It was in the late 90’s that a group of Nigerians called G-18 (and later morphed into G-34) confronted the then military junta in what they felt was the tyrannical governance of the Nigerian State. Indeed, in those heady days, the Nation was fast becoming a fascist enclave. Truly, many of the G-34 members formed the base leadership in what later became known as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) after the lifting of Party Politics in 1998.
The Party so formed then as the albatross of tyranny has since departed from the enviable desires of its founding fathers of a Nigeria with firm foundation rooted on the rule of law. Over the years, the Party’s jugular has been seized by Gestapo-type leaderships, which unfortunately had plunged the Nation state into intractable crises at their whim. The situation in Nigeria is much worse than when the Party was formed: security of lives and property can no longer be guaranteed; leadership-centered purloining of state resources is rife and gross incompetence in management of the economy is very palpable. Succinctly put, the PDP is now a Party bedeviled by unpatriotic leadership and cretinous membership!
In the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), we are appalled by the sordid affair that the recently concluded chairmanship election of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) degenerated into. What started as a spat between the Party’s National leader and Nation’s President, Dr Good-luck Jonathan and the NGF’s re-elected Chairman, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has now snow-balled into the suspension of the latter! We are aware that the PDP’s national leadership was miffed by Governor Amaechi’s victory, despite the high-wire opposition that the Presidency mounted to forestall. The anti-Amaechi governors that are being prodded by the Presidency are clearly unaware of the buffoonery of their claims that a pre-election endorsement easily translated to the votes garnered by their candidate (Chief Jonah Jang) at the Governors’ election. This, again, attests to the opprobrious level that the PDP ‘s degeneration can be!
The CPC, undoubtedly, is pained by the portent of this infra-dig to the entrenchment of inspiring democratic values in the polity. We believe that there are democratic instruments available for resolving differences between a President and Governor in a Presidential system, without unduly overheating the polity. For instance, in 2010, Ms Jan Brewer, the Republican governor of Arizona state in the United States of America assented to a bill that gave Police officers wide latitude to stop people suspected of illegal Immigration. The US President, Barack Obama did not show his objection by planning some surreptitious impeachment of the governor – as PDP Presidents are known for. Instead, he sought judicial interpretation of the matter. In a five against three unanimous vote, the US supreme court threw away this offending clause. That is the way of the rule of law, which is still alien to the present crop of leaders of the PDP.
It is in this vein that we view the suspension of Governor Rotimi Amaechi as the manifestation of a Party at war with itself. It beggars belief that the PDP decided to jettison the law of natural justice of not being Judge in one’s cause. It is a Party whose implosion is imminent. Unfortunately, there is no voice of reason anymore because this despicable leadership style ensures obsequious subservience! We hereby enjoin the Nigerian people not to lose sight of the portent of the deplorable tactics to the survival of our democracy. Indeed, the increasing desperation of the President is already causing more trepidation as we move towards the 2015 elections. It is our hope that the President will arrest this drift to the Abyss of his Party and the anticipated collateral damage to the polity.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Rotimi Fashakin (Engr.)
National Publicity Secretary, CPC.
