by Tosin Fatoyinbo

It is instructive to note that Mr. Chairman has failed woefully first to manage the Jonathan-Amaechi debacle and then the nPDP circus that has brought the party to its lowest ebb since the return of democratic governance in 1999. That the Governor of Alhaji Tukur’s home state is one of the defected Governors is prima facie evidence of his failure.

“Nigeria a great nation; PDP a great party; Obasanjo and Atiku will bring us to the Promise Land”

That was the theme song for the 2003 People’s Democratic Party Presidential campaign, it played over and over on national television and radio stations. The song has stuck in my memory ever since.

That PDP was a great party was obvious to all and sundry that year as all opposition in the path of the party was cleared. The party played her cards so well it swept the whole of the south west except for Lagos where Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu refused albeit bravely to buckle under the influence of the ‘Almighty’ Obasanjo. The members of the party boldly proclaimed themselves to be ‘the largest political party in Africa’ and who could blame them? After all, their party seemed unstoppable.

The Obasanjo and Atiku ticket was the perfect combination of Yoruba-Hausa partnership. Atiku swept the North and Obasanjo the south, there could not have been a more perfect combination. Despite the puff and huff of the South East, it was obvious that the North and the South west where the places where the election was to be determined. As for the bringing us to the land flowing with milk and honey, that promise of the Promise Land still eludes us. Infact, it seems like a mirage. Though we are not where we used to be as a country, it will amount to living in a Fool’s Paradise to proclaim that we are anywhere near the promise Land. As a matter of fact, it is hard to say for sure whether like the Biblical Israeli nation, we are not thinking of returning to Egypt with the current political red sea that stares us in the face.

So fast forward to 2013; ten years after that song rang in the ears of Nigerians and the song can best be described as a white lie. Whether or not the PDP is a great party is debatable: her foundations have never been this badly shaken in her 14 years of existence. The party though still with the majority of State Governors can no longer boast of having ‘noisy neighbour’ Governors like in 1999, 2003 or even 2007. Gratefully, the party maintains the majority in the senate but fortunately and unfortunately, succumbed its leadership of the House of Representatives to the’ noisy neighbours’ who forged themselves into one : APC. And for the first time in 14years, Nigeria can boast of having a formidable opposition (whether or not they are progressives is a topic for another day), though the party faithful have insisted that their party is ‘Ebeano’ , we all know this is far from the truth. The PDP has placed fire on her bosom and she may get burnt, she has shot her self in the leg and it remains to be seen what Political John Hopkins Hospital can extract the bullet and close up the wounds.

In the midst of all these, a man comes to mind: Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party under whose leadership the ‘umbrella’ has been torn beyond recognition. He has been in office for only a year and nine months yet has never enjoyed being the ‘chairman’ as his leadership style and skills have consistently come under fire from the party governors and other leaders. Suffice it to say that the office of the National Chairman of the PDP has never been one to be enjoyed and savoured. Often the chairmen were kicked out for one reason or the other. Since 1998, the Party has had seven National Chairmen (Chief Solomon Lar, Engr. Barnabas Gemade, Chief Audu Ogbeh, Senator Ahmadu Ali, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo and the present Alhaji Bamanga Tukur) many of these chairmen left office with varying crisis hanging on their heads. The PDP has rarely been a crisis-free political party.

It is instructive to note that Mr. Chairman has failed woefully first to manage the Jonathan-Amaechi debacle and then the nPDP circus that has brought the party to its lowest ebb since the return of democratic governance in 1999. That the Governor of Alhaji Tukur’s home state is one of the defected Governors is prima facie evidence of his failure.

See Alhaji’s record below:

Seats in the House of Representatives: Before Bamanga 204/360, After Bamanga: 167/360
Governorship seats: Before Bamanga 23/36, After Bamanga : 18/36

Two Governors are on the fence trying to be sure the ship is strong enough before changing sail to the APC. Reports are that several senators are planning same. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is playing hide and seek with the APC, so is Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. The PDP is on the precipice and something must be done about it now.

The writer of Proverbs wrote thus “ a brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city (proverbs 18:19) and that sums up the current state of the Party; a lot will have to be done to bring back the offended brothers. That Mr. President has refused to budge to the demands of his aggrieved political brothers shows a strength of character that is required from a Commander-in-Chief but where such decision leaves your family house desecrated and deserted by your own kin, then the necessary thing needs to be done.

Mr. President must act now in his own best interest and should consider dispassionately whether he prefers his head going to the slaughter in place of that of Mr. Chairman. In Politics, no one is indispensable. I must state that the whole blame cannot be placed on the elderly Alhaji as Mr. President himself has contributed in large parts to the party’s woes, however someone’s head must go for it. Perhaps, its time for Alhaji to return to Adamawa to rest, he could even be sent somewhere in Europe to handle the country’s diplomatic affairs but one thing is for sure:

Mr. President must let go of Mr. Chairman now before the rain descends angrily on him. The Umbrella can still be mended but Alhaji may have to be the scape goat.

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This post is published with permission from Tosin Fatoyinbo

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.