The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and by extension the political opposition in Nigeria are still basking in the euphoria of the legal victory against self at the Supreme Court. PDP had power thrusted to it by benevolent spirit when the military shot itself in the foot by annulling the election that was adjudged as the most credible in our electoral history. The party had the rare opportunity of remaining in power for unbroken 16 years. During this period, there was no conscious effort to improve the lot of the country and people; and not even the party. Impunity was the name of the game as candidates for elective offices were anointed godsons chosen by a cabal who manipulate the electoral process. Internal democratic practices were lacking and party leaders were laws unto themselves.
The founding fathers of the party were eminent Nigerians in their own right but could hardly be said to be with tested altruistic pan Nigeria agenda. The party is made up of political merchants and journeymen who are in politics for bread and butter without more. PDP was initially bank-rolled and chaperoned by its military overlords as merely a political machine for electoral victory with sole aim of capturing power. This remained constant on their political voyage as a ruling party. This is the reason why the party had a militarized psyche with rapacious appetite ravaging the entire country with impunity eating up the seed and seedlings.
The economic model of the PDP was thievery and brigandage which was carried to the level of rascality during the tenure of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. Nigerian people became disillusioned and disenchanted with the PDP and especially President Jonathan who in spite of his very good nature and humility was profoundly incompetent, losing grip of the government.
President Jonathan became a victim of manipulation by his military chiefs and political hawks who took advantage of his naivety of the dynamics of Nigerian politics. He failed to take advantage of the benefit of his political experience from the state to the federal level and was therefore a dumb rookie on a political chessboard. This was the reason why PDP and the President were deserted during the 2015 Presidential election.
The party, not being used to defeat was not able to manage their loss by going back to the drawing board in order to rebrand and rejig the party. To their misfortune, rather than embarking on self critique and appraisal to reposition the party as a credible opposition by rebranding the party decided to shop for a freebooter and hireling who had a different agenda. Ali Modu Sheriff was a creation of opportunistic political schism of the PDP gladiators that turned out as a monster that came to devour what was left of the party.
The lacklustre performance of the APC-led government is not a conferment of credibility or acceptance by the Nigerian people. It is true that under APC’s watch, infrastructure across the country have collapsed especially, road. Electricity is in comatose. These failures of the APC cannot breathe life into the fossil of PDP for electoral gains and victory any time soon. We are still confronted daily with the heist of the PDP led government with the grand expose of the former Oil Minister, Deziani Alison-Madueke, the goddess of waste and her minions. We are confronted with the same old faces and characters who recklessly abused their offices and trust reposed in them as public officers. They do not have the humility to show penitence and remorse and ask Nigerians for forgiveness rather, they are displaying vaunted arrogance that 1919 belongs to them.
APC may have demonstrated so far that it is not a cohesive political party to entrust the destiny of this nation for any progressive change with its lacklustre performance which is ubiquitous, the spectre of 16 years of waste of PDP has refuse to go away as it haunts us from the grave. Whatever we are witnessing today as far as the opposition which is represented by PDP goes, it is the same old wine with its sour taste. As a people, we seem to be where we are by choice because we are the ones who choose these charlatans to be masters and lords over us even when it becomes obvious that they have loss the moral standing to preside over us we immerse ourselves in invocation of fatality and allow them to continue. This is the reason why the National Assembly is appropriating and sequestrating the peoples power to recall a member who has carried himself in a manner that is odious and contrary to their expectation and representation. We will remain in this blind alley as long as we deify rogues as political leaders. No amount of restructuring will change anything if we continue to have the old wine put in a new wineskin. We need a new crop of leaders with change of mentality and attitude before restructuring can transform us to a better future.
- Kebonkwu Esq. is an Abuja-based attorney.