I do not personally agree with, or subscribe to the assertion or perspective that Nigeria has been destroyed, or Nigeria is a failed state. But you see, that was the story APC sold, and it’s now such a tall order to change the narrative. It will take the APC much more than even 8 years (assuming they are lucky to be in power for that long) to undo this narrative. I still remember how APC celebrated and publicised that CNN interview, when Amanpour grilled Goodluck Jonathan and showed videos of streets in Lagos without electricity. I remember vividly.
This story began like a joke in the ears of Nigerians, but because it has become a constant refrain for the APC, it is beginning to sink. I am beginning to see sense in the postulation of Adolf Hitler’s chief propagandist Joseph Goebbels, that "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie.” Of course, this seems to be the case.
The APC seems to use subterfuge to seek refuge under this narrative, which is now the explanation for their inability to deliver on any of their campaign promises. This is also the answer to any question which is thrown at the ruling party regarding their performance. It’s quite simple, just blame PDP or blame Goodluck. Blame for power, blame for fuel scarcity, blame for Boko Haram, blame for Fulani Herdsmen, blame for budget mess, blame for INEC’s failures, blame for the President’s frequent foreign trips. Blame for everything.
Just a few days ago, while receiving some guests, the President squirted his familiar tune. He said “In the First Republic, more enduring infrastructure was built with meagre resources. But in the past 16 years, we made a lot of money without planning for the rainy day…We showed a lot of indiscipline in managing our economy…” Of course he did not conclude the sentence without calling in PDP. In saying that, he probably forgot, or is unaware that two of his party’s high ranking chieftains were amongst those most opposed to the Sovereign Wealth Fund. They would rather have the monies shared for immediate spending. Those who even saved for their states emptied the savings before leaving office.
Now, let’s go back to the subject. Assuming the Assertion of APC that Nigeria has been destroyed, and this destruction was done over the 16 years of PDP governance, which paved way for the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari, every sane mind should ask certain very pertinent and unavoidable questions. First, who is PDP and who is APC? Then, who is in PDP and who is in APC? If these questions are asked and answered, then we would have gotten a clearer picture of this discourse.
THE PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PDP)
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was founded on the 31st of August, 1998, by a group known as the G34. After the formation of PDP, the G34 formed its initial nucleus. This group was initially known as the G9, comprising of foremost old time politicians like Alex Ekwueme, Chief Solomon Lar, Sen. Francis Ellah, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, Chief Bola Ige, Dr. Iyorcha Ayu, Prof. Jerry Gana, Alhaji Sule Lamido and Mallam Adamu Ciroma. The G9, which expanded to G18, and later to G34.
The PDP after its formation spread across Nigeria and became a national party. Its popularity grew very fast and attracted a lot of influential Nigerians. The party won the 1999 general elections and emerged the ruling party.
After successfully holding unto power for 16 years, the PDP lost power in 2015 to the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is an amalgamation of numerous political parties which were in the opposition while PDP held sway. APC capitalized on numerous internal crises which the PDP suffered, and attracted a lot of influential PDP chieftains, who eventually decamped to the APC.
Presently, the PDP is in the opposition.
THE ALL PROGRESSVES CONGRESS
The All Progressives Congress APC was formed in February 2013. It is an amalgamation of the three biggest opposition parties while PDP was in power, namely the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). The alliance was also joined by a faction of the All Progressives Grand Aliance (APGA). The centrifugal driving force which served as the magnetic element in this merger was singular goal to kick the PDP out of power. This resolution which brought the merger to fruition was signed by representatives of the three opposition parties, namely Tom Ikimi for ACN, Sen. Annie Okonkwo for APGA, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau for ANPP, and Garba Shehu for the CPC. Shortly after the merger, Annie Okonkwo, Tom Ikimi and Ibrahim Shekarau resigned from the party and joined the PDP.
From thence, the APC grew bigger and stronger, drawing strong and influential characters to this new merger. The party also benefitted largely from an internal crisis which rocked the PDP, as 49 legislators of the National Assembly and a total of 5 Governors decamped from the PDP to the APC. Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, Abdultafatah Ahmed of Kwara State, Rabiu Kwakwanso of Kano State, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, and Aliyu Wamako of Sokoto State were the 5 Governors, who formed the G5 and eventually decamped from the PDP and joined the APC to fight the PDP.
With Alliances drawn from various corners, the APC wrestled the PDP out of power in 2015, seeing President Muhammadu Buhari emerge as Nigeria’s new President.
