A DEATH WISH FOR PDP
The emergence of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in our political landscape created a lot of hope. The party presented itself as a vessel for the nation's dreams, a hope for a country ready to believe again in its future. At the end of the day, the party turned out to be the country's worst nightmare. Under PDP, moments of authentic happiness was vanishingly rare. A sense of defeat, of chaos utterly unredeemed by wisdom or solace or a deeper order dogged our experience under the party. Our lives were tarnished and truncated by forces of darkness.
Olusegun Obasanjo was a plague in human form. He is a negatively experienced adult, who worked hard to create poverty and lawlessness. During his eight year tenure, justice became injustice, growing like poisonous weeds in a ploughed field. He fervently refused to plant righteousness and immorality became the order of the day. The man wasted our precious years hounding his personal enemies instead of the enemies of the Nigerian state. He was busy invoking the name of God when his actions were far from godliness. I salute the heroism of poor Nigerian who never gave up hope. The party still represents irrationality and greed. The party is dangerously resistant to change. Never again will such a heartless party govern this country.
Then came Goodluck Jonathan; the man who killed the beauty of power. The man who insisted that stealing is not corruption. Jonathan will be remembered as a man who clearly refused to take courageous action. He brought himself and Nigeria down by his cluelessness. When he came to power, he reminded us about how depraved he was during his formative years. We all believed the man from Ijaw land will be a massive help to the poor of the land. We hoped he will provide shoes for the have-nots. We thanked the Lord for anointing a man we will alleviate our sufferings. At the end of the day, Jonathan turned out to be a huge apology. We were shocked when he increased fuel prices on a New Year day. According to Pastor Tunde Bakare, it is only a wicked man who could have done that. He allowed corruption to flourish like a palm tree. Under him, the nation was racked by intractable economic anxiety.
I was never moved by Jonathan's fake graciousness. His courtly solicitousness was a ploy to deceive Nigerians. At the end of the day, the bottom fell out of the economy. He failed to work for God by not lifting his hand to fight for the poor. The Holy book is awash on how much God loves the poor. He is looking for men and women that will help in reaching out to the poor. By refusing to tackle corruption, Jonathan failed God and mankind. He went ahead to sow the wind, he is now reaping a storm. The story is the same in almost all the states of the federation. They governors lied to the people and raped them economically. The true religion of PDP is poverty. It is a loutish party.
APC as a party is infinitely more patriotic and empathetic toward the people. The party has a hardheaded assessment of what will make our economy grow. The party is now set in the business of managing the economy, creating jobs, fighting corruption and removing the remnants of the old regime. I am enthused by President Buhari's powers of reason and his believe in his platonic ideal of policy that has always defined him. We now have a president who does not go the way of the herd. He is now trying to create order out of chaos. With his military pedigree, he believes in a deliberative process of decision making, a disciplined evaluation of costs and benefits and above all an instinctive fell for the power of strategic restraint.
Buhari has started well by casting a harsh spotlight on the nation's injustices. The problem of leadership in Nigeria is starkly a question of moral and political courage. And I am happy that Nigerians are receptive to his declaration of moral purpose. For all his personal emollience, Buhari most outstanding asset remain his zero tolerance for corruption. Under him, Boko Haram is losing steam and their ability to harm and kill is diminishing. He has been accused of been slow like a snail. I just think he is acting on a cold calculus of national interest. Buhari is a potent architect for a changing Nigeria.
Written by Ikechukwu Orji.
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