By Gbenga Daniel
As a loyal party man who desires the
best for our great party, the PDP. I have done informed study of the
myriad of problems which confronted our political party in the last
few years, especially the one which had cost us several electoral
victories since 2011 and most especially the Presidency in 2015. I
have come to the conclusion that the challenges which face our
political party are not permanent. They could be rectified through a
careful deployment of resources, the willpower and ability to work
through difficult situations, concession and compromises if need be,
and ability to move all our people into one disciplined accord on all
matters.
I therefore use this medium to declare
my aspiration to contest for the office of the National Chairman of
the Peoples Democratic Party at the National Convention which has
been slated to hold on the 9th of December, 2017. I come to this
resolve after careful analyses of the challenges confronting the PDP
and on the strength of clear understanding of my personal ability to
provide the needed leadership in our collective search for solutions.
State of the Nation
Let me state that most Nigerians today
have come to recognise that our party, the Peoples Democratic Party
midwifed democracy for Nigeria and the country fared better under our
political party. Regrettably, the people did not vote out our party
for want of performance. We lost out because we miscalculated on
certain aspects of our politics; outside the management of the
nation's economic resources. We failed to ask some critical questions
needed for planning. For instance, when President Muhammadu Buhari in
2011 as the candidate of the CPC got less than 5,000 votes in Abia
State, we did not ask why? When in 2011, the 15 states that Muhammadu
Buhari had the least votes came from Southern Nigeria, we did not ask
why? When the trend repeated itself in 2015, who asked why?
Again, in 2015 we failed to appreciate
that it was not just an election, it was a referendum. A referendum
not for secession, but for "effective governance". I hold
firmly that more than planning, leadership needs to ask more
questions at all times. Asking the right questions is what the new
leadership of the PDP under my watch will focus on.
Our inability to ask the needed
questions at the appropriate time no doubt affected the fortunes of
the PDP and reflected in the final outcome of the party in the 2015
general elections. For instance, for every four (4) persons that
voted for President Muhammadu Buhari in the North, he got only 1 vote
in the South. Muhammadu Buhari polled 12,374,890 votes from the North
and only 3,050,031 from the South. In 2015, during the presidential
election, Candidate Muhammadu Buhari received the least number of
votes from the South Eastern region. He got less than 200,000 votes
in an election that had a turnout of more than 2.7 Million people.
That was a referendum.
The low votes meant that a large number
of people did not trust or want Muhammadu Buhari. That was and is
still the fact (evidence from IPOB and recent restructuring debates
from the South.). The various agitations for restructuring in
different parts of the country and in isolated cases, of calls for
secession were a referendum not for secession, but a referendum on
'leadership trust'. That is President's leadership litmus test.
We do not just have enough evidence as
to why so many people did not want Muhammadu Buhari. But the low side
of his administration reveals a bit of possible why. The solution to
a national problem cannot just be in fighting corruption; the
solution is to first fight 'national disunity'.
Recently, Prof Ricardo Hausman of the
Harvard Kennedy School concluded a research where he stated "Fighting
Corruption will not end Poverty". His research showed that
improving Government effectiveness played a significant role in
fighting poverty, and that fighting corruption had an insignificant
role in ending poverty.
Part of the questions we also failed to
ask and provide answers to was why many young Nigerians became
unhappy with our party. The pattern of the votes reflected not only
who people elected as their President, it more importantly showed who
people 'refused' to elect as their President. When the results were
finally announced, the evidence had shown that the priority and fight
of the next Nigerian leader (Muhammadu Buhari) should have been
'National Acceptance' before fighting 'National Corruption'
Let me also say, that today, the
difference between the PDP and APC is in two words 'Vision' and
'Mission'. The PDP has a 'Vision' for Nigeria, while the APC only has
a 'Mission'
Like I said, especially in the light of
current reality in the management of our Commonwealth in the present
dispensation, Nigeria's economy was better managed, under the PDP.
