The deepening crisis in the PDP

The stroke that broke the camel’s back was the NGF election, which was headed by the formation of a puppet group called the PDP governors forum under the leadership of Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio. The major reason behind the new forum was among other things to weaken the hold of Mr Amaechi, the […]

The stroke that broke the camel’s back was the NGF election, which was headed by the formation of a puppet group called the PDP governors forum under the leadership of Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio. The major reason behind the new forum was among other things to weaken the hold of Mr Amaechi, the forum’s chair and set the phase for his eventual ouster, an end which the PDP’s Governors Forum was thought to achieve at onset.
Whatever anybody may say, I have not seen an unintelligent government than the one I have now. By the minute they are making huge and avoidable mistakes. Since the NGF election, the PDP has exposed itself as either a weak solidarity or simply comprised of weak elements.
I have known since childhood that one is warned not to take decision when he or she is angry because such decisions are bound to be negative often with untold consequences. That exactly is what the PDP under the leadership of these octogenarians is doing.
Clearly PDP’s rule is coming to an end and so the sixty years claim to rule Nigeria may after all be over by 2015. Those who are badly mismanaging our affairs are coming face to face with the reality of power slipping off their hands and the desperation seems limitless.
I thought that soon after the party’s leadership noticed the major crack in the party, it would evolve more political ways of addressing the discontentment. Instead, a draconian measure has since been the rule rather than exception. An executive council of the party that was selectively elected is sitting on top of the party and enforcing totalitarianism which further disintegrates the party and eliminates any more chances it may have in conducting the affairs of Nigerians again.
When the governors met a few Fridays ago and unknown to the powers under the rock that the entire schemes marched with federal might would not yield the desired result, an election was conducted and the presidency was beaten hands down is responsible for this infuriation that we see from Wadata House and the Villa.
The choice of the governors defers from that of the party and the presidency. What one would think is that the party and its government would deploy better political skills in dealing with the issue than this dangerous way. The first thing that party did was to suspend the leader of the rebellion, Rotimi Amaechi and intensify attempts to impeach him.
Despite the fact that a Court of competent jurisdiction has pronounced that the suspension wasn’t in order, it appears the PDP is hell bent on going ahead. Are we therefore about to see a repeat of disrespect for the judiciary as was the case previously?
I am sure that with the degree of desperation the presidency and the party leadership is doing things, Nigerians may as well expect the worst from this government. The same party that respected the judgment which ousts its secretary general a few months ago is unwilling to abide by pronouncements against it today.
This unwillingness of the party and its recalcitrance is further exemplified by the decision to again suspend the Governor of Sokoto state on charges that are laughable and flimsy. The suspension of Aliyu Wamakko is a further testimony to many things but three stand very obvious – that the party is confused and is going ahead to act in confused manner, secondly that Bamanga Tukur, the Chairman of the party is either too old to comprehend simple political arithmetic and respond to situations with the required political brinkmanship or thirdly the confusion the party is in at the moment is a reflection of the reality of its imminent death.
Anyone who cares to observe Nigerian politics knows that Wamakko has carved a space of an institution in the politics of Sokoto state and I wonder how any serious minded political party would care less about the relevance of such a personality. Remember that Wamakko was lured into the PDP by General Obasanjo just to take over Sokoto state ad they did just that. In my view, his political profile has since risen beyond what some old people can see from Abuja. The suspension is thus ill advised and inches deep in the grave of the PDP.
If the result of the NGF election is anything to go by, it has shown clearly that 19 states are off the radar of the president. Much more than that, these states have large population of voter. Lagos, Kano, Rivers, Oyo, Borno, Niger – these five states represent the highest voters in each of the 5 geo-political zones in the country.
Not just that, I am optimistic that no matter the rigging, Mukhtar Yero cannot bring Kaduna to his boss, same for Ibrahim Shema with Katsina and my big brother, Isa Yuguda and Bauchi. I am not sure if Gabriel Suswam can deliver Benue given the intense political schemes in that enclave. The message is thus very clear that if President Jonathan desires to run in 2015, he may as well be the first president sitting in office that would be defeated.
That will be good for Nigeria and its democracy. It will send the correct signals to politicians that the country has arrived and that they cannot take us for a ride anymore. I pray that happens and that is exactly what will happen and the PDP leadership is further making the possibilities a reality.
My view is that 2015 will be interesting. The political chess game is opening up and the powers that be at the center are increasingly becoming flustered and confused. They cannot use region or religion anymore because Nigerians are badly beaten by the negative impacts of such uses.
After Aliyu Wamakko, who next? Babangida Aliyu or Sule Lamido? In any case, my message to these governors, including those still playing errands, is that they better unite otherwise they will create a monster out of the center. It is better to have a formidable team of governors that can always challenge a constitutionally powerful president if the nation’s democracy is to see the light of the day.
The crisis in the PDP is not abating and at the center of the storm are two old men and a young president. Let the fight persist so that Nigeria is better.