KASHAMU : THE MAJORITY SHOULD ACT NOW TO SAVE THE PDP.
Equity is fundamentally about fairness to all people in every situation irrespective of peculiar shortcomings. That's a basic attraction of democracy for providing fair opportunities to all people. In Nigeria, the founding fathers of PDP responding to the equitable peculiarities; institutionalised the national zoning arrangements by making it constitutional. This is the foundation upon which PDP was built as a truly national party. It involves negotiated distribution of public offices in open and transparent inter-zonal negotiated concesus. For such zoning procedure to be harmonious and with acrimony; a virile national party leadership founded on earned trust, sincerity of purpose and selfless impartiality is a vital pathfinder which major stakeholders would rally behind. That virile and selfless national party leadership is lacking in the current National caretaker committee. As it were, PDP is currently under a "one chance" national party leadership that is propelled by egocentric agenda of working to achieve predetermined self-serving goals. This egocentric agenda could ruin our party while this opportunistic national leadership couldn't be bothered or are probably unawared of the enormity of their actions, having been overwhelmed by myopic illusions and petty selfishness. It has thus become imperative for the majority of the visionary and committed leaders, major stakeholders and convention delegates to rise to the responsibility of saving the PDP at the forthcoming national convention. I accordingly make this clarion call to all PDP stakeholders to rise up to the challenge.
Devoid of being parochial coming from the Southwest, my position is borne out of nationalistic sentiments and quest for equitable justice and fairplay upon only which the PDP can thrive and win national elections again. Without prejudice to anybody's right to contest irrespective of the established zoning arrangements, it's an open secret that the PDP national chairmanship has been conceded to the Southwest pre-Portharcourt convention. As of consequence of this, other positions zoned to the southwest were innocuous deputies to substantive offices except the Treasurer. Even the Deputy national secretary that is a member of the NWC wasn't included. All these were because of the vital national chairmanship already conceded to the Southwest. Infact, if elections were to hold then, a particular promising young politician from Lagos, Southwest could have won. With the aberration that the Makarfi emergence was, the centre cannot hold again given his jaundiced selfish presidential ambition without considerations to all concerned.
Agreed that the only thing constant in life is change, but if a consensual stand is to be changed; won't all concerned be carried all for re-enactment of appropriately new concesus? Must it be done in nauseating administrative manipulations and uncultured disdain of flaunting state wealth as war chest to bribe delegates as is currently happening? It is only reasonable and fair that a new all-inclusive stakeholders meeting be called, where necessary re-zoning of key party posts from the South would be rescheduled to enable the national chairmanship become open to all southern zones. Similarly, the previously held concesus of the Vice-president coming from the Southeast in 2019 would accordingly be revoked for all Southern zones including the Southwest to contend as is happening now.
The PDP Southeast needs to be categorical now in support of the Southwest on the ongoing national chairmanship tussle between the Southwest and the South-south. Quite honestly, the logical implication of this avoidable tussle is to make uncertain, the settled Southeast Vice-presidential quest in 2019. If the Southeast expectedly takes a principled stance in rightful support of the Southwest, naturally as a reliable tribe in adherence to agreements, the Yoruba PDP would reciprocate without any prompting. What is currently happening is glaringly an orchestrated assault on the Southwest to end up with nothing in 2019, with the disgusting connivance of the national party administrators. This is a dangerously illogical political permutation for 2019 national elections. Infact, Makarfi is disastrously the major impediment to a successful forthcoming national convention and credibly feasible permutations towards 2019. His inept leadership style is an unimaginable jeopardy to this party. How can a credible national leadership disqualify self from finding solution to a ranging disorder in some zones of the federation by leaving the people there to their funerals to find solutions? However, this same clueless Makarfi leadership can invoke authority to dissolve valid state exco from these zones, even in disobedience to substituting court judgements and sell the party structures there to his compromised allies. Ironically, such a clown dreams of becoming the President of the federation!!!
Indeed, the PDP Northern Elders Forum have demonstrated enviably commendable pan-Nigerian initiative by refusing to be coaxed or intimidated in their resolve to rightly and rightfully canvass northern votes for only the Southwest chairmanship aspirants. Indeed, their position is very appropriate and validly tenable particularly as it's about an extremely vital office like the National party Chairmanship. This is a demonstration of nationalistic fairness and it's advisable for other zonal elders to emulate this principle stance. I not only salute them over their sterling courage and sensible love for Nigeria; I humbly wish to appeal that they encourage their delegates to disregard the lure of monetary inducements by these selfish agents of our ignominious past errors. I passionately appeal also to credible nationalists, major stakeholders and leaders of thoughts from the Southeast and the South-south to follow suit by advising their delegates to support the Southwest legitimate quest for national chairmanship in the best interests of the PDP with less emphasis on money. However, those delegates who insist on taking from whatever unethical state funds misappropriation being boasted of, should be enlightened of the overriding advantages of voting rightly to signify that the PDP and indeed our future is not for sale. It is by our actions as is necessary for us to display now, that we could teach our public office holders that the public treasury is not their haven of arbitrarily wasteful misadventures. Rather, public funds should and must be expended on the socio-economic development of the area and people concerned.
I admire the resilience and doggedly focused fighting spirit of Gov Wike. He is qualified and entitled to increased national relevance and prominence. However, his present voyage of becoming the "Lord of the manor" is logically infeasible. He needs to be cautious and avoid becoming a prey to the mischievous Makarfi presidential inordinate ambition. More importantly, imposing his choice national chairmanship aspirant on the PDP would serve him more harm than good. There is practically no way he can assume pragmatic leadership over all these established Nothern leaders as well as the untired credible leaders from the Southwest, Southeast and even his own South-south. If he succeeds in this current adventure, he would have a PDP that would have become majorly a southern party to manage. And PDP as a southern party in Nigeria is empirically an empty shell of no major national relevance. If that is not hid goal,; he is better off with a rethink and forget this ongoing overlord adventure. Gov Wike's Rivers state has always been a wealthy Nigerian oil state; governors had existed before him without from that position becoming Nigerian political Lord, not out of being timid or unqualified. And after Gov Wike, there would still be successively governors of Rivers state. The process of becoming Nigerian superior leader is divinely without deliberate self-induced manipulations. I beg of Gov Wike to save the PDP of this avoidable calamity and possible collapse by allowing voice of reason to prevail. He should like in Makarfi's case of selfish betrayal of the North, be also circumspect of Gov Fayose who is currently swimming against the tide of ocean in his native Southwest. That Fayose in frustration declared to run for the Presidency already zoned to the North is an empirical evidence of his confused state of mind as his gubernatorial tenure is about to terminate. Wike needs to tend his bright political future within the Nigeria nations rather than playing broke like these characters whose political relevance is terminating.
Finally, I reiterate passionately, my appeal to ALL delegates to as it affects the national chairmanship contest, support ONLY the Southwest aspirants to assist in saving the PDP, our party, from this avoidable self destruction. In this light, it's further advisable to logically request that delegates vote massively for the generally acclaimed Southwest aspirant without corruption or any public service stain widely not unknown; to make the desirable support of the Southwest national chairmanship realisable and meaningfully effectual. No amount of petty monetary inducements can equate the dividends derivable from a prosperous Nigeria under a re-invented and better structured PDP truly national party.
Long live Nigeria!
Long live the PDP!!
PDP - Power to the
people!!!
*Sen Buruji Kashamu*
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