Oghene jivwe dia kponakri siene mi mrobori vwighre mechadia, is a notable parable in Urhobo land. Simply put, God should allow me to stay long on earth so that I can see what my enemy will become. Early last week, I saw former president Jonathan standing on mount Everest. Remember that Mount Everest is the highest or tallest mountain on earth. Beside Jonathan was the former vice president Atiku Abubakar. Below the mountain was a queue of several serving and retired legislators, political appointees from all over the nation and they were led by senator Saraki. They are all on their knees with both hands up crying like babies and shedding tears of bitterness. As if he was their spokesman, Saraki was calling on the former president Jonathan to stretch his hands to them and lift all of them up while at the same time apologizing profusely for the betrayal of Jonathan. Being the type of person he is Jonathan rose up and as he was about stretching his hand to lift them up, former vice president Atiku Abubakar shouted to Jonathan and asked if he Jonathan knew the implications of what he wants to do. At that point there was serious disagreement between Jonathan and Atiku but as Jonathan was trying to raise his hand so he can lift all of them up, Atiku Abubakar held his hands and when I woke up, it was a dream and I was sweating looking into space as if I was in a trounce. The time was 2pm and in the morning I told myself that the Peoples Democratic Party has come under crises again the magnitude if not well managed will swallow the biggest party in Africa.
Few days after the dream the political terrain have not been the same again. Nearly all those that betrayed the Peoples Democratic Party have all been decamping to the party. They are not only returning to their vomit but issuing statements upon statements, the type they issued in 2015 when they dumped the party that makes them governors, ministers, political appointees and looters of national treasury. At that time, most of them were of the view that the decision they took was at the interest of their people but the reality on ground then shows that they are all of the same bed, self interest and nothing more. Having belt in the All Progressive Congress led by General Buhari, a former military Head of State and a man highly regarded as the father of integrity, their aim was to continue to milk the ATM machine in Aso Rock. It is on record that during Jonathan hell days in Aso Rock, there is no Sunday and Friday that the church and mosque in Aso Rock is not full to capacity. To a first time visitor to Abuja, you have to book a hotel a month to your visit before you can find a space to lay your head and transact your business before doing away with the Capital City. At the time too, a level four officer in any of the Federal Ministry lives comfortably in four bed room flat in the city of the town. The rentage for offices and residential building were more than the city of Lagos where the major companies were located. Abuja, a city that was not known for the production of pure water was a place where figures and counter figures were juggled together and millions of free money becomes a child’s play.
This was also a time when every dick and harry turned prophets and imams. The number of churches and mosques increased geometrically while the number of companies was decreasing. The churches and mosques became miracle centers. It was so bad that even house wives began to sleep in Churches and Mosques having abandoned their matrimonial homes in the name of waiting for miracles that were not available. General Overseas of churches becomes Daddy’s and Mummy’s all in an attempt to gain spiritual prayers that were not within the reach but it was all propagandas. No wonder when a friend, an accountant of a company call me to say that her cashier resumed work one Monday morning and announced to him that her pastor have told her to pray and someone will pay one million naira into her account, I directed him to transfer her to Operations where she will not have access to cash and a week after the transfer, she resigned from the company and till now no one have paid one kobo into her account. The story of people receiving millions of naira without working for a second abound during that era. Those who did not receive such miracles were labeled as agents of devil. Sowing of womb, leg, head, toe, examination and other seeds spread like wild fire in the wilderness but who could question such miracles, none at all. Food wastage went viral and uncontrollable. I happened to be invited to some parties at the time and in one of such, I asked the celebrant why he should cook seven bags of rice and slattering of ten cows but the answer I got from him shocked me. ‘’ I have arrived and wants people to know me in the town’’.
