Wamakko: PDP’s tragic blunder

I know for sure that from the very poor performance of the party in Abuja in the last 14 years, one thing that is certain is that Nigerians are tired of their style of rule and the prayer is that the party dies out so that a new order is instituted. I don’t belong to […]

I know for sure that from the very poor performance of the party in Abuja in the last 14 years, one thing that is certain is that Nigerians are tired of their style of rule and the prayer is that the party dies out so that a new order is instituted. I don’t belong to the category of Nigerians that are wishing an imminent death for the party due to many reasons among which is the fear of the possible rise of a new PDP. What I dream to see is the evolution of another very strong party that will challenge it and wrestle power from it in 2015.
The NWC of the PDP has of late, and out of its very illegitimate existence, grown monstrous and violent. The explanation is simple: the desperation to keep Goodluck Jonathan in office beyond 2015 by all means and any opposition to that cannot be tolerated by an NWC that was put in place mainly by the president and his vice.
I recall that since the apparent demise of President Yar’adua, which brought the ascendency of President Jonathan, one item on the agenda that has become prominent has been how to erode the powers of state governors. The meaning of that is that when the governors are eroded, total powers would be vested on the president. This scheme, President Jonathan and his intelligent political team believe, is possible.
The stroke that broke the camel’s back was the re-election of Rotimi Amaechi as the chair of the Nigerian Governors Forum against the huge material and political investment of the presidency through certain cohorts within the Forum. The reelection which reaffirmed majority mandate to the belligerent Amaechi and which was shamelessly rejected by the presidency and those 16 funny governors marked the beginning of the expression of the current desperation of Bamanga Tukur who was thought by President Jonathan and his vice as strong enough to get them another ticket even if the governors feel otherwise.
The defeat of President Jonathan and his men in the Forum has further infuriated both the villa and Wadata House and what we have seen since then is one form of blunder or the other. Rotimi Amaechi was immediately suspended after the victory on a stupid ground that he was petitioned by the leadership of his party from his state. Though the suspension was since voided by the court in Port Harcourt, the Abuja gang does not seem prepared to respect that court order.
As if that was not tragic enough, the party went ahead and suspended Wamakko while he was out of the country on official engagement. His return shocked the political Nigeria and further exposed the weaknesses of the NWC of the party. It was clear that if the thinking of Bamanga Tukur was that all those PDP Governors who refused to tow the Jonathan line would be intimidated, the old man is dead wrong. Wamakko’s return and the tumultuous welcome he received in Sokoto was one statement while the recalcitrance of other non compliant PDP Governors on Bamanga’s leadership of the party and the resultant actions he is taking are clear messages to the fact that the PDP is on its way out.
I wish Goodluck Jonathan and those desperate for his presidency post 2015 are intelligent enough to understand the context and meanings of the developments in both the party and the polity. A careful reassessment of the scenario may suggest that the need for a new strategy and approach to resolve the issues is necessary and not a matter of pleasure or discretion.
It will take serious political brinkmanship to make the PDP work again. The split among its rank is a ready fact in point. Majority of its governors including many among those at the moment who play the errand are simply buying time to save their desires in the event that the bull in the China shop does not do the expected destruction.
People are of the view that perhaps the Sokoto reversal may be a pointer to the party leadership that it is confused, but my take on that is that they are already wounded and they seem to be out of their senses, the likely thing to happen is that they will continue to make more mistakes.
I read on a Facebook page during the week where someone wrote in response to the speculation that the presidency had asked Bamanga and the NWC of the party to resign Thursday, that, may it not be true because the ouster of Bamanga Tukur now could salvage what is left of the PDP. The author prayed that Bamanaga should continue for some time because he will ultimately take the party to its grave.
The last time the PDP was in such a mess was when General Obasanjo tried to route out his deputy, Atiku Abubakar, and he connived with the party leadership and deregistered all its members.  Again we are not good learners. Most of those who were used in that scheme have since regretted the roles they played in the entire episode. I am sure too that Bamanga Tukur and other cohorts of today would equally regret the roles they are playing in trying to entrench selfish desires into what ordinarily ought to be free flow of political enterprise.
The Wamakko example simply confirms the fact that the Governors can collectively deal with any short-change from either the party headquarters or the presidency in the quest for over centralization of powers and thus instituting dictatorship. I think the president is gradually inching to dictatorship and he is of the view that a ready ally is in Bamanga Tukur.
They are wrong. They may as much as possible continue to deploy the numerous powers and resources of state in their mischief but at the end of the day, the will of the majority must prevail. This is what democracy means. The party must pay attention to performance and not evoking cheap sentiments as it used to come to power.
What has President Jonathan done in the last years with the mandate? It is not enough for anybody or group to continue to hide under the toga of tribe, region and religion as covers for incapacity and failure. The failures are evident and they manifest in the crack within the party. I am optimistic that at the end of the day, the forces of truth shall triumph over those of falsehood and deceit.
The PDP should respect the verdict of the Port Harcourt Court which voided Amaechi’s suspension. As for Wamakko, sun yi amai sun lashe.