in parliament is essential. Leaders in parliament are first among equals. The number of times a parliamentarian is reelected ranks him over others who are there after him/her. This, our parliament too must imbibe. The hypocrisy of the ruling class is responsible for the nation’s backwardness. Things must be done straight and rationally if the democracy we have all been singing about is to come to reality.

My view on this development is that the presidency and the PDP must allow the parliament to exist as a separate arm of government. If the zoning principle is broken at the level of the presidency, why should the same crowd look the other way and want to force it down the throat of the legislators? It is not wise.

The two chambers of the parliament must be allowed to freely elect their leaderships. If the Senate President and the Speaker are all to come from the South South, let that be the prompting of the parliament and not some political adventurers outside of it. I am of the view that Nigeria deserve better than it is getting from its political leadership.

The PDP is misbehaving and this is dangerous to our national psyche. The party seems ill prepared to do what is right. I am worried even though of course I know that the times ahead will be tough and rough. Nigeria has for too long been suffocated.

Institutions of democracy must be allowed to freely germinate and any emasculation is definitely not in tune with the aspirations of both the Nigerian people and the democratic enterprise.