PDP: Only opposing themselves!
When the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) lost the 2015 elections it was a sign that democracy in Nigeria had matured and come to stay. It was the first time ever that a ruling party in Nigeria lost an election and handed over to the opposition. Former President Goodluck Jonathan wrote his name in history by […]
When the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) lost the 2015 elections it was a sign that democracy in Nigeria had matured and come to stay. It was the first time ever that a ruling party in Nigeria lost an election and handed over to the opposition. Former President Goodluck Jonathan wrote his name in history by “stepping aside” saying that his continuance in office was not worth the blood of a single Nigerian. This endeared him to all those who had become tired of the sight of sit tight African leaders remaining in office despite massive unpopularity.
By his actions back then, Jonathan managed to snatch some sort of victory from defeat. There is no doubt that Nigeria owes him a debt of gratitude for quitting the stage without all the drama usually associated with getting failed African leaders to relinquish power. He now globetrots profiling himself as a statesman and true democrat despite being neither of these things when he was in office. Goodluck Jonathan has re-invented himself and done well.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of his party the PDP. Still reeling from their electoral defeat, they have continued on a downward spiral. The party has been plagued with a leadership crisis following Acting Chairman Ali Modu Sheriff’s cancellation of a planned convention in Port Harcourt. Although the question of whether or not the party was ready for serious governance is debatable, the fact that they are unprepared for serious opposition is self-evident. The reason President Muhammad Buhari won the elections and broke the jinx of failed opposition attempts at gaining power, was because he led a vibrant, well organized opposition party. This is an essential ingredient of democracy.
Since the 2015 debacle when the PDP were routed, their threat to rule for an unbroken sixty years exposed as empty, and the party sent into opposition, the only people they have been opposing is themselves! Throughout the nation there has been massive decamping from the party, even though much of it has more to do with the AGIP (any government in power) mentality of our political class, than any ideological differences. There is even talk of a new “Mega-Party” as the main opposition. Such a move will not bode well for the nation. It’s time for those in PDP to face the arduous task of rebuilding their political party rather than continuously decamping or trying to form new parties. They failed in office and are now failing in opposition. Returning their party to the position of 1999 would not be a move forward but rather a move backwards. All the talk of restoring PDP to its “lost Glory” is balderdash. There was no glory when they were in office. For sixteen years’ they allowed impunity, disorderliness and a degree of lawlessness to reign. Their primaries became a bazar with massive amounts of money changing hands.
The party must look to the future, not the past. In the past, their members never believed in supremacy of the party. After the cancellation of last year’s convention, party leaders led by the State Governors, set up a caretaker committee headed by former Kaduna State Governor Ahmed Makarfi. This committee was supposed to run the Party’s affairs until such a time as a substantive convention was held to elect new leaders. This gave rise to two factions of the Party who predictably went to Court. The end to the series of judicial orders arising from the multiplicity of litigations came with the judgement of the Court of Appeal sitting in Port-Harcourt which pronounced Senator Ali Modu Sheriff the authentic Chairman of the party. This ruling which can only be overturned by the Supreme Court doesn’t negate the fact that Makarfi faction of the Party is the bigger of the two. As a result, Modu Sheriff is in office but not in power. The two factions need to embrace dialogue.
Thankfully at his maiden briefing Sheriff extended the hand of friendship to his opponents. He said he wasn’t interested in remaining as National Chairman, but simply wants to unite and rebuild the party and put their house in order. He claimed that all is not lost because during the time of their in-fighting the All Progressives Congress (APC) have been the ones campaigning for the PDP. Although it’s true that things aren’t going as well as expected and this isn’t the kind of change people voted for, it doesn’t mean anyone longs for a return to the bad old days of PDP misrule. When in power they didn’t rule to improve the nation, nor for the glory of God, but for worship of money.
In spite of the problems faced by the APC the continuous in-fighting and litigation coupled with the ever- unfolding stories of massive treasury looting and corruption do not endear anyone to the PDP. In order for them to move forward, and for the good of the nation the party must disassociate itself from its past leaders, pacify aggrieved members and re-position themselves to provide a viable alternative to any government in power and succeed in opposition.