During APC’s campaigns, certain sensitive and burning national issues were brought to the fore, and formed structure of the APC’s manifesto. The APC rode with a promise of CHANGE, which was the Party’s slogan. The party promised to bring Nigeria out of the many problems which were facing Nigeria at the time. Prominent amongst those promises were: To wipe out Boko Haram in 3 months; to stabilize the Nigerian Naira; to sweep out corruption; to provide stable electricity on assumption of office; to grow a robust economy; to feed all Nigerian school pupils; to pay unemployed graduates 5,000 naira stipends monthly; to rescue the Chibok girls who had been missing for months, and so much more.
Again, the APC constantly blamed the PDP for the many woes Nigeria was facing and begged Nigerians to give them the opportunity to lead, so as to put things right and fix PDP’s mess.
Today, one year after APC’s victory, Nigerians are yet to see the promised CHANGE. In fact, PDP is still blamed for the inability for the APC to fix Nigeria’s problems which seem to be growing in multiplicity and in geometric proportions.
SINNERS AND SAINTS
The picture that was painted by the APC was that the PDP was full of sinners who have destroyed Nigeria, and the APC was full of saints who have been sent from above to deliver Nigeria. While APC marketed this story line, a lot of Nigerians questioned the sincerity of Buhari’s posture, especially seeing that he was surrounded by a lot of people who are far from sainthood. However, Nigerians looked on, hoping that immediately after the elections, PMB will wave his magic wand and a new crop of saints will be delivered from heaven. After all, it is said that you don’t occupy a new territory with the same soldiers who conquered the territory. Let us look at navigators of the Saint-ship which will Navigate Nigeria with President Buhari to CHANGE.
THE SAINT MINISTERS
Amazingly, after many months of waiting, the saints who were delivered from heaven were mostly the same saints from the “Sinnerland”of PDP. Of the first list of 20 Ministers picked, 11 were former members of the PDP, who had served in different capacities both at the national and state levels, within the 16 years of destruction, constituting about 55% of the list. So, who destroyed Nigeria? Or had these ones been taken to a certain river, dipped and washed clean of their former sins? On the list we have names such as my own Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (CRA) was a principal player in “Sinnerland”. He was Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly under PDP for 8 years, When Governor Odili was governor. He was the number 3 citizen of the state. He became Governor of the state, and was Governor for almost 8 years under PDP before jumping ships to the Ship of change. He piloted the affairs of one of the biggest and richest states of the destroyed Nigeria. He served as the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum and championed the course which agitated for the depletion of the Sovereign Wealth Fund. It is safe to assume that his part of Nigeria was not destroyed, or he was ignorant of its destruction. For those who do not know, Rotimi is actually a saint. No jokes, or at least he is a Knight. He belongs to the Knight of Saint John’s Order in the Catholic Church. I like Rotimi because he is not corrupt, has never taken a bribe and does not even have a house. These to me are the most important prerequisites for sainthood.
Enter Saint Audu Ogbeh. Brother Audu, fellow of the Sainthood and Minister for Agriculture is one of the Navigators of Buhari’s Saint-Ship. He was Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party from 2001 to 2005, 4 good years. He is not a Knight in the catholic church like Amaechi, but at least he has earned his sainthood with the President.
Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige is one of the President’s best hands. He is Minister for Labour and Employment, and the one who will generate President Buhari’s 3,000,000 jobs. Like Rotimi Amaechi, Ngige is also a double Saint. He belongs to the Knight of Saint John in the Catholic Church too.
By 1999, Dr. Ngige was the Assistant National Secretary and Zonal Secretary, South East of the Peoples Democratic Party. In 2003, he was elected governor of Anambra State under PDP and was governor for 33 months. He was later elected into the Senate in 2011, within the period Nigeria was being destroyed. He served for 4 years, legislating towards the destruction of Nigeria. The same Nigeria he has been called to salvage.
For want of time and space, I will not bother about the long list of former PDP stalwarts, who now make up Buhari’s list of saints, not to talk of the great Bola Tinubu, the Jagaban and one of theChief Pilots of APC, the likes of Fayemi and Fashola who were governors while Nigeria was being destroyed.
THE CHANGE GOVERNORS AND SUPER SAINTS
Today, the APC boasts of 19 Governors, who will join the president to rebuild the wrecked Nigeria, which PDP had put in this sorry state. Interestingly, 12 of their 19 saint governors were senior members of PDP.
We may also take a quick look at the super governors, the saints who will drive the change process at the states in support of the Presidents reconstruction process.
