The government you elect is the government you deserve – Thomas Jefferson
The author of our opening quote this week, Thomas Jefferson, has a unique history in American politics. He was the first Secretary of State under the first President of America, George Washington, the Second Vice President of the US under the second US President John Adams, and the third President of America from 1801 to 1809. He is the author of the American Declaration of Independence. The lesson for us in his opening quote above, as it relates to our conversation this week, is that if the Nigerian opposition fails to coalesce, they get what they deserve, not what they desire.
The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum, and the Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammad, therefore, deserves some pity in his lone voice on the revitalization of his party project. The Governor has been unrepentant in his push to have either former President Goodluck Jonathan or Peter Obi as the only two potential aspirants whose candidacy can revive and send the party back to Aso Rock in 2027.
The Governor’s position looks pragmatic but unachievable with the current leadership of the party, which is copiously engrossed in the Bola Tinubu project. Some profound and perceptive PDP leaders across the country are unanimous that the swift road to reviving the PDP is by luring the most popular southern presidential aspirant in the country today, who happens to be Peter Obi, to pick the party’s 2027 presidential ticket, and Senator Mohammad has been at the forefront to make this happen. But there are some enormous and near-insurmountable clogs on the wheel of the party at the moment that could avert that laudable dream. Even Governor Mohammad’s colleague Governors are clearly not on the same page with him on this, as their unanimity is only in their names and perhaps in the uniform they wear at each of the meetings they rotate among themselves, which has become a windrow dressing for yet-to-be-produced goods.
For instance, all the first-term governors of the party are more concerned about their second term than the so-called revitalisation of the party. To them, President Bola Tinubu’s offer of protection and election delivery is more reassuring and a better bird in hand than the Jonathan or Obi dream. The second term governors prefer doing business with the man who will forgive them their sins when their immunity expires. No other party aside from the APC has opened its doors to crimes and criminalities because it possesses the corruption-enhancing cleansing brooms.
Against this backdrop, therefore, can the main opposition PDP sincerely qualify to be called an opposition party? Is the party with its current pilots in the nation’s political landscape still eligible to be categorised as an opposition party? Finding answers to these questions will form the premise underpinning our conversation in Political Musing this week. The excitement generated by the PDP zoning its President to the South in 2027, in line with the prevailing circumstances, is trying to superficially remove the undercurrent that the party is being held captive by Aso Rock.
The opposition generally is in disarray with the disruptive fire coming from Aso Rock.
A renowned journalist and boss of Tell Newsmagazine, Nosa Igiebor,
writing in the newsmagazine’s current September edition in an article titled “Who Will Stand Up For Nigeria?” noted: “Nigeria is in a very bad place and primed for real change. But the question is who will lead the change for the desperately desired change….All we’re getting now are arrogant boasts of the ruling party and empty noise of the opposition.” Igiebor goes further to reason saying, “Peter Obi arguably the most credible among the opposition’s presidential aspirants…if they’re really serious about making the elections as the people versus the ruling party, he should be supported by all of them to front their joint ticket.”
That pro bono advisory from a sincere analytical mind like Igiebor should have propelled the main opposition PDP to take the lead by creating a joint ticket holder in Peter Obi as being pushed by the Chairman of their Governor’s Forum.
But as it is today, only a politician primed to hit the dyke will, after appraising what is going on in the main opposition PDP, still want to do business with them in their current fake opposition garment. You can take it to the bank that the PDP’s political godfather today is in Aso Rock and his name and address are Bola Ahmad Tinubu of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).
As a political reality, the PDP, as currently structured ahead of 2027, has only one father who is in Aso Rock, and hallowed is his name in the circles of most of the party leadership. They are already praying for his second term to come in 2027, as did his first term in 2023, and they’re seeking his daily bread. Anybody trying to portray PDP in any garb outside this is either faking or living in denial. PDP lost its manhood needed for opposition duty long ago and nothing can be done clinically to restore it with the current leadership of the party. Except for Governor Bala and one or two names, all those who are busy pretending to be working for the revival of the party are dancing ‘owambe’ melodies being played from Aso Rock. Taking the National Convention of the party to Ibadan was the final onslaught to cement the agenda.
