I owe Nigerians a Book on The Fall of PDP. In the past 10years, I have
been collecting materials on the subject matter knowing that PDP will go
down one day. I have read extensively on the subject matter and as a
participant, I saw it all and I witnessed all the drama. The fall of PDP
in Nigeria is a big story and a 1000 page book will not be enough to tell
the full story. In the fullness of time Nigerians will know how arrogance,
impunity, greed, corruption, brigandage, ethnic politics, religious
politics, abuse of power, selfishness, foolishness, mediocrity, laziness,
political irresponsibility, power without responsibility, politics without
principle, incompetence, illiteracy, etc led to the fall of the
self-acclaimed biggest party in Africa.
Without grace, without honor, without integrity, PDP leaders and their
cronies carelessly and hopelessly released cartons of information and
materials that not only helped to nail their party but also helped
historians to return to their studies to document history for posterity
and generations yet unborn.
Shortly after the Presidential and Governorship elections, PDP started
crying too early that APC is planning to vitiate their little gains in the
just concluded elections. On one hand they tell the world that they will
bounce back and in another, they tell the same world that APC wants to
create a one party state. How are the mighty fallen? Is this not the party
that claimed they will rule Nigeria for 60years? Chief Ogbulafor, a former
PDP Chairman who made that statement was the first to run to APC, pleading
to be admitted into the fold. A lot of them without shame, without honor,
without hope have been knocking at the door of APC asking to be admitted
but they have been told to go and rebuild their party, after all the
drivers and movers of APC have been in opposition for 16years now.
The world saw the defeat coming to PDP but their leaders, blinded by
rapacious greed for power and inordinate ambition did not see the
handwriting on the wall. The overlords in PDP thought that money, police,
army, DSS and other Security personnel will do the normal hatchet job and
return them to power to continue the looting of Nigeria. They were wrong.
A lot of water has passed under the bridge and PDP is just on the other
side of power, moaning, crying and wailing like a spoilt child that has
just been deprived of his favourite lollipop.
PDP has nothing concrete to offer Nigeria after 16years in power. Anything
they touched turned to ashes. They could not delivered electric power to
Nigerians, they could not provide security, they could not protect our
common patrimony as we kept goats and yams together, they could not
provide jobs to our youths, they could not build our decayed
infrastructure and they could not build strong institutions as they
concentrated in building themselves only. PDP took time to demolish
Nigeria even with the providential windfall they harvested during their
tenure. They left Nigeria thoroughly despoiled and wretched when their
inglorious sixteen years tenure came to an end this year.
Before 2011 when crude oil sold for $38 per barrel Nigeria saved nearly
$50 billion in foreign reserves. From 2011 when crude oil sold for $110
per barrel our foreign reserves dropped to $32 billion. Now, where did all
the money go to? One PDP loud mouth told me in Lagos that they have
generated 25,000 MW but this is a lie from the pit of hell. Now even if
they have generated that much, our transmission capacity is still 7,500
mw. Today, Nigeria is groping in the worst ever darkness in our history as
the power sector has virtually collapsed after sixteen years of PDP waste
laying.
President Jonathan did not help matters. He could not have contested the
2015 Presidential election having ruled Nigeria for six years, considering
the circumstances under which he came to power. Jonathan did not realize
that fighting Governor Amaechi of Rivers State will lead to his downfall.
He needed Governor Amaechi to provide home support for him but he did not
see it. The fight with Amaechi remains his greatest undoing that led to
his defeat.
Charity begins at home. President Jonathan could not control his loud,
arrogant and silly wife. Dame Patience Jonathan contributed 50% to what
led to her husband’s fall by her actions and deeds. She was a disaster
to the presidency. There was no control, no finesse, no carriage, no
dignity, no respect for the exalted office and no grace. For the first
time in the history of this country an illiterate first lady made
mincemeat of the exalted office and helped in no uncertain term to burn
bridges President GEJ would have used. And while she ravaged, President
Jonathan kept embarrassingly mute and created the picture of a president
that is controlled by his ill exposed and ill educated wife. Psychologists
say it is the most advanced reverse psychology on display for six years.
I can go on and on to give you 20 other reasons why PDP failed but time
and space would not permit me to do so.
I suggest that members of PDP should stop crying over spilled milk. They
should roll up their sleeves and go to work twenty-four hours and seven
days in a week to begin the process of rebuilding their battered and badly
humiliated party. If it took APC sixteen years to defeat PDP it may take
30 years for PDP to unseat APC because they do not have the discipline,,
creativity, ideas, knowledge, capacity, capability, discipline,
commonsense, courage, competence, determination and the zeal to pursue the
business of opposition.
To help PDP, APC should close all its doors for PDP’S interlopers and
gold diggers. We must compel them to go and build their party with all the
money they have stolen. PDP must know that progress is impossible without
change and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. I
am looking forward to seeing the real men who will remain in PDP to
rebuild the collapsed behemoth. I am waiting to see the real heroes in PDP
who will stand the test of time like General Buhari, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed
Tinubu, Ogbonnaya Onu and others. I challenge PDP to prove us wrong that
they can drill the deepest well to rebuild their collapsed house. A school
of thought says it is more difficult to manage success than failure. I
wish PDP well in managing this failure and I wish APC well in managing
this success.
APC has a lot to learn from the fall of PDP. The trust Nigerians have
reposed in APC means a call to duty, a call for due process, a call to
orderliness, a call to good governance, a call to provide security and
jobs. APC is likely to meet an empty treasury but the common sense
revolution it kick-started will help them to use the power of ideas to
raise funds for project. I have told colleagues that APC will remain in
power for a long time in Nigeria not because of money, police, Army, DSS,
SSS etc but because of hard work. APC will daze PDP for years in Nigeria
with hard-work APC will make PDP to look foolish in matters of governance
in Nigeria. APC will teach PDP how to manage success.
Joe Igbokwe
Lagos