PDP, 2015 AND THE BURDEN OF A CARRY OVER PAST (1)

By: Udeme Uyoata

As opposition political parties initiate merger talks toward forming a formidable alliance that can challenge the Peoples Democratic Party in the next general elections, the nation is gradually inching toward 2015, and daily putting a clear distance between now and the last election year.

But as it appears, it is increasingly becoming quite necessary that as a growing democracy, the nation uses the mistakes and inequities of the past, to promote national wellbeing and secure a virile form of democracy for her future.

More promising as the future may seem, the threats and challenges of the nation’s survival, cannot be wished away if concerted and ready efforts are not channeled to weed out the myriad forms of injustices and corrupt political practices, indulged by anti-democratic forces, who often times, have robbed the right people of their due and in such frustration, cause many to become aggrieved.

Seemingly, for things to change and go for the better, justice, fairness and the deepening of democratic participation among its institutions remains to a large extent, what apparently will hold and control the future destiny of Nigeria’s democracy and equally, the fate of her political parties.

It is really quite ridiculous that there hardly exist at the moment, any political party in the nation, which is truly democratic in content and thus operating a rancour free organization.

Because of the undemocratic character of political party leaders, one hardly comes across a political party that is ideologically developed, democratically oriented, issue focused and leading and lacking in internal tussles, which battles one faction against another.

Interestingly and for want of space, I would considerably limit the critical weaknesses of Nigeria’s political parties to the ruling party, PDP and its experimentation field to Akwa Ibom, which to a large extent, remains a microcosm of a macro Nigeria.

The evolution and growth of PDP in Akwa Ibom is a strident story of a long walk in inconsistency. It is the more reason the party deserves an exercise in self re-examination and rehabilitation. It is so, because the need arises urgently for the party to adopt a fresh character that can readily be acquired through a necessary remediation political surgery.

But for this to have a grasp of the required therapeutic result, the advocated party character must be far removed from that operational character noted of its predecessor self.

It must in the context, be seen to have evolved a new political approach if only for it to surpass the mark of its previous perception by society. For Akwa Ibom PDP to be it in the approaching 2015, the past character of the party must actually be seen and accepted as having gone for good.

As essentially perceived, the leadership of the party may conceive a necessity to reposition the party, but what of its existing conscience, carried over and modeled from the depths of a past that may not readily wish to yield or adapt to the deserving changes which it urgently needs to reflect an organization adjudged free from the hamstrings impeding every mobility of democracy? In its argument, PDP, would often than not argue that it is “our brand of democracy” – home grown and evolving.

But then, when the party intends to give the impression that it is actually reforming, it is expected that the debris of past wrong doings and injustices done people and at times, whole sections of the polity, must be remediate through positive democratic practice and the needed social justice.

Unfortunately, this moral responsibility is quite heavy on the party’s shoulder even as it has begun to walk in the direction and way indicative of redeeming wrong with more wrong-doing as the year 2015 steadily approaches.  

The euphoria is always there as much as the temptation of not bringing about a paradigm shift in content delivery. This remains the moral turpitude which is very unique to Nigeria’s political content – parties and politicians alike, - stock and barrel.

To a large extent, one figure keeps creeping from the past of Akwa Ibom PDP, to haunt its conscience. Chief Ime Albert Akpan, is a political decimal in the past and present of Akwa Ibom State PDP politics, and one it can never shy away from contending with in the future. Try as it may, it is a looming reality the State PDP, will never wish away and so reminds of a compelling need for him to be politically situated in a fair and just manner in the approaching 2015 scheme. This, to every intent, arises because of his commitment to the upliftment of democracy and the furtherance of the principles of popular rule among the people.

From the past, it has been realized that too many interest have always been brokered within the party, but too often, few of those interest, if any at all, has been seen to be always directed against public good as a clearly indicated role of Chief Ime Albert Akpan, if neglected in 2015 will definitely come to reflect.

A deviation from this altruistic requirement will directly explain why wrong candidates are often produced and foist on the electorates while the right ones are often frustrated from participating in the process. Ironically, this form of democratic injustice is often meted to every independent and financially sophisticated individual such as Chief Ime Albert Akpan.

Much as this class would not hanker to the dictates of inherent god-fatherism within the party structure, but clearly pursue or diligently, prosecute its vision for the people, the existing “cabalocracy” operating in the confines of power may not be sincerely disposed to this counter currency of Nigeria’s brand of democracy.

There are plenty of options to get it right in 2015. It is simply with the party sitting around and accepting to let it be operated transparently for the benefit of the best and most acceptable to emerge and represent the people.

But question is: who will propel this? The whole machinery of change reposes in the people’s will, a will to be able to stand up and agitate the necessary, which, is democracy by popular acceptability.

Yet, against this crucial necessity, leaders, who often are driven by their personal and cantankerous interest would rather murder than allow such egalitarian rule to flourish. All these, as it were is to the perpetual detriment of the masses and the development of democracy.

Because there is much to be gained privately, those reposed with party powers or operating as political influences would rather war than orchestrate popular democracy.

On the other hand, there is always the impression that government and political leaders are widely knitted to those it particularly accepts and wishes it be practically co-opted to protect and further its covert interest. The rest as is traditional, are always fenced to the edge.

This probably may be the fate Chief Ime Albert is facing. But it is often quite shocking to find that even among those so selected and ordained against the masses interest, there is always an appearance of the presence in-fighting, bickering and a fierce struggle to curry favour and displace one another within such corridors of provincialism.

In the end and unsurprisingly too, one obviously discovers that the in-fighting, which often degenerates into full-scale factional wars and pretenses of loyalty is a direct function of certain inadequacies of political power.

When there exist, a provided code among Orwellian farm animals, the likely conduct would remain that, some as wont to be natural, will pamper to bigotry and charlatanism, electing in the process to assassinate characters and create divisions if only to continue and feed from the putrid pool it has build to feather its own narrow nest of interest.