PDP’s Revivalism And The Sheriff Option -By Suleiman Suleiman

Inherently, one of the greatest problems faced by the Peoples Democratic Party and a significant factor that led to the party’s shocking defeat in the presidential gubernatorial, national and state assembly elections last year is largely the existence of internal saboteurs and fifth columnists in upper echelons, consisting of key party officials, governors, ministers, federal and state legislators who clandestinely worked against the party’s interest in their respective domains and constituencies after the party had given them different chances and opportunities to grow.

Fervently, it is no longer a hidden fact that, many party’s big wigs, especially in the northern part of the country had actually worked hard against the party to actualise the presidential ambition of Muhammadu Buhari and other APC candidates at the state and local levels.

Indeed, some of the influential saboteurs even organised crowds of disgruntled youths to destabilise the PDP’s campaign train that moved and passed through Katsina, Bauchi and other northern states. While these motley groups of PDP topnotches were feeding fat on their lucrative contracts and contacts within the federal bureaucracy and public service they still continued to bite the fingers that fed them by sabotaging the PDP-led federal government due to sectional, parochial and primordial instincts and sentiments.

Ironically, it was those in the PDP that had betrayed themselves and treacherously voted out their party, So it is indeed surprising for league of PDP ex-ministers who kept a deafening silence during President Jonathan’s travails and failed to deliver their wards not to talk of their entire states they have represented to have suddenly found their voice on the historic emergence of Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff as the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party. Acting like the spoilers and saboteurs of their ilk, the ex-ministers have been shouting themselves hoarse in their misguided opposition of Sheriff’s emergence, when in actual fact, this is the best thing to have happened to the party for a long time especially after it’s dismal outing in the 2015 polls.

For one, a courageous and ebullient Sheriff has never allowed himself to be cowed by those that lay claim to the ownership of the nation by virtue of the fact that they have occupied several military command appointments in the past.

Some of these ex-military rulers because they form a powerful and influential cabal, now feel that they can call the shots at any point in time in the nation’s political configuration no matter whose ox is gored in the process. But rather than be awestruck or intimidated by the antics of the self-styled feudal lords, a progressive Ali Modu Sheriff believes fervently that all power emanates from the Almighty God and there is no reason to worship a fellow man in order to get on in life.

Immediately after his taking over of the party leadership, a highly elated SAS wasted no time in serving notice to the APC’s regime that it’s days were numbered in the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.

SAS’s resonating and reassuring words sent jitters down the spine of the APC-led government while receiving deserved applause and plaudits from the rank and file of the teeming PDP supporters and party faithfuls. Since the emergence of the APC government, there wasn’t a time  any key leader of  the party chieftain delivered a speech as resounding and exhilarating as SAS’s momentous speech, not even the querulous ex-ministers, who remained  deaf mutes throughout their tenure, especially during the crucial and tension-soaked days preceding the 2015 elections.

If the truth must be told, it must be told loud and clear, those ex-ministers that contributed majorly towards the defeat of the PDP have no credibility or moral justification to challenge the emergence of SAS, rather they should allow the architect of the defunct ANPP’s hegemony in Borno politics and a proven political tactician and erudite grandmaster to reshape and re-engineer the party for the larger and more herculean tasks ahead.

SAS has done it before and he can do it again, so those that short changed the PDP in the past should rethink and join hand with him to lead the party to the promised land. The self-styled largest party in Africa deserves more and no less.

 —  Suleiman is a public affairs commentator