Group says Nigeria’s future tied to PDP

The Campaign for Good Governance (CCG) has said the Presidency, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and all Nigerians should be concerned about the current  state of affairs in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because of its larger implications on the polity as the future of Nigeria’s democracy is tied to the stability of the party.

The group warned in a statement issued by its Executive Director, Grace Ochinokwu in Abuja on Tuesday that the PDP must not be allowed to disintegrate because this would lead the APC to become the behemoth that the PDP once was in the absence of a strong opposition.

The statement explained that any further degeneration in the affairs of the PDP risks returning Nigeria to a one-party state presided over by the APC and that this is a road the country must never tread again.

It said “The APC should be most worried since politicians will begin to see treat winning primary tickets on its platform as a do or die affair. This was what began the implosion in the PDP and the APC would not be spared going through that circle, which even includes the risk of widespread assassination of perceived strong contenders.

“Had the PDP and Nigerians ensured that the then ANPP, AD and UNDP thrived, perhaps it would have avoided the crises plaguing it today since a pluralistic party democracy would have provided wider avenues for self expression.
“Nigerians should be the most worried. Whatever they think the PDP’s failings or excesses were would be nothing compare to what the APC can evolve into once there is no stiff opposition to its rule. This is why those rejoicing about the former ruling party’s troubles should take time to ponder the consequences especially when there is little to no prospect of another group repeating what the APC did to defeat the PDP in the foreseeable future.

“A guaranteed outcome, going by human tendencies and what we are already seeing, is for the APC to become what the PDP was at the height of its rule. This is why well meaning citizens should prevail on the key members of the PDP to put their house in order because of the likely impact on the country’s democracy.

“For a start, we must all demand that the party’s stakeholders sheath their swords and respect the party’s internal processes including the choice of Senator Ahmed Markafi as its caretaker chairman,”   the CCG statement urged.

It advised that the rival factions of the PDP set their differences aside as citizens would hold them responsible if the fallout from their party’s crisis disrupt or threatens Nigeria’s democracy in any way.

According to the statement, the PDP stalwarts must in addition to their individual interests reckon with how their actions could create a society with one party structure and what can happen to democracy as a result of these actions.

“PDP future has implications for democracy in Nigeria which is why we must not allow or treat its current crisis as an internal affair of the PDP,” the group said.