Review… Are PDP’s ordeals APC’s game plans for 2019?

In from Timothy Enietan-Matthews . . .

There is no doubt about it; these are not the best of days for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The self-styled largest political party in Africa is presently at the receiving end of negativities of not holding political power and crying foul all over the place.

The PDP may have reason to cry, given the fact that it has always known power and was in power for 16 years; if has never before now tasted defeat, played opposition politics or endured the kind of humiliation it is going through.

The PDP, through its leaders and prominent members have been at the mercy of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government, who has in the course of carrying out its anti-corruption crusade, clamped down on them in such a way that suggested a well-orchestrated and targeted onslaught on the former ruling party.

There have been serious cries by members of the PDP, the media, political analyst and social commentators, who felt the President and his All Progressives Congress (APC) were deliberately persecuting the party and its members.

For those who have been following the chain of events since President Buhari assumed office, and those with some form of non-partisan conscience, the allegation by PDP and its supporters deserves more than a passing glance, as there are glaring indications that there is credibility in the allegations.

Until few days ago, the Buhari anti-corruption war has been solely directed at the PDP and its members. The arrest by Jafaru Issa, a known political associate of President Buhari and a chieftain of the ruling APC, only came in few days to seemingly break the chain. However, those who are conversant with the issues at stake are quick to point out that the credibility of the action against Issa was weakened, when it became public knowledge that the retired Army officer is a very close personal friend of the embattled former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki. To them it is a case of the friend of my enemy is my enemy.

What is more intriguing is the insinuation that the APC is ambitiously working towards a one party state by trying to decimate the PDP and rendering it incapable of providing the virile opposition it is supposed to be to the ruling party.

This argument have been supported by the spate of defections across the country from the PDP to APC, especially Friday’s defection of one of the founding fathers of PDP, Chief Jim Nwobodo and Abia’s Senator Uche Ewkenife to the APC.

This many believe, is only one instance that shows there is a grand design to decimate the ranks of the opposition. A lot more worrisome, however, are insinuations that all the drama being witnessed currently are about 2019 and the general election of that year.

The now incarcerated PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh revealed this much in what turned out to be his last verbal onslaught on President Buhari and the APC before he was slammed into detention by the now almighty Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which on its part is doing a lot of barking, but yet to bite.

Read also: Armsgate, APC’s vendetta against PDP, Dokpesi says

Metuh said: “Besides, it is sad and embarrassing that President Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade has now been reduced to a war between the APC and the PDP as declared by the Office of his spokespersons. Since they have confirmed that this is what the anti-corruption crusade is all about, the APC is obviously seeking to destroy the PDP so that it can push through Buhari’s second tenure in 2019 without opposition from the PDP.

“This has also confirmed our concern that this is the reason the Federal Government is persecuting, and not prosecuting, Col. Sambo Dasuki. The APC and its leaders fear that Dasuki, given his vast political and security network, may be harbouring a presidential ambition, more so that the PDP has zoned its presidential ticket to the north.

“The PDP is conversant with the sinister plan by the APC-led Federal Government to completely decimate our party by raking up all manner of allegations of corruption against the Goodluck Jonathan administration and leaders of the PDP with a view to taking them to court on orchestrated charges.

“Finally we are aware that President Buhari has directed security agencies to be more vicious in dealing with our members and has continued to subtly coerce the Judiciary to convict those being charged to court. But what gives us joy is that President Buhari is not God and we will not worship him.”

This is worrisome because Nigerians are still grappling with the bleak economic outlook of the country and the fact that there seem to be no hope yet and the ruling party and the opposition have their eyes fixed on the next election, that is still about three years away! It is worrisome because, if the above is true, then the ruling party and Mr. President are only playing politics with the fortunes of Nigerians who voted for him believing in his promise of change. Nigerians, who though believe that corruption must be fought and defeated, but also expected changes in every other areas of their daily lives.

More worrisome because, if the allegation of the battle for 2019 is true, then whole deafening noise about corruption, anti-corruption, war against corruption, anti-corruption crusade are all “wash wash”. It means that the APC and President Buhari may truly be persecuting former NSA Dasuki and not prosecuting him. It means the continual detention of Metuh without charging him to court could be meant to remove the only officially available voice of the opposition in the country.

It means that truly, Chief Raymond Dokpesi may have been right when he said the entire $2.1 billion arms money investigation was a mere hoax! It means Nigerians may have been taken on a long winding journey in futility and may have been conned with the change mantra.

RipplesNigeria …without borders, without fears

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now