What those political leaders asking the current PDP leadership to suspend or expel Nyesom Wike from the party for multiple anti-party activities are seeking knowingly or unknowingly is tantamount to telling riggers of election to punish their sponsors. It would be difficult using even microscopic lenses to get any of the current PDP leadership not entrapped in Tinubu/Wike’s largesse. What is obvious like a crystal ball is that the PDP under its current leadership lacks the balls to spill the beans even if they wished to do so, but certainly not with a dangerous Father Christmas like Wike who is ready to unveil everything. Therefore one may be right to say that they are held captive, a price that goes when dining with the devil with a short spoon.
What those holding PDP down now have designed is a decoy where all eyes and abuse will be on Nyesom WIKE while the others are executing the agenda. They are creating artificial fights and abuses on Wike, they are creating a designed fight among themselves, but all are playing assigned roles in favour of their father, who is in Aso Rock. Call them NWC members, BOT members, Elders, and Governors, only a few are really not working for their father in Aso Rock and they know those people and will isolate them at the appropriate times. Now, the picture may seem like Wike is fretting over a seeming loss of some portion of his power to Seyi Makinde or a picture of Damagun fighting with Wike and now compensated with substantive Chairman in a position he illegally acquired from the North Central zone. As Wike and Makinde share the two critical offices of the party, the National Chairman and the National Secretary in the eyes of the public, you need some political sagacity and acuity to know that they all have one father sitting in Aso Rock.
This assertion may be denied, and some are even ready to swear by either the Quran or the Bible, but they are already entrapped in Tinubu’s game. Politicians are known for exploiting the mercy of God, so they can swear by the holy book and do otherwise believing that the merciful lord will also forgive them for their transgressions and villainy. Recall that in this country, we witnessed a serving Governor from Zamfara state publicly swear by Allah’s name that he should be punished if he ever leaves PDP to another political party, but not long after, he dumped PDP for APC.
It’s the abundant mercy of God that Nigerian politicians hang on to swindle the populace.
For instance, if the entire leadership of PDP today, -NWC, NEC, BOT, Elders, and Governors were to be taken to an instant killer deity like the Okija shrine to swear an oath if they are not working for Tinubu, 75% of them will run away and decline to take the oath. The truth is that notwithstanding whatever name they now give to the rebranding of the PDP, the fact remains that the party’s situation is irretrievable.
Strangely at the end of the day, when the chips are down, Wike might be the better sinner in this raging PDP imbroglio. Why? Because of all Wike’s misdemeanours, he has remained open. Hardly will anybody fall into Wike’s trap because he is so loud and mouthy to warn you of the arrival of his mischief. He induces you, documents it, and is ready to expose you if you fail to live by whatever you collected. That’s why leaders are mum.
Wike has mirrored himself as the only political evil that we all know because his own battle is foretold. A foretold war does not consume a cripple because he had all the time to crawl out of the danger zone. Atiku Abubakar long ago knew Wike was his nemesis but got entrapped by the deceits from other pretenders who were playing him until the last minute when he discovered they were all working for Wike. After Atiku exited from the party they have now channelled their energy fighting to stop Peter Obi and Goodluck Jonathan. Rather than think of how to grow and revive their party, their agenda is how to collect the huge largesse flowing from Aso Rock. Since neither Obi nor Jonathan is going to indulge in such corruption, the door is already shut on them, notwithstanding the efforts of Governor Mohammed, who is sincerely making frantic efforts to get a winnable candidate for the party amid entrenched Aso Rock loyalists.
So, the real PDP nemesis are those who visit Villa in the night and are in Wadata House in the morning camouflaging as PDP transformers when indeed they are the party’s destroyers. God help our democracy from the hands of treacherous leaders.
