One party state not augur well for multi- ethnic, diversified society

By Tunde Opalana

Former President of the Senate, Dr.Bukola Saraki said he was not disturbed by the gale of defection that hit the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as he is ready to team up with other loyal members to rebuild the PDP.

This followed the development in the Delta State chapter of party in which the state governor, Sheriff Oborevwori and the entire state apparatus defected into the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Saraki who said he has been inundated with calls over the defection of top PDP leaders in Delta State and its impact on our party.

He said “my view is that those who want to leave the PDP should leave now and let the rest of us who want to stay concentrate on rebuilding the party and refocusing it to play the role of a viable opposition that will provide a better alternative for the good people of Nigeria.

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“I am convinced that it is important for all Nigerians to work for the sustenance of democracy. And to sustain democracy, there must be viable choices for people at every point. Also, there must be a viable opposition to keep people’s hope alive and create credible alternatives to keep the government on its toes.”

The former governor of Kwara State lamented that the ugly trend of defection is dragging the country into a one party state.

“A one-party state as being disingenuously designed by some people will not augur well for a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-cultural, multi-religious, and highly diversified society like ours. It is even more dangerous when we eliminate alternatives and make people hopeless.

“Therefore, it is in the interest of Nigeria and the survival of our democracy for the opposition to be vibrant and strong enough with the capacity to replace the ruling party at any point.

“Thus, my charge to our party members is that the PDP is merely experiencing a rebirth.

“Those who want to leave the party should go and let those of us remaining have a clear view of who we are talking to and where their political loyalty lies. All we need is for those who want to stay back in PDP to show commitment and we can all work to rebuild the party,” he said.

Saraki doubted the sincerity of leaders of opposition grouping against the President Bola Tinubu – led APC administration.

He said “I have seen that there was no sincerity with the supposed leaders of the opposition. One was not sure of the next person one was talking to.

“My appeal to PDP members nationwide is that we should know that the sustenance of democracy is not a sprint. Rather, it is a marathon. It is not a knock-out football match series. It is a league. 24 hours is a long time in politics and nobody can predict how the dynamics will evolve in the coming weeks and months.

“That is why PDP members across the country should not be discouraged, disillusioned, disappointed, or demoralised by the development in Delta State. We should stay strong and focus on strengthening the party. It is not necessary at this point to lament why they left.

“Our party members should also refrain from blaming our woes on the ruling party. That would be a lazy approach. They are playing politics to win elections. It is our responsibility as party members to ignore their antics and