Politics has always been defined as strife of interest masquerading as context of principles. Another axiom has it that in politics only permanent interests counts.
Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party according to Friday Punch 26th October, 2012 has refuted the roaming insinuation that Governor’s forum are too powerful and as such had ganged up against him. In debunking such assertion, the PDP chairman exonerated all the PDP governors by referring to them as his children, creating the impression that a father and his sons can never be in enmity. But who are they deceiving? Hear him: “I have been the governor before and I know how these things work. In the first instance many of them call me father, and I admit I am a father to all. The pain of any governor is my pain. I cannot abandon them since I am their father. It is the media that have been creating the sensation.
The governors come to my house anytime they like. I go to them too, if there are issues to be discussed. Moreover, we meet regularly at the party’s national secretariat to discuss the progress of the party. So where is the gang up that people talk about? There is no gang up anywhere because PDP is on course. The PDP governors are democrats. Many of them have good record of performances in their respective states which we in PDP are proud of ,so how would you imagine that such governors who are purveyors of the party’s agenda would turn around and be ganging up against their party?’ But wait a minute; I want to ask some questions and I want every rationale person reading this article to listen again to this excerpt from the father of all PDP governors. Can you see deception in his voice? Can you see politicking that is making millions of Nigerians victims of political Gerrymandering on daily bases? Can you see that the same governors that worked against him during PDP national convention if not for dying minute intervention via gentleman agreement becoming saints on media? Can you see what is giving birth to all the grievances that have led to ceaseless killings, bombings, kidnappings, corruption, money laundering etc. that characterized our nation today? Can see why in country of 160 million only 1 percent of the entire country’s population are happy and the rest cheated and deceived? Why can’t a father act like a father? Will a father deceive his children? If he does, he has lost his venerable position but I am sorry to say it-this is what we are witnessing in Nigeria.
How on earth will a one-time Chairman of African Business Group and Executive President of African Business roundtable toll this journey of deception? This is detrimental politics of self-first before the electorates. If we continue in this manner, we will be heading towards doom.
Nigerian Governors forum led by Gov.Chibuike Amaechi, a man I respect so much has unarguably become a thorn in the flesh of the presidency but thanks for his sudden and recent realization. What I mean here is that as the leader of governors of 27 PDP states, he had led his armies on many occasions into being the clog to wheels of nation building. Instead of building the bridges of progress, on the contrary him and his arsenals have succeeded in distracting governance by seeking relevance.
Recall the bitter feud of supremacy that characterized the 2007 primaries of the largest party in black Africa only because of some 27 sets of rather-too-powerful individuals.Eventhough the convention finally produced President Good Jonathan; it was still on record that convention’s prepparation became a serious and unbargainable events that saw money meant for the nation flow around the with impunity in the name of lobbying and context for political godfatherism. What can I say about the recent PDP national convention that produced Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as against the wishes of the Governors forum?
What about the governors insistence on the review of onshore/offshore dichotomy and 13% derivation for states? How does one reconcile all these plethora of agitations together? It is no longer a hide and seek game for anybody to refer to Governors forum as being too powerful.
On the other hand, PDP Chairman has also come out like Shylock in the Merchants of Venice to cut off a pound of flesh from all his political enemies who in one way or the other planned for his downfall before and during the Convention that enthroned him to be the incumbent chairman of PDP even under huge criticism. But first and foremost, I must say that I am not happy as I am writing this piece. The reason being that whenever two elephants are fighting, the grass must surely be the sufferer. This has always been the scenario in a typical Nigeria politics. This already overheated 2015 election has already left scores of Nigerians victims in this game of interest.
PDP has come open again to mortgage our political future by joining it to their avowed and secret target of ruling this country for 60 years and above. Why is the PDP led administration and governors forum taking us for a ride? Why is PDP playing politics with national security and good governance?
There is time when silent is not golden! Keeping mute in the face of this kind of conscienceless administrative display is no longer germane.
Why PDP play politics with Boko Haram issue will especially now that the truth is coming out from the arrested suspect in the house of a serving senator who has also took oath of office to serve Nigeria. Will you still allow him to remain a senator? Why can’t PDP dig to the root of this matter once and for all? If the presidency will impress the electorate and restore confidence for a comeback in 2015, it must be justify by how fast they will resolve security threat all over the country. They must make sure that offenders are caught and punished accordingly.
Beside, going by the recent political developments meandering within Adamawa state politics, you will surely see and understand that politics is not the same thing as the contest of principles which it claims to be .The political vendetta streaming from the wadata plaza and its national working committee is no doubt an intrigue of 2015 power play within PDP. “While announcing the decision, the statement by the party’s national publicity secretary, Olisa Metu read: The National working Committee, NWC of the peoples Democratic Part, hereby announces the immediate suspension of its national Vice Chairman, North-East, Alhaji Girgir Lawal for breaching Articles 51(1) (b) (c) (h) of the constitution of the party. This is in furtherance off the resolve of the leadership of the party to enthrone discipline at all levels
This political demolition is simply a game of interest.Tukur has really bounced back this time for retaliation. His is now dismantling (the illegal political structures) set up by the North-East governors and their various state excos who did not promptly endorse his candidature as PDP chairmanship especially in Adamawa state. After this bulldozing, maybe next thing will be the coming on board of Bamamga Tukur’s son Auwal Tukur to the contest for the governorship position in the state.Tukur’s son remember is married to Murtala Nyako’s daughter. Going by the current political bravado that has reached its crescendo already, there is high probability that Nyako may throw in the towel and go ahead to anoint Auwal Tukur as successor.
Leaving Adamawa politics a bit, let’s focus a little on Governors forum matters. My caution to the Chairman of the PDP and the father of all PDP Governors is to quickly bear in his mind that all PDP governors are in their second to tenure to return no more as governors and have nothing to lose. I think this time, is the dispensation to brainstorm so as to remain in charge and relevant so that they will not jeopardize the larger interest of the party.
Besides, the bitter truth still remains that the so called governors forum is not enshrined in Nigeria constitution and it is not empowered in any way to be a clog to the wheels of national development. But on the contrary, it was the gentleman agreement that Obasanjo entered with them back in 1999, that gave birth to this rascality. Even in the face of this opposing forum, the presidency and PDP led administration is also handicapped and always at their mercy.
By UZOMA JUDE CHIMA
A Social Commentator and Analyst,
chimajudy@yahoo.com
08032217442