For instance, under President Olusegun Obasanjo's leadership (1999 -
2007), a government ran by the PDP, the Nigerian economy grew by 91%
(as measured by GDP), while during the administration of Alhaji Umar
Musa Yar'Adua/Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (2007/2010 - 2014), the
economy grew by 24%. That has been the fastest growth under civilian
rule in the history of our great nation, and it happened under the
PDP.
Since 2015 however, Nigeria is yet to
have an appreciable 12 months of economic growth under the APC.
That's an F9; failure.
It is disquieting that the APC led
government claim to focus on fighting corruption, while facts on the
ground suggests that Nigeria has become worse off and sinking low
even in graft. For instance, latest corruption index in Nigeria
(2016) according to Transparency International (the global watchdog
for measuring corruption) was 2.8/10. Before 2015, Nigeria had a P8
in corruption but and A3 in economic growth, now we have an F9 in
both economic growth and corruption.
About two months ago, the National
Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria's number 1 repository of facts
and data, revealed that more than N402 Billion was paid as bribes
within the last 12 months. What is N402 Billion? - It is more than
the Federal Government's capital budget for Defense, Education and
Health combined together.
State of PDP
Our Party, the Peoples Democratic Party
was founded in 1998 on the wisdom and vision of some of our founding
fathers on certain noble ideals. In 1999, the PDP won 206 out of the
360 seats of the House of Representatives; 59 out of the 109 seats of
the Senate; 21 out of the 36 states Governorship seats and the
Presidential position with 62.78% of the votes cast. In 2003, the
fortune of the party soared higher as we won 223 out of the 360 seats
of the House of Representatives; 76 out of the 109 seats of the
Senate; 28 out of the 36 states Governorship seats and the
Presidential position with 61.94%. Similar feats were recorded in
2007 and 2011 where we won resoundingly across the country. All these
we achieved before we moved away from our guiding principles.
One of such guiding principles which
defined the essence and character of our great party was
transparency. We showed the world, and especially Africa, through
internal democracy, the exemplary guidelines on how democracy should
be practiced. Our party slogan ‘Power to the People’ was not just
another political catchphrase but one that portrays our
socio-democratic ideology that, beyond the distractions of public
offices and class differences, the ultimate authority of governance
does not rest in the hands of the rulers but the ruled; that the
welfare and indeed wellbeing of Nigerian citizens, including that of
our party members come first before that of any party or political
office holders.
In the last few weeks I have gone round
visiting many of our leaders and stakeholders. I believe that I have
sufficiently interacted with many of our party leaders, elders and
members to have identified various fault lines which needed closing
up so that we can return to the ideals and vision of our founding
fathers. One of my focus as the National Chairman is to bring back
many of our party men who have left. My ultimate goal is to work
towards the victory of our party in the 2019 general elections and in
all other elections in between. To achieve this, I am prepared to
work with all leaders of our party, various interest groups and
individuals.
What went wrong?
Various reasons have been given about
how we got to where we are. Chief of these are indiscipline and
impunity, lack of internal democracy, imposition of candidates as
well as dangerous introduction of ticket racketeering to unpopular
candidates. The alteration of the time-tested zoning formula and
convention also contributed in no small measure to the undoing of the
PDP. A party which was hitherto governed by ethos and administered by
internal conflict management mechanism based on equity, fairness,
transparency and democracy became hostage to judicial controls only.
Today we still carry the scar, and in some cases, wounds from the
misunderstanding and a breakdown in party discipline and order.
But this is not the time to start
passing the buck; enough of the blame games. It is time to move on,
up and forward. It is time to start afresh...I believe, together we
can take us there.
The Eagle is a very powerful bird. That
is why it is the symbol of our collective national strength. As a
political party we also have a lot to learn from; and take strength
from the regenerative energy of this all-time powerful bird.
In my own part of the world in the
South West, there is a believe that the Eagle spends an average of
1000 years, the mythical immortality of the Eagle is supported by the
science which confirms that at every turn and cycles in years the
Eagle finds space in the deep forests to pluck off its time-worn
feathers in the heat, and regenerate. The truth still is, the same
Eagle remains in body and spirit which represents the legendary never
dying and ubiquitous spirits and wisdom of our elders and founding
fathers, which needs from time to time to regenerate, refresh so that
it can live into the next generation. In other words, we can retain
the old and still live in the present and into the future.
