By BUKAR Mohammed*
Once a towering presence in Nigerian politics, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) ruled for 16 uninterrupted years. Today, it stands as a shadow of its former self—a party that has lost power and its soul, dignity, and even the ability to discipline its members. If ever there was a party that epitomized hopelessness, it was the PDP. The new adage captures it aptly: “You are as hopeless as PDP.”
Wike: The Ultimate Betrayal and the Party’s Paralysis
Nothing illustrates the PDP’s downward spiral more than the case of Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and a current figure in President Bola Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC) administration. Wike, a so-called PDP stalwart, has blatantly turned his back on his own party, openly aligning with the APC while still claiming PDP membership.
This is pure anti-party activity, yet PDP’s leadership, from the National Working Committee (NWC) to the Board of Trustees (BoT), stands powerless and inert. The state governors, once the party’s powerhouses, have become mere spectators. The BoT, once the party’s conscience, is now just a ceremonial gathering with no influence.
If a party cannot hold its own leaders accountable, how can it hold the ruling government accountable?
A Dangerous Message to the Youths
The message PDP sends to its young members is stark: Just have money and do whatever you like, nothing will happen. It tells aspiring politicians that loyalty, discipline, and party ideology are meaningless if you have financial resources and political clout.
Wike is not the first to engage in anti-party activities, but PDP once disciplined such individuals. Members have been expelled in the past for far less. Former governors, senators, and party executives were shown the door for not towing the party line. Yet today, Wike walks freely, basking in his status as the most shameless PDP member working for APC, while his former colleagues sit back and murmur in frustration.
If the PDP has any sense of justice left, it must apologize to those it expelled for anti-party activities in the past. If Wike remains in the party despite working against it at the highest level, then what moral justification does the PDP have to hold anyone else accountable?
From Ruling Party to Opposition, Now Opposition to Itself
PDP’s fall from power is compounded by its internal disarray. Instead of strategizing on how to defeat APC, it is mired in internal battles, suspensions, court cases, and endless crises. Ironically, PDP has become a bigger enemy to itself than APC could ever be.
From controlling the presidency, the Senate, and the House of Representatives, PDP has devolved into an organization that cannot even control its own members. This is the tragic tale of a party that once called itself the “largest political party in Africa.” Today, it is nothing more than a disorganized mess, a political joke that inspires neither confidence nor hope.
Why PDP Members Should Stop Wasting Their Time and Join APC
Why should anyone stay in PDP? If a party cannot defend itself from being infiltrated by its adversaries, what future does it hold? If the leadership lacks the courage to discipline those who openly sabotage it, why should any serious politician waste time in PDP?
It’s clear now that Nigeria is on the path to becoming a one-party state. The so-called opposition is in disarray, unable to organize itself, while APC continues to consolidate power. Instead of waiting for 2027 in false hope, PDP members should consider joining APC or other viable parties, rather than remain in a party that has no future.
The Hopeless Dream of a Mega Opposition Party
Talks of a mega opposition coalition, a united front against APC for 2027, are just that—talks. What progress has been made? None. The so-called opposition leaders aren’t organized, and 2027 is just around the corner. If they don’t start now and put their house in order, there is no opposition in Nigeria, only APC and its puppets.
Has Nigeria become a captured state? A country where democracy is a mere formality, with elections only serving to legitimize one-party rule? If opposition parties don’t wake up now, APC will rule unchallenged for the next two decades.
Can PDP Ever Recover?
The burning question remains: Can PDP ever recover from this disgrace? The answer lies in whether its leaders are ready to enforce discipline, restore credibility, and stand up for the values the party once represented. Without this, the party will continue to symbolize hopelessness and irrelevance.
For now, the PDP stands as a perfect case study of political failure. If you ever doubt how hopeless an institution can become, look at the PDP. The party is no longer just an opposition to APC; it is an opposition to itself, an opposition to discipline, and an opposition to its own survival.
And so, the saying goes: “You are as hopeless as PDP.”
BUKAR Mohammed is a public analyst from Kano
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