As the senate president and his gang stars were migrating to the ruling party, Atiku could not hide his feeling. He has been calling and warning the Peoples Democratic Party to give him the presidential ticket or else the party should forget about the 2019 general election. Other presidential aspirants under the Peoples Democratic Party are also blowing hot. They have been accusing the leadership of the party for welcoming Saraki with open hearts knowing too well that they left the party when the party needed them most. They also ensure that the party was defeated in the last general election. To them, saraki and his group did not come to equity with clean hands. Why saraki and his group in Kwara State are decamping the Peoples Democratic Party are protesting that there is no room for the decampees meaning that the Peoples Democratic Party is in crises already. The management of the Peoples Democratic Party primaries will determine if the party will feature any candidate in the forth coming presidential election slated for 2019. The decampees have been issuing statements upon statements but Nigerians knows better. In Kogi State where senator Dino Malaye decamped, the All Progressive Congress are celebrating his exit and liability. The Peoples Democratic Party have raised the alarm that the return of the barbarian to the party is not a plus but a minus and whole heartedly rejected his coming. To the Peoples Democratic Party, Dino is not welcome in the state under the Peoples Democratic Party as he is a serious debt that will not be honoured by the party.
On his party, Ahmed Makarfi, a presidential candidate and a man that steer the party when Sheriff held sway raised the alarm on the olive tree being offered the decampees. He said, ‘’ some people when you pinch them like this (touching his arm), they will run to another party. When the going was tough, I stayed on—- but you accept them into your house and give them your guest room. Next, they take the master bedroom; next, they drive you out of your house. We must not allow this, nor give undue advantage to them, so that we do not alienate our people. Modu Sheriff was brought from another party; they said he had three jets; he had billions, but what did he do? He was taking the party down, but I, the ‘bush boy, with the support of others, I was able to make members close ranks, and today, we can all see—‘’. From the above it is quite certain that all is not well with the Peoples Democratic Party. The various outcry against the person of the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar is another major headache that the party have not been able to extricate itself from. The people believe that the person of Atiku who have been in government from his mother’s womb have failed the nation and such recycling people must give way to the younger generation to lead the most populous country in the black race and the question is where will Atiku decamped to if the Peoples Democratic Party did not give him the ticket?
When senator Saraki and his group left the Peoples Democratic Party a year to the 2015 presidential elections, they told the world that they are doing so in the interest of the nation and now they are still dancing around the same cycle. Several candidates eying positions in the Peoples Democratic Party are also blowing hot. To them, there is no automatic ticket for any of the decampees. According to some of them, the decampees have to wait for a year as required by the constitution of the party before they can contested for any elective position or else they will all leave the party enmass for the decampees who have destroyed the party before. This is not the best of time for the biggest party in the continent. One school of thought have it that Alhaji Atiku, the former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria have tipped governor Wike of River State to be his running mate after securing the ticket while the outgoing governor of Ekiti State have been tipped to be the senate president. A notable politician from the east have been tipped for the position of the Speaker of House of Representative including the Minister of Defence to appease the Ibo race. With all these arrangement, senator Akpabio, the former governor of Akwa-Ibom State have been side-lined hence the former governor decamped immediately to the All Progressive Congress where the position of senate president is reserved for him if Buhari went ahead to win the presidential race.
From the above analyses it is quite clear that Nigerians have not seen anything yet. As the politics thickens and primaries running geometrically more decampees are on the side line waiting to see the outcome of the primaries. It is quite certain that the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State will no longer be the same again after allegations of manipulations of the party’s primaries to favour the candidate of one of the party leaders in Abuja. To say that the party has lost the governorship election is an understatement. The Social Democratic Party is on the line waiting to receive all the decampees from the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressive Congress. The 2019 general elections is the one that will be up for sales to the highest bidder. The electorates have lost confidence in the self styled elected politicians. They have been making promises to the electorates for the past nineteen years and there is nothing on ground to show for it. The era of if voted into power, I will create millions of employment, build schools and hospitals can no longer convince the electorates again. As it is, Nigerians are ready to trade their Permanent Voters Card for cash and dollars if possible and no one should blame them for taking this route.