Fellow compatriots, the need for a more
focused, disciplined and reinvigorated PDP transcends the desire to
merely hold office, rather it is a clarion call to provide an
alternative political platform to offer distinctive leadership our
nation so much desire today. A platform whose ideology is based on
collective governance, all round inclusive leadership, national unity
and economic development. Doing otherwise will be sending our
fatherland to eternal political condemnation, neo-dictatorship and
totalitarianism. This will not only make mockery of the sacrifices of
men and women who paid the ultimate price so our nation can enjoy the
freedom and unity we so much deserve but equally erode the collective
vision of a more prosperous Nigeria.
The fate of Nigeria seems intertwined
with that of PDP, Nigeria needs us, the citizens are looking up to
us, and we cannot afford to fail them. I am also proud to say that
our Peoples Democratic Party was and still remains the greatest
political party, not only in Nigeria, but in the entire continent of
Africa. We were one big happy family, representing the greatest hopes
and aspirations of most Nigerians.
How do I feel I can do it?
I think I am most eminently qualified
to correct some of our mistakes of the near and remote past having
served as a Chief Executive officer of one of the most complex States
in Nigeria, Ogun. Having supervised and won elections twice under the
platform of the PDP. I have conducted and managed not only national
elections, but also local government elections with all their
attendant complexities. I have built a network of personal
relationships across the length and breadth of Nigeria, both in my
private capacity as a businessman and public life as a governor and
politician; these networks are expected to come handy in the process
of healing wounds and building bonds and synergies necessary in
rebuilding and refloating the political party. I stand as a bridge in
between conservatively hostile and restlessly progressive different
and diverse generations. We must harness the abundant energies of our
youth and gain from the timeless wisdom of our elders. The PDP needs
a Chairman that can lead the party to meet the needs, aspirations and
yearnings of young Nigerians.
As a professional engineer, I have
learnt over the years, both in the course of training and years of
practice that whenever there is a near system collapse, sometimes we
need to reinvent the wheels; sometimes, we need to pause and go back
to default settings, we need to refresh, recreate and regenerate. And
I believe, as a member of the most prestigious Academy of Engineering
in Nigeria, I am equally qualified in the engineering of default
setting and the strength of character to do what has to be done.
A New PDP is Possible
The new PDP leadership is going to
fight Poverty like never before. The judiciary, legislative or
several unhappy people are not our enemies. We have a common enemy in
'failed promises'. A common enemy in 'poverty'. A common enemy in
'high interest and inflation rates; which by the way is not
interesting.
Restructuring means different things to
different people in Nigeria. To make it simple, I say we need to
"Rethink Nigeria". Rethinking Nigeria means our new PDP
will focus on what works and less on what is failing. Added to that
is what ought to work that is failing. In practical terms, we are
already in a 'State of emergency’ in Poverty. The APC blames the
PDP without cross checking the facts; stopping the policeman from
collecting bribe is a good achievement, but does that improve his
policing skills?
As at today, the APC has 44 senators
from the North, but more than half have been PDP members. What do all
these mean? The APC is picketing the PDP. It clearly shows that APC
is not building leaders. The PDP built leaders and will continue to
do that.
Finally, I share in Robin Sharma's
belief that: "Leadership is no longer about your position. It is
now more about a 'passion for excellence' and 'making a difference'.
You can lead without a title. The new
PDP leadership under my watch will keep working towards reducing
corruption, but using a different strategy. Rather than fight other
arms of Government, we will promote national integration. I want to
be a leader not just the National Chairman of the PDP. My role is
more important than my title.
We can, we must, and we will definitely
start afresh ... Together!
Otunba (Engr.) Justus Gbenga Daniel,
FNSE, FAEng was the Governor of Ogun State (2003-2011) and aspirant
for the National Chairmanship of the Peoples Democratic Party.
