2 weeks ago
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By Charles Kumolu, Deputy Editor
Except a occurrence happens, Nigerians whitethorn beryllium witnessing the past progressive days of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Only a cardinal recalibration of the absorption tin beryllium otherwise. Yet, fixed the nation’s governmental culture, the enactment appears each but finished, with lone a fewer men inactive standing.
For context, the men are the governors, whose ranks person been depleted by a gale of defections ne'er seen successful Nigeria’s chequered governmental history.
In little than 3 years, Nigerians person witnessed the PDP shrinking from 11 governors arsenic of May 29, 2023, to eight. The situation, which raised questions astir their driving force, further depleted the ranks of the PDP to an embarrassing level.
Defiance
Despite the sweeping question that has blown galore of its governors into the ruling camp, a fewer wrong the PDP look determined to clasp their ground.
As the party’s astir disposable leaders astatine the authorities level, these governors look resolved to either upwind the tempest oregon spell down with the ship. Sunday Vanguard believes this stance underscores some their defiance and the magnitude of the situation confronting the once-dominant opposition.
At the clip President Bola came to power, the PDP controlled 11 states: Oyo, Adamawa, Bauchi, Rivers, Benue, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Taraba, Bayelsa, and Plateau.
But wrong months, a operation of governmental pressure, patronage, and opportunism thinned the ranks.
Currently, those who person dumped the party, citing what analysts described arsenic selfish reasons see Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, Bayelsa State Governor, Duoye Diri, and Umoh Eno of Akwa Ibom.
Govs
The accelerated attrition of PDP governors since 2023 has not been simply a substance of numbers, it signals a deeper structural situation wrong the party. Governors, traditionally among the strongest anchors of immoderate party’s national structure, person go liabilities alternatively than stabilisers.
Rather than rallying grassroots support, galore person opted for self-preservation via defection. The connection this sends is corrosive: if governors tin leap ship, what loyalty remains among the fertile and file? The defection tide frankincense undermines the PDP’s organization coherence, weakening its bargaining powerfulness and nationalist credibility up of the 2027 contests.
One-party
Furthermore, this inclination has knock-on effects connected the absorption ecosystem much broadly. If the PDP collapses into a shadiness of itself, past Nigeria’s governmental equilibrium tips dangerously toward single-party dominance. The opportunistic quality of galore defections, seemingly driven by calculations of entree to national spoils alternatively than ideological conviction, besides undermines the conception of opposition.
It means the ruling enactment gains not conscionable numbers but the quality of inevitability, which successful crook suppresses contestation, dampens interior renewal successful the opposition, and dilatory erodes antiauthoritarian vibrancy.
Meanwhile, successful the midst of this basal a fewer men, who galore reason whitethorn either triumph oregon perish with the party.
Seyi Makinde
If determination is 1 PDP politician who has shown some resilience and independence, it is Engineer Seyi Makinde of Oyo State. Widely regarded arsenic the party’s past stronghold successful the South-West, Makinde’s governmental travel mirrors a communicative of calculated pragmatism, self-assurance, and heavy grassroots appeal.
Since 2019, Makinde has defied the likelihood successful a portion dominated by APC’s governmental machinery. Even arsenic his chap Southern PDP leaders similar Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Minister, Nyesom Wike and Samuel Ortom wavered, Makinde maintained a cautious equilibrium betwixt practice with the ruling authorities and loyalty to his party. This strategical dexterity has earned him admiration crossed governmental divides.
Makinde’s crushed for staying successful PDP appears little astir ideology and much astir bequest and autonomy. As 1 of the astir financially autarkic governors successful Nigeria, helium doesn’t trust heavy connected national handou...
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