Stop Heating The Polity

Editorial

Editorial

Since 28 March and 11 April, 2015 when the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, lost the Presidential and governorship elections in most of the states, the leaders of the party have been at daggers drawn with one another. They have engaged in an endless blame game over who caused the disastrous performance of the party at the polls. They did not prepare for what hit them because they believed they will rule Nigeria for eternity.

Rather than engage in introspection and positively plan how to regain power in 2019 by being a virile and credible opposition to the All Progressives Congress, APC, what we have witnessed is mass defection of PDP members to APC, bellyaching and the unnecessary heating of the polity by leaders of PDP.

The defeat is so bitter to swallow that the National Chairman of the party, Adamu Mu’azu, is being villified and made the scape goat by some of the party leaders who blamed him for the defeat. PDP governors have also asked him to resign. Mu’azu has fired back, saying he cannot be used and dumped.

The National Working Committee of the party also backs Mu’azu. Others have blamed the aides of President Goodluck Jonathan for the party’s defeat. Jonathan’s men such as Doyin Okupe and Femi Fani-Kayode engaged in hate campaigns and went overboard in attacking the president’s main political opponent, General Muhammadu Buhari of the APC who eventually won the 28 March election.

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The President’s wife, Patience Jonathan, did not help matters either. She acted like her imperial majesty. She called Buhari all sorts of uncouth names during the electioneering campaigns. She conducted herself in a manner unbecoming of the wife of the president.These were inimical to the President’s chances in winning the election as sympathy tilted towards Buhari who eventually carried the day.

PDP should stop crying over spilt milk. Its delusion led to its fatal crash. The party was forced to eat the humble pie because of its larger than life ego. It was known for all kinds of excesses since 1999 and took the people for granted. Despite the desire of Nigerians that the party would retrace its steps and do the right thing, it sank deeper into impunity and lawlessness until it was consumed by these flaws in this year’s general elections.

Unless PDP genuinely admits its faults and works hard to correct them, it may take long time for it to bounce back into reckoning, notwithstanding the assurances of its warring leaders. For now, they should stop chasing shadows and spare Nigerians the bickering that is heating up the polity. Passing the buck will only deepen the animosity the failure at the polls has created among the leadership and members of the party.

Now that the party knows how it feels to be roundly defeated at the polls, its elected representatives and the states where the party has governors should work hard to serve the people rather than feather their own nest so that they could win the support of the people and be re-elected in the next elections.

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