PDP: Wonders shall never end!

Listening to members of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) caucus in the Senate last week reel out complain after complain about either the Department of State Security, DSS perceived clampdown on their members in three states namely: Rivers, Abia and Akwa-Ibom over allegations of electoral corruption and indeed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on-going interrogation of allegations of corruption against certain politically exposed persons, reveals how sadistic human beings can be. It also reveals just how quickly lions of yesterday can switch to lambs of today just because powers have changed hands. That in itself tells the ephemeral nature of power, which is good. On one hand, it should remind All Progressives Congress, APC members that nothing lasts forever, but more importantly it should teach PDP a firm lesson of how not to take people for granted.

With the public show of shame chaperoned by Senate Minority leader, Godswill Akpabio, it is clear therefore that the PDP has not learnt anything and appears not to be interested in learning. The tone and sheer verbosity of their claims during the press conference last week, revealed a party that has not gotten the message yet. It seems, especially with the outing of last week and the rather childish tantrums of Olisa Metuh (PDP’s National Publicity Secretary) lately that the party is in for a long road outside the power centre. The strategy they have adopted in playing what they understand to be opposition politics is rather precarious. They only excite themselves. And that’s the danger. I will offer the advice nonetheless although I believe that PDP is set in their ways, thus will rather self-destroy than adopt reforms that will strengthen it going forward.

The APC needs a virile opposition party that will be a darling of the people of Nigeria. but what I see now is a party that is opposition for itself. They talk for themselves thinking they are having a nightmare and not of a fact that they have lost power in a most disgraceful manner. They think that because they see a lot of folks who used to be with them but are today occupying top positions by the grace of another party then, it therefore means they too are in power by proxy. Mistake! The silliness of it all shows that PDP still thinks the country is still where it left it. No, the country has moved on; because if elections are held today, I can bet that PDP will lose even more votes, seats and states. Nigerians are eager to move away from where PDP dragged us into. That is, they cannot wait for the new party and the president to set sail. Majority of Nigerians don’t want to hear about PDP. Never mind that as at this time, PDP still has its safe zones but it is from that safety I thought the party will re-strategise to offer an alternative by investing a lot of interest in their governors and the kind of bills and policies their representatives bring to the National Assembly table.

I say this because looking at Akpabio complain about being targeted, means in their hearts, they believe that Nigeria should sweep the partisan killings with official support in places like Rivers and Akwa-Ibom under the carpet! Everyday we hear this charge: “Move on, lets make progress, fighting corruption is a drag on the economy”, bla, bla, bla. Please how do you move on with nothing? How do you make progress on an empty stomach? How on earth does the PDP want any government at all to turn a blind eye to the sort of impunity and area boy governance we witnessed in the last five years? Part of our problem as a country, it will seem, is thinking that we don’t have a future. We always think about now forgetting that tomorrow will come. Otherwise, how can politicians in Nigeria today, who have seen how corruption and impunity have almost killed the country, turn around to complain about the war against corruption?

We often think we are the only people on earth wherein we set the standards. I am sorry; there is a global acceptable governance standard and PDP failed woefully. Like Chukwuma Soludo pointed out months ago, PDP under the last administration scored an “F”! If they don’t like this score, then they should bend down to work with their governors to change their perception but if they continue with the ranting of last week, where a certified (alleged) thief is the face of their opposition politics, then PDP can in fact kiss leadership of Nigeria good bye. They are simply saying they are not prepared to change. And if you don’t change, you will be changed. It will get to a situation where the places they are comfortable today will become very hostile tomorrow.

Nobody worth his salt as a human being should constitute himself or herself into a bulwark of sorts to the fight against corruption in Nigeria. The attitude that there is nothing anybody can do about corruption is a fallacy. After all, they also said there is no way PDP can be defeated, but APC did. Everything is possible that’s why we are alive. And for Nigeria to meet its God-given potential, politicians must stop promoting corrupt tendencies. Politicians whether in opposition or the governing party cannot come out to address a press conference to condemn actions taken to amend their evil ways in order to make them conform to acceptable human behaviours. Is there anything honourable about stealing government money? Is there anything good about unleashing thugs and compromised law enforcement agents to kill your opponents during elections as it happened in the three states I listed earlier? If you did not treat others with dignity just a few months ago, how do you turn around now to demand cultured reproach?

He who comes to equity must come with clean hands, so the philosophers say and I agree. PDP should be ashamed of itself if all they can do is to complain when their horrible deeds of stealing and killing is put under a telescope. But we cannot wait for them to reform. Nigeria must do what it has to do to make progress. PDP can whine all it could in the process, after all, they never wished this country will make it.

#uppercrust