Mallam Nasir El-rufai is the present governor of Kaduna State. He is one of the President’s right hand men and a strong stalwart of the APC. He was one of the loudest voices that screamed change and the need to kick out Goodluck Jonathan. He abused Goodluck without mercy and got very personal with his war of words. Mallam is a saint. Before he joined the Sainthood however, he was a part of the PDP. He was very powerful under the President Obasanjo administration, and was in fact described by Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as the de-facto number 2 citizen. From November 1999 to July 2003, he was the Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises and the Secretary of the National Council of Privatization. From 2003 to 2007, he was Minister, Federal Capital Territory (FCT). In september 2007, former President, late Yaradua appointed him into the National Energy Council. He joined the APC and was elected governor of Kaduna State.
Governor of Benue State, Dr. Samuel Ortom was Minister of Trade and Investment under PDP. He was State Secretary as well as Deputy Chairman of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), in Benue State. He was Director of Operations of the PDP gubernatorial campaign in Benue State in 2007 and Director of Administration and Logistics of the Goodluck/Sambo Presidential Campaign Organization in 2011. He was PDP National Auditor before his appointment as Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in July 2011.
In April 2015, he contested for Governor of Benue State and won under the platform of the All Progressives Congress. He is a super saint.
Kano State governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Gandule was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The party which destroyed Nigeria. He was Deputy Governor of Kano State for 2 terms. Between 1999 and 2003, and between 2011 and 2015. Gandule was also appointed as the Hon. Commissioner for Local Government. From 2003 to 2007 he served as the special Adviser (Political) to the Hon. Minister of Defence, Federal Republic of Nigeria. Ganduje also served as member of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and was at some point appointed chairman of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti in 2008. He was later appointed as the executive secretary of the Lake Chad Basin Commission. He participated in the 2006 Nigerian Political Reforms Conference. It is comfortable to say that he was never a part of the destruction.
Rochas Okorocha, Governor of Imo State was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party. Rochas left the party when he could clinch the ticket to be the party’s gubernatorial flag bearer. He later returned to PDP and was Special Adviser to President Obasanjo on interparty matters. He left the Party again in 2005 to form the Action Alliance (AA), to enable him run for President. He returned to PDP in 2007 and aspired to be the National Chairman of the Party. He decamped from PDP to APGA again in 2011 to run for Governorship. In 2015, he dumped the APGA and joined the APC. He is a saint.
The list goes on and on and on. Lalong the Governor of Plateau State was the speaker of the House of Assembly under PDP, Alhaji Ahmed of Kwara State was Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development under PDP, Alhaji Aminu Masari of Katsina State was Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State was Speaker of House of Representatives, Tanko Almakura of Nasarawa was a founding member of PDP, Bindu J. Umaro of Adamawa was member of House of Representatives under PDP, Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi was a Senator under PDP, Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa was a stalwart of the PDP, and Abubakar Sanni Bello of Niger State was Commissioner for Commerce and Investment under PDP.
WHAT HAS THIS CHANGE CHANGED?
It is obvious that Nigerians have been sold a weapon of mass deceit. The same people who accuse the PDP of destroying Nigeria are the same people who destroyed Nigeria. The destroyer has come to rebuild. I cannot say that some members of the PDP cannot be said to be culpable or blamed for some of the challenges that we face as a country. It is however dubious and deceitful for the APC to completely absolve itself of blames on the situation we find ourselves. We must also stop the narrative that Nigeria has been destroyed. I do not agree that Nigeria has been destroyed. Let us continue building and forget about complaining about yesterday. I agree that all that have sinned and come short of the glory must be brought to book, but that must not take the place pushing the promised change. I am sure the President can multi task.
Rather than keep the blame game going, the President should realize that the buck now stops with him. He should begin to work towards achieving results and delivering on the many promises he made to Nigerians. So far the APC and the President have not brought anything to the table, after almost one year. No tangible change. This change has become synonymous to “flip flop”, and the changers have become akin to dogs who eat their vomit.
He should be able to come out and ask for forgiveness from Nigerians, having realized that he overpromised during the campaigns, because he did not completely appreciate the enormity and complexity of certain issues he saw from afar. Mr. President should also have the humility to call on Goodluck and the likes of Okonjo Iweala and Adesina to give him clues on how they were able to manage certain sensitive aspects of the economy.
The APC must realize that elections have come and gone, and it is now time to govern. The discourse can therefore no longer be about APC and PDP, but about Nigeria and its development. The APC must assume a nationalistic stance and forget about infantile bickering. Very importantly, they should also remind uncle Lai Mohammed that he no longer speaks for the APC, he now speaks for Nigeria. The good old man obviously has not still come out of the campaign frenzy. I wish the President well.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/enemialabo.george/posts/873400999437793?pnref=story
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