EDITORIAL: Is PDP Jinxed?

 

The question of whether the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is jinxed as being asked in many quarters comes to the fore again, as members of the party displayed – yet again – another round of indecent and destructive behaviour during their South-West rally that took place last Saturday in the state of Osun at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo the state capital. 

The said PDP rally left destruction in its wake as party hoodlums destroyed some of the facilities put in place at the park. This scenario has again given justification to the popular opinion that the party, rather than being a people’s party, is completely anti-people as it has shown to the public again that it’s always out for destruction. For why should a party that prides itself as a people’s party revel in destroying public property? If a party truly had people’s interest at heart then it will protect and preserve whatever is meant to be enjoyed by the people. The question therefore on the lips of many in the wake of the misconduct exhibited on Saturday, is; ‘why is it that whatever the hand of the PDP touches, it must destroy?’ 

As a party that held sway at the national level for sixteen years, it destroyed the economy so much so that the people are still grappling with the pervasive poverty and massive deprivation it left behind as its legacies. And in our own state of Osun here, the party couldn’t point to any enduring legacy for its eight years rule. So, isn’t it a contradiction in terms that a party that couldn’t build any enduring legacy is now destroying what it took Ogbeni Aregbesola’s visionary leadership painstaking effort to put in place? This is highly reprehensible! 

But much as we are taken aback by this PDP’s misconduct, some analysts do not find it surprising at all as they are of the view that the PDP only exhibited their stock in trade. They believe that since destruction is in their character, then they must always reflect this in their approaches. We substantially agree with this school of thought! 

We therefore ask; is this a party that is planning to come back to power both at the state and federal level? Do they think the electorates are fools as to suffer amnesia with respect to the destruction they did to the country’s economy and people’s lives? And having admitted her mistake and made apology to the Nigerian people for the great blow they dealt to the economy, is it wise for the party to relapse into the actions and deeds that were responsible for her downfall? Can’t they reflect? 

With such a negative attitude, the PDP had only succeeded in opening the eyes of our people to what they are planning to come and do again if they should return to power. But the Aregbesola’s legacy is just too precious to our people than for them to entrust it in the hands of a destructive and never-do-well party. Osun needs continuity! We mean continuity of the stellar performance of Ogbeni Aregbesola.

 Fear, Loathing And The Primaries

Much more is expected of the coalition of progressives in the All Progressives Congress (APC) than the untoward events which followed the primaries in some states recently. The APC is not expected to be a run-of-the-mill formation like the now discredited hardly ‘Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP). The natural expectation is for the APC to be at the forefront of consolidating Nigeria’s democracy and in the process transiting itself into the natural party of government.

This is an historic responsibility, for sadly, unlike most of the newly independent countries, Nigeria never really had a natural party or government which would have acted as a rallying point for the republic.  This is why the APC should learn the much needed lessons from the unlamented decline of the PDP. Not to do so will be tragic, for the country would have squandered an historic opportunity for progressive change.

The party must therefore begin an unrelenting onward transformation of itself into a functioning democratic organisation based on internal democracy, party discipline and democratic centralism. Prebandalism, the hideous process whereby all politics revolves around just sharing of posts and self-aggrandisement must be deemphasized. Therefore, all parties involved must play their part in ensuring an equitable, transparently free and fair rescheduled primary election in Ekiti today.

There is a lesson here as the primaries approach in the State of Osun. Individuals in the party, if they truly accept the calling must put the progressive trajectory as well as the incontrovertible cause of continuity of people-oriented policies and governance above self.