Since the emergence of the All Progressive Peoples Congress (APC) few weeks ago, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has not been itself.
Though stalwarts of the party have continued to pretend that all is well. Prior to the emergence of APC, even during talks among the federating parties, namely the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), All Progressive Grand Alliance, (APGA) and the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, the PDP has gotten the danger signal and started shivering or better still strategizing.
First it was the resignation of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the former President of the country as chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT), with no tangible reason.
In quick succession, the squabble between the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukru and the National Working Committee over the constitution/annulment of Congresses conducted in Adamawa state, his home state. That issue almost crippled the operations of the often self-acclaimed largest party in Africa.
As if that was not enough, problem of the Nigeria Governor’s Forum (NGF) headed by the Governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi started. It started with the NGF dragging the Federal Government to court over oil subsidy/sharing of excess crude and degenerated into rumours of Amaechi planning to vie for the Vice President post in the 2015 general election. This remains an unfounded rumour until the recent National Good Governance Tour, led by the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku. In day three of the tour which usually ends with town hall meeting, a question put across to Governor Amaechi on his planned presidential bid, come 2015 burst the bubble. Not mindful of the implication of the question, the governor fell to the bait by admitting publicly that he is qualified to contest any elective political position in the country, thereby letting the cat out of the bag.
This singular blunder possibly made the Presidency, led by Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to conclude that Amaechi was out to unseat him.
And since the NGF has been accused of becoming too powerful and hot to handle, the presidency had no option than to fight back. The first tactics it employed was to neutralize the powers of the influential chairman of NGF by setting up a parallel body, called PDP Governors’ Forum, headed by another resourceful son of Niger Delta and governor of Akwa Ibom State, Chief Godswill Akpabio. A simple mathematics shows that if we minus over 20 PDP governors from 36, you have an insignificant number that stand as the NGF members.
Not done with its defence (attack), the presidency moved to remove Amaechi as NGF Chairman proper, though the plot did not succeed instantly, the evil day was postponed to May, 2013.
The presidency also went ahead to re-elect Chief Tony Anenih as BOT chairman to fill the vacuum created by the exit of Chief Obasanjo. Though the party’s explanation was to prepare for the task ahead. Political watchers view it as a policy somersault. Whatever be the case, we see the PDP recent actions as a ‘crab dance’ which can neither be defined nor described. The fact remains that the emergence of APC has thrown shivers, suspicion and caution into the camp of the much touted largest party in Africa. APC has sounded it loud and clear that they are tired and sick about the rulership style of PDP in Nigeria and are out to unmask the big masquerade, come 2015. Going by the current happening in the country, mostly as it concerns security, Nigerians are equally saying that they are fed up with the rulership style of the PDP. As the journey to 2015 begins, all hands should be on deck to ensure that only credible leaders or parties are voted to power. Gone are the days when political parties blindfold voters with frivolities to earn their support.
As the events unfold, we urge Nigerians to be more vigilant and wiser, bearing in mind that our decision today is capable of making or marring our future and generation unborn.###
