No easy way to wish PDP good riddance

Now don't get me wrong. It's not as if to all intents and purposes that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP is all that nonsense. Well, not exactly. It is just that the way they carried themselves, making enemies of brothers; filing for divorce between spouses; allowing impunity to be the norm and of course, celebrating or tolerating cluelessness just can't suffice for a party. It's been long they lost the plot. It was just that there was little opposition. They mastered the art of deception, especially the art of deceiving other political parties into joining their government, and eventually party. They also mastered the art of deceiving the people. The masses were made to feel that without PDP nothing good or bad can happen to Nigeria. While it lasted it was a “how I hate to love you” kind of scenario.

But at inception that party held so much promises. First, it was a bulwark to show the military that the civilians mean business. Next, it was made up of some of our aging best minds. It was a collection of the best and brightest, who survived the long years of the military. That party also had good programmes, the kind of programme that has always been neglected here- the very simple earthy ones. That party had men and women of will. And oh God, there was cash! Plenty of cash but since some of the early callers at the PDP table long departed and with a political class that had been weaned of cash for a very uncomfortable long time, the cash was the means to an end. While the 'god founders' of PDP looked into the letters of their manifesto, the young looked at the letters and signs of the denomination.

Before long, we were hearing “legislators did not come to Abuja to spread poverty”. That was the first “quotable quote” from my own very dear Oyi of Oyi, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo. The man who later became the president of the senate was angry following outrage across the nation following debate over N5 Million furniture allowance to senators. His quotable quote was enough to summarise the intention of the constituents of the incoming regime. Of course, I remember the former Power minister under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Chief Bola Ige getting chastised by his former friend and then minister of Internal Affairs, Sunday Afolabi that he was invited into the PDP government to “come and chop”. Ige was of the Alliance for Democracy but found the nerve to work with the PDP-led administration somehow.

Another instance I will not forget in a hurry, is the admonition to defected PDP members following their calamitous loss in the general elections by President Goodluck Jonathan. He told party members to retrace their steps from the All Progressives Congress, APC now that it is early days yet. According to the president, “they will return (to PDP) with empty stomach”. Ladies and gentlemen that has been the long and short of PDP. Everything started and ended from the mouth to the stomach. It is this mindset contrary to that of its founding fathers that got them alienated from the masses over time. They continually dipped their filthy fingers into the common vault and their greed became insatiable. Today, we are in debt of over $60 billion in a country that eight years ago exited the stranglehold of creditors. Worse still, there's hardly any monument to ascribe such huge debt. Instead, what we have as infrastructure is there for everyone to see. Today, for example, there is no better way to put this economic and social meltdown than to call it a national security concern because there is no public electricity supply, no petrol, no diesel, and no aviation fuel. Yet, we still have a government.

That the country has been grounded is putting it mildly. The country's position right now is a perfect summation of what that party has done to Nigeria for the past 16 years. Therefore, you can understand the joy that I feel as they wash their dirty clothes in the out. Initially, they blamed their defeat on Prof Attahiru Jega's treachery (?). But now they blame themselves, even in the open. Their National Working Committee, NWC blamed the party's presidential campaign council for relying on negative campaign to win; while the presidential campaign spokesperson has stated that indeed it was the other way round. They claim the NWC in effect backed the opposition to defeat itself. Confusion! They call for resignation of NWC members to pave way for regeneration, however, they failed to recognise the real issues. The real issue is the impunity culture that is the lot of PDP adherents. The second reason is the leader of the party. The leader has no grasp of what it means to lead. President Jonathan failed as president and as leader of his party, otherwise, there is no way in the world where you will pick a Femi Fani-Kayode to be a presidential campaign spokesperson judging by his public records.

As things stand, PDP has been reduced to a regional party. It will be the 9th wonder of the world if that party regains its name to put up challenge for central governance. It will do better to do well at the states they control. Conversely, it will do better when it collaborates with other associations to form a fairly big party. And this will come with change of name. Even if APC performs badly as a government, the best PDP can get is a mere challenge. Probably they will return in another eight years like the amoeba that it is to push what will amount to a fruitless exercise. It is the party that killed its goodwill and that is where I will anchor today by asking the APC to learn from the very many banana peels that are arrayed around it. First things first, APC should get a foot in the door of restoration to win the masses over by identifying toxic problems and turn them to quick wins.

For now, PDP's squabbles, which led to its chairman and BOT chair resigning are good for our democracy. When you don't have what it takes, you are flushed down the toilet of ignominy. Bye-bye, PDP!

#uppercrust