The party will have to be firm and ruthless in dealing with and weeding out those who have a hand in the abysmal and precarious state it finds itself in. They will have to decide whether they want to continue to have a party that is beholden to certain individuals whose interests and objectives have become an albatross to the party’s stability, unity and existence.
These days, events and incidents of national significance are unfolding faster than many can keep up with. So much so that what would ordinarily be a topical and headline-grabbing occurrence that will dominate conversations among Nigerians has been relegated to the tiny section and obscure inner pages of the nation’s dailies and is now pushed to the fringes of national discourse. One of such happenings that has flown under the radar and has not been getting as much public attention is the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
As we disturbingly hurtle towards the 2027 general elections, many Nigerians are increasingly consumed by a deep sense of foreboding over the future of the nation’s democracy. This disconcerting feeling is spurred by the direction governance, election, politics and politicking have taken since 2023, from the blatant rigging of elections and the courts’ affirmation of these sham polls to the brazen and troubling wave of defection from opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress. These defections have triggered uncomfortable discussions about Nigeria’s gradual descent into a one-party state.
The situation and condition of the PDP may be achingly troubling but the party did not get here overnight, it was a long time coming and the signs were there from the very moment the party lost power over a decade ago. The painfully pitiable situation the party finds itself in is a culmination of years of ego-fuelled power tussle and inordinate ambition of the leaders of the party. It must also be pointed out that the infighting, internal wrangling that beset the party is not without the conspicuous meddling in its affairs by external forces who are hellbent on making sure the party is emasculated by ensuring that the challenges rocking the it remain unresolved so that it does not enjoy the stability needed to become a strong, united and formidable party that can mount a serious challenge in next election and wrest power from from the ruling All Progressives Congress.
In recent weeks the two factions of the party, one led by Tanimu Turaki and backed by Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, the other led by the Abdulrahman Mohamed-led caretaker committee which is loyal to the FCT minister Nyesom Wike, have announced plans to set aside their differences and unite the party. The Turaki-led National Working Committee, NWC, on Thursday after a meeting with the party’s Board of Trustees, BoT, led by Adolphus Wabara, stated that there are positive signs that the two PDP factions are close to reconciliation.
For many observing the party, the PDP is far too gone and too steeped in the turmoil that plagues it to be saved. The crisis that plagues it has been allowed to fester into a cankerworm and the solution to the problem may likely only worsen it instead of solving it. But then if by some chance and stroke of luck, the party can put its house in order and unite every warring faction, how does it plan to manage those people like Wike, whose actions and rhetoric have not only undermined the party but also created conditions for its eventual collapse and extinction? From his remarks and body language, Wike has made it clear that he will be working for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu.
If those currently managing the affairs of the country truly want to put an end to the perennial and intractable crisis and return the party to its enviable and formidable form, tough and hard decisions will have to be taken. The party will have to be firm and ruthless in dealing with and weeding out those who have a hand in the abysmal and precarious state it finds itself in. They will have to decide whether they want to continue to have a party that is beholden to certain individuals whose interests and objectives have become an albatross to the party’s stability, unity and existence.
Until this is done, the reconciliation drive will be nothing more than a perfunctory and half-hearted attempt to save a sinking ship. Even if the party somehow get aggrieved members and factions to sheath their swords and put their differences aside but does nothing by way of punishment for those whose actions have contributed significantly to the abject decline in fortunes of the party, it will only be postponing the doomsday. To save the beleaguered party and return to becoming the all-conquering, indomitable and dominant bulwark it once was, the party will have to wield the big stick and excommunicate rapacious and ruthless power-hungry politicians or better extricate itself from them.
