Perusing the unfounded claims of maltreatment by the former leaders of new PDP in the APC as contained in their letter to the APC National Chairman, brought to fore one of the Africa’s philosophical standpoint, which is the understanding of the implications of romancing the devil for the purpose of achieving desired accomplishments.
The salient campaign strategies by the two major contenders at the 2015 presidential election were premised on opposition’s attack against the then ruling PDP for entrenching impunity in the system to a level where public funds were pocketed by political office holders and their allies, with unprecedented rate of corruption in Nigeria. While the then opposition APC assured the electorate of correcting the anomalies the then ruling PDP resorted to spending spree to sway the minds of the electorate.
Prior to the merger of forces to form APC, there were serious challenges in the activities of the then Governors’ Forum where President Jonathan supported Governor Jonah Jang to declare faction against Governor Rotimi Amaechi leadership, this led to witch hunt of five PDP governors that eventually joined forces with the then opposition party. The effort of Nigerians that supported the change mantra was rubbished by the letter to APC National Chairman by the new PDP.
The letter signed by Kawu Baraje and former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola dated 8th May, 2018 it claimed they delivered their states to the APC at the presidential polls as if the electorate who are not registered members of political parties had no stake at that election.
Their claims can be classified as “impious villains” for claims of making the difference through sacrifice which they claimed was never acknowledged by President Muhammadu Buhari. President Buhari is renowned for his standpoints of integrity and fairness as premise for appointments. Back to memory lane, the new PDP were already ostracized by the then leadership of PDP that created alternatives to them in their respective states.
In a state like Rivers, it degenerated to physical attacks while the four other states were tensed for the new PDP members to sustain their previous grip within the PDP, hence finding solace in the avalanche of opportunity in the change mantra offered by the opposition parties that formed APC.
In contrast to the dubious claim of aiding the victory of APC at the presidential election in North-west and North-central in 2015, the results of previous elections in these zones where Buhari earlier contested showed that, he is well loved by commoners who always stand by his aspirations.
The results in 2015 when compared with the 2011 election, where Buhari contested on the platform of CPC without the support of the new PDP, exposed their machinations, preset trajectory and subterfuge to jettison the APC platform for want of unmerited glory and undeserved grip on the structures of APC at all levels and wield influence over the presidency in an unholy manner as shown in their grief mentioned in the letter.
To dispel the fraudulent claims, one of the core leaders of the new PDP Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso was openly abandoned by the new PDP at the national convention in Lagos in 2014, where they claimed they supported the candidacy of Buhari at the presidential primaries.
By abandoning a member of the new PDP at that primaries by those complaining of marginalisation today, does it not amount to hypocrisy as the so-called new PDP no longer exist in principles?
Shortly after the emergence of the APC, the noise and actions of the new PDP formation in APC had caused more damage than good with regular complaints against the personality of President Buhari, whom they earlier succeeded to pitch against the rallying figure and foremost leader of APC Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The Senate President has been in an unholy romance with most of the personalities under probe, which to a great extent has ridiculed the image of the Senate.
They claim maltreatment in APC simply because majority are supporting change of the leadership of the APC National Working Committee, where the new PDP holds sway to an extent with Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, an appendage of the Senate President, who emerged as APC publicity secretary without opposition by those they are painting in bad light today. But because their mischievous tendencies have been revealed, they are making mountain out of a molehill by heating up the polity to guarantee an escape from APC in a manner they did with PDP in 2014.
It is a fact that majority of the so called new PDP have their nominees in several federal board appointments while the ordinary party folks that belonged not to their clique and gave APC better support in 2015 are suffering in silence.
Since the advent of democracy in Nigeria, most presidential elections witness alliances among political gladiators of different political backgrounds. But taking a cursory look at the antecedents of the fold Senator Saraki belongs, the patriarch of the political structure he inherited in Kwara always follow self interest mostly at variance with the interest of the political party he belonged. The essence of the above revelation is to prepare the minds of the genuine lovers of Mr President and APC stalwarts loyal to the re-election bid of President Buhari, to brace up for the challenges ahead and never to underrate the sophistication of Senator Saraki to engage in crude strategies to have his way.
There is no dispute on the truth that every potent drug has an expiry date, a study of the Machiavellian tendencies of Saraki is capable of taming him and his ilks, attempting another political stunt to seek self glory. It is hoped that the strategists of this administration and APC think tank loyal to Mr President will not be cajoled to think Saraki has a permanent friend within the APC fold. He is a die-hard loyalist of President Olusegun Obasanjo. Yusuf is Convener, Greener Nigeria Movement. Email: [email protected]
