By Chris Ugwele Wordshot
The other day it was Dubem Onyia and one other man. Today it was Ibrahim Mantu and Tunde Adeniran. They were on AIT Focus Nigeria selling their ware, which is splintering of PDP, because men with more purposeful and effective drives are about taking over the running of its affairs. These men were on TV speaking idle grammar when convention delegates were already trooping into Port Harcourt, Rivers State for the exercise. But, no amount of elderly mischief in Abuja in parallel or circular convention can stop them from rejigging the PDP.
Apart from self aggrandizing relevance, from their insipid, boring and incoherent talks, it’s obvious they have nothing to offer PDP today, unlike the foresighted strategic thinking behind what the real party is doing in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. And for crying out loud, permit this beaten expression, who says that the party must be run by people who consider themselves its founding fathers, if there is anything like that, especially now it needs new ideas on how to warm its way back into the confidence of Nigerians as the main opposition party that had just lost out in an election?
When did the party, a national public institution available to every Nigerian, become their personal property to be so permanently commandeered? If founding fatherism, or whatever they meant, was of inviolable validity, why did our true nationalist Fathers that got us independence bow out at certain points in time of our national history? They would have remained un-retired, even in their senility, and may be hand over the country to their children as their personal estate. After all, they founded independent Nigeria.
These old PDP men are simply surfeit with the African elder mentality as if being an elder or father, while to be respected, makes one a most effective administrator or leader in the 21st Century. After all who run and are still running Nigeria aground? That we are stinking today is because of the polluted footsteps of these people that have shown us nothing but how not to be a patriot.
Party members and indeed Nigerians already know these youngsters piloting PDP today are its lifeline to the future, especially 2019, and not disreputable men of proven sullied and well soiled integrity, whose activities were both responsible for both our country being comatose and the party being at its nadir with Nigerians.
Someone should just tell them the PDP want to reinvent itself without geriatric gerontocracts who have expired but keep choking their children out of the effective relevance and reckoning they need to revive our country. We have since realized we have left things in the hands of these people for too long and too much to our peril.
In fact, the APC should also at the right time soon enough purge itself of these dead veins. After all, Buhari regretted not being younger, hence his not unexpected slow and confused response to issues most of the time. If he was a fresh blood, perhaps Nigeria would not have been in this mire and deep rut it is hopelessly stuck in under him.
I think it is time Mantu and other mischief makers are told to stop disturbing our peace by well reminding him the greatest he has offered us in his many years of public service; his greatest contribution was alleged demanding of bribes from el-Rufai, for ministerial confirmation. The only other time I saw him speaking like today was during a half heartedly denial in the Senate after refusing to swear by the Quran. We do not want such a PDP anymore in this country, of men that sleep and snore in and on their seats.
