PDP’S UNCIVILIZED HUMILIATION OF SPEAKER DIMEJI BANKOLE
Nigerians have constantly been treated to the politics of the absurd. This horrendous turn of events have always been played out by military apologists turned emergency democrats, who have more or less become an embarrassment to democracy and Nigerians. It came to many perspectives Nigerians as a rude shock, the barbaric treatment meted out to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole when he was worked out of the NEC meeting of the PDP recently, and his counterpart, the Senate President, David Mark was allowed to stay on for the meeting. For goodness sake, Dimeji Bankole is not just the Speaker of the House, but the number four citizen of the country. Hence, any iota of humiliation meted to him is an insult to every Nigerian. If Ahmadu Ali were to be a sensible person this kind of aberration will never happen. But in the country of the blind, a one eyed-man is king.
The Speaker was asked to go out by the Chairman of PDP, Ahmadu Ali, who is well known for his crude, uncouth and animalistic proclivities. This is a man who behaves as if he is in a permanent state of stupor. He talks before he thinks. And, he lacks the capacity to think well before taking an action. It is in this connection that, last year he rudely tongue-lashed a group of journalist that were to the PDP secretariat to cover an event, which made the pen-pusher to pay him back in his own coins, and staged a walk-out. It is this same Ahmadu Ali of the Ali-must-go fame, who last year, in the tick of the third term scheme, referred to a court judgment as stupid. So, there is nothing this impossible character is incapable of.
Hence, the humiliation of the Speaker is not surprising at all. It means nothing has changed in PDP. That indeed, it is a party of lawless characters, as well as people of questionable character and integrity, who ran the country aground between 1999 and 2007. Ordinarily the Speaker by the virtue of his office is the number four citizen of the country is eminently qualified to attend the NEC meeting of PDP and any crucial meeting by the party at the highest level. But how can a party that has scant regard for the people of the Nigeria, turn round to show respect to a political office holder? The party in fact, has no respect for itself.
It would be recalled that after the shameful down of former speaker Patricia Ate, whom the PDP, sponsored to that position, but performed woefully.
The PDP wanted to impose another speaker on the House, it was this that the House Members roundly turned down, and instead of pandering to the vested interest of the PDP, with all its grandstanding then, the House decided that, to resign to fate is to be crippled fast, hence, they took their destines in their hands and collectively voted en masse for Dimeji Bankole to lead them. This of course did not go down well with party, who saw this as an affront on its orders. The PDP would have preferred a puppet and stooge, to the urbane, cerebral and people-oriented Dimeji Bankole. It is in this regard that, Ahmadu Ali, who suffers from not only verbal diarrhea, but misplaced aggression, reacted in a barbaric manner and asked the Speaker to leave the of the NEC meeting of PDP.
But who are these people in the PDP that are behaving in an animalistic manner? They are characters who are still loyal to General Olusegun Obasanjo, who are used to the old arbitrary ways of doing things, without regards for the due process and rule of law. They are bent on making the farm General retain his BOT position, while ensuring that surrogates are put in various positions in the PDP before and after the convention, so that, they will be able to control the levers of power, as well as those in power, as a way of covering their ugly past. It would be recalled that, PDP has been said to lack internal democracy and cohesion, as what happens there is it nothing but a one man show. That why the party has become a laughing stock not only in the country, but globally. Or else how will a person that has been accused of having carnal knowledge of his biological daughter and daughter in law be made the BOT of chairman of PDP?
But after May 2007, the records of these hawks in the PDP have continued to crumble like a park of cards. They have shown that they have no integrity and credibility. They don’t know where they are coming from and where they are going. They have become deaf to the voice of reason of the Nigeria people and rather chose to listen to themselves. And, thank God Dimeji Bankole is not like them. He is not part of this clique that is bent on hoodwinking the Nigerian people because of their inordinate ambitions. What is the essence of man when there is no person integrity? Bankole has shown that, he is a man of honour, a man with wisdom, a man of the people and a committed democrat. Since, he assumed the leadership of the House, he has comported himself very well. Thank God that he has not sold his birth right for a mess of porridge, he is on the side of the people representing them well.
Whatsoever a man sow, that he would reap, the day of reckoning, for this group of people that has brought the country to this nadir position, is just around the corner. And like Ubani noted, “to those who thought they can for whatever reasons humiliate the Speaker, they are digging their grave because we have the number to humiliate them”. A block vote for the chairmanship candidate endorsed by the speaker would ultimately turn their game plans to shreds, it is then they would realize that Bankole is speaker of the House of Representatives of the federal Republic of Nigeria and not that of PDP. Hence, those who think they have humiliated the speaker should have a rethink. Nigeria is too big a country to become an estate of an individual. And, there is no doubt whatsoever that Dimeji Bankole would have the last laugh on this matter.
Ibrahim Yakubu,
No 44 Ibrahim Taiwo Road,
Kano State.