The Peoples Democratic Party has always managed to drag itself to fringes of disastrous fall since its chequered existence as a political party 18 years ago. Its penchant for mistakes expresses its calamity prone characteristics wielded at all levels of the party. It is however interesting to note that at the national level of the party sits the worst assembly of politicians loaded with personal ambition with zero interest of collective aspiration.
It is indeed pertinent to intimate that the floodgate of self based interest, reckless greed, over bloated ego, pride, impunity, disconnect from the people pushed the PDP out of its soaring political height. We may therefore recall that the erstwhile ruling party was accorded similar goodwill the All Progressives Congress is presently enjoying on account of prolong military rule.
After losing elections in its most disastrous outing in 2015, the PDP managed to stay firm in the news for awkward reasons. First major gaffe was the emergence of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as acting chairman, which snowballed into a parallel convection that has quickly and sharply divided the ailing party. It is however disturbing how the party managed to allow a character like Sheriff to take over its leadership in the first place.
Nigerians may recall that the impunity of the PDP is often evident in the personalities that manage affairs of the party. Bamanga Tukur will be remembered as an emperor who was only successful in dragging the party political enterprise to the morgue. He didn’t act alone, he was assisted by then government at the center to embark on senseless internal “cleansing” which later gave APC political advantage to stage a coup de grace in 2015.
What the PDP lacks in managing its once upon a time politically rich deposit in terms of human and perception resource, experience, exposure of politicians from that party cannot be undermined. The party went down based on impunity. The unfolding rattling in the party may present an image of a people who have failed to learn from their mistakes. That may not completely be true.
It is instructive to understand that the intense heat in the PDP only directs to a formation that might rise from the ashes of self inflicted setback to saddle back to life politically. The reformation process of the party may be replete with gaps, gaffes, but the will power of those who people think have been silenced cannot be ignored once they channel their energy from selfish ambitions.
Already the George Orwel “sugar candy” mounting the APC promised Nigerians is becoming elusive, condition of living increasingly difficult and the future completely unpredictable. It is therefore not surprising that many Nigerians who voted for the change administration are among persons keenly watching the drama unfolding in the PDP. As the opposition is now taking advantage to herald a new slogan “Change the Change”.
They may not like the PDP based on the experience of the “locust years”, but until the APC change its economic strategy, not many illiterates will understand that aside some badly timed policies like deregulation of the oil sector, hike in electricity tariff, that the fortune of our crude oil based economy has cascaded.
With the hopes of many dashed and poverty flying through the roof, and insurgency, militancy tearing though the muscle fibre of the society, the APC might not stand a chance if all that continues. Sadly, people are beginning to see through the “excellent” propaganda of the APC government. They had a lot to feast on based on the gaffes of the PDP, interestingly they never relented on propaganda after wining election, a tactless strategy that has indeed turned around to hunt them.
Nigerians have come to realize that the APC led government is not only good at propaganda but is doing well hunting corrupt “PDP” politicians. People have also come to realize that government at the center have managed to change most of their promises. Nigerians have even started doubting the war on corruption and insurgency.
Sadly, Amina Ali, one of the Chibok girls found recently has been dubbed a charade, a propaganda twist to force attention from the ongoing national strike by the Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC). Who can blame them, when Amina suddenly appeared on the first day of the strike and the wife of the president also shared N55m to victims and families of Boko Haram insurgents? The APC is alleged to be using propaganda to cover up for “poor performance” at the center.
A lot has happened to Nigerians in the past years of our nations democratic experience. The worst part is playing politics with human lives. Former president Goodluck Jonathan lost all his political fortune when he failed to manage the “politically” induced insurgency in the North eastern states. Whether the one he allegedly was involved in or the one thrown at him to smear his image, the collateral damage is the cost to human lives.
The Niger Delta Avengers is allegedly raised to distract president Muhammadu Buhari led administration. Nigerians, and their social, political and economic prebend is whittled and the blood coated political strategies of our politicians have indeed come to stay. Sadly, Buhari may have to grapple with insurgency from the North and militancy from the South.
With the recent “ armed Fulani herders” onslaught on hapless Nigerians spreading like wild fire across the country, it is clear Buhari is on a sloppy path towards losing goodwill among his supporters in the monolithic south. Definitely, it’s a political battle taken to the homes of poor Nigerians by politicians for their political interests. For the Nigerian victims, it can only be “Buharis fault”, just as it was “Jonathans fault”.
Democracy has come to stay in Nigeria. Whether APC or PDP, the climes are changing, the people are becoming stronger, more enlightened and capable to gravitating towards a direction that provides better condition of living. Once again, under the present circumstance, regardless of the present economic reality, once the storm blows off, the PDP might become the next political alternative if there is no respite for the poor.
. Ebije can be reached via ebije05@gmail.com or @ebijeisrael.