Governors’ Influence In Emergence Of Pdp Leadership
Governors from every political platform in the country have always called it shot in any national political decisions of their parties. The recent emergence of the national leadership of People’s Democratic Party led by Uche Secundus has only gone to show that despite the experience of the past, it is still business as usual.
The question on every lip is the relevance of the slogan of the party which is ‘power to the people’. In the light of the too familiar realities within the context of this democratic experience where governors are the only people who actually own the power, can we justifiably say that power still belongs to the people? What we witnessed in Abuja had all the trappings and intrigues of emperors who directed their citizens on what to do.
The bitter reality here is that history has continued to remain in the dustbins. Are we such a people with pathological short memories? We are a people who would always blame our faults on others, and that is why I would not be surprised if we keep recycling the same mistakes in the same circumstance.
Would we truly say that what transpired during the PDP’s elective convention was the true reflection of the collective wishes of the supposed ‘power holders ‘? I mean the common party faithful. Is it every time the destiny of the party would always be left in the hands of their Excellencies?
How successful have they steered the boat of the party so far? Since the inception of this 4th republic in 1999, we have continued to witness how people’s aspirations have been ruthlessly truncated by a few leaders. This is what many call impunity; this was what cost the party the presidency in 2015. Unfortunately, it appears as if the same thing is menacingly waiting again at the threshold of 2019.
Let us quickly look at just a few instances where governors’ unbearing influence has been leading the party since 2014. For instance while the stakeholders were still consulting whether Dr. Jonathan was going to be the candidate of the party in 2015, the PDP governors’ forum rose from its meeting with a unilateral decision to make the then incumbent president a sole candidate of the party. They forced his candidacy down everyone’s throat, blackmailing and hectoring until they had their way. Some dissenting voices were tagged Judas or traitors. The story of how GEJ lost that election is now a history no one has learnt anything from, but he who fails to learn from history, would have it always repeated.
Secondly, following the defeat of the party’s candidate in 2015, and the eventual resignation of the party’s national chairman Mr. Muazu, a vacuum was created. The corollary permutation and confusion at that time culminated in the formation of the caretaker committee to handle the affairs of the party. Contrary to all voices of reasons that recommended caution in the choice of Modu Sheriff, the governors particularly Fayose and Wike, ignored all the warnings and still went ahead to foist him on the party. The trauma, travails, anxiety and ensuing court cases that characterized his about two years foray in PDP are now history. Yet instead of those who forced him on the party being remorseful, they went on to accuse the ruling APC as planting a mole in the person of Sheriff to work against the party, the rest is now history.
But this history has refused to belong to the past, it is still staring everyone in the face. Again after a few months back, when the intervention of the country’s apex court saved the party from imminent collapse, the same narrative is about to reenact itself. Would you call this coincidence or providence that the same governors who imposed Sheriff on the party are still the same people who have foisted the present leadership on the party. In fact Gov Fayose was seen openly campaigning for the chairmanship candidature of Secundus and Gov Wike himself never hid the fact that he actually brought him- Secundus for the job.
While they have done a very impressive work in convincing their counterparts in other states to support their candidate and were also able to garner such massive support for him, we only wish that the past experience would never resurface in the days ahead. But their visible partiality was not a healthy one. Assuming either Dokpesi or Adeniran won that election, would they be able to work with either of them, judging from the level of partisanship displayed by them before and on the convention ground?
Let the winners not soak themselves long in the euphoria of victory for true victory would only come in winning the 2019 presidential election.
In the build-up to the election year, let the leadership of the party show genuine effort in reconciling all the aggrieved party men. South West, for instance should be appeased as they appear to have lost out of PDP power play. That chairmanship position should have been zoned to them, if PDP sincerely wants to stamp its feet in that zone again. Be it as it may, the party has spoken through the poll and therefore all members should give the current leadership their maximum cooperation. This is necessary if we need a credible opposition as the watch-dog to the ruling APC government.