Nigerians can attest to the fact that the supposed leading opposition party PDP has not been living up to the expectations of the people. The party lost its ruling powers to the All Progressive Congress in 2015 elections, ever since then the party has not been itself with its live marred with one problem/distraction or the other.
Major actors in the party are facing one criminal charges or the other with the EFCC, DSS or ICPC. Although, public opinions have it that most of the charges are politically motivated by the ruling APC led by President Buhari in his bid to gag the oppositions.
People are of the opinion that President Buhari is using the state instruments to torment, harass and hound opposing voices especially those in the PDP into submission. Critics such as Femi Fani Kayode who was the Director of Media and Publicity in the Jonathan’s campaign organization took his own shares of gag in the hands of Buhari in the underground cell for over 72 days, he was reportedly brutalized by one Islamic fundamentalist worker of the prison for reading the bible. That was an additional punishment for him from those loyal to Buhari.
Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Peter Ayo Fayose is not limited in the Buhari’s game of harassment. Fayose a seating Governor, protected by immunity as enshrined in the Nigeria’s Constitution was reportedly banned by Buhari’s Administration from travelling to overseas.
All of this harassment was due to their criticism of Buhari’s flaws ranging from economy mismanagement, intolerance of oppositions, despotic postures, inability to unite Nigerians and the use of too much of propaganda than real governance.
Summing these attitudes of Buhari’s administration in treating the opposition, one will wonder why the mad rush for the Wadata House, but in my own view, PDP seems to still remain the biggest party in Africa owing to its deep-rooted membership across all states and affiliated branches scattered all around the world.
The recent imbroglio between the embattled National Chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and the National Caretaker Committee Chairman Senator Ahmed Makarfi is another major reason one will be wondering why the mad rush for the Wadata House, if truly PDP is a dead party as those in APC are positing, I wonder why these gladiators would be fighting tooth and nail to hold on to one position or the other within the party.
In fact, some cases are pending in court to determine who is truly the chairman and capable of holding forte for the party in the eyes of the law.
The mad rush started when the party asked Dr. Adamu Muazu to resign from the office as the then National Chairman when he was alleged to have been involved in anti-party affairs. Chief Uche Secondus was drafted in as the acting Chairman.
After series of permutations, former Borno State Governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff who was alleged to be the mastermind and sponsor of Boko Haram was announced as the interim Chairman. This action of the party drew wide range of criticism among Nigerians, party members and international media like the CNN.
It was rumored that Sheriff was enthroned by Rivers and Ekiti state Governors Chief Wike and Fayose, when Sheriff got hold of powers; he became intoxicated with a stay put attitude. He began to play the people that enthroned him into power after his 3 months tenor expired. The agreement according to sourced information was that he will not contest in the convention that will see to the emergence of a new Chairman, these rules were violated by Sheriff, hence the trouble and numerous court injuctions started, as the battle continues the NCC has gone ahead to schedule a new date for National convention but Sheriff is still kicking that it would not hold.
A new date for National Convention has been set for August 17th and billed to take place in the oil rich Rivers State under the chairmanship of Chief Nyelsome Wike. A lot of gladiators such as Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Chief Bode George, Jimi Agbaje, Otunba Gbenga Daniels and others are going to be doing the mad rush for the Wadata House control.
At this rate of political bickering in PDP, one must as a matter of fact chill and watch the direction things are going. For example, in Lagos a father and his political son are sharply divided over the chairmanship seat in the Wadata House. These rush is making many of us to be so curious with probing questions like, is PDP that powerful to warrant the mad rush we are seeing?
I honestly hope for the best candidate to emerge with the mind of re-positioning, reforming and returning the parties to the winning ways which will help Nigerians come out of the current deadly chains of Buhari and his APC.
One man I have seen to enjoy such expectations from both the old and young party members cut across all states in Nigeria is Pharm. Jimi Agbaje.
Adela Adobe is a blogger, Political/Social commentator who writes from Lagos Nigeria. He tweets Via @AdelajaAdeoye on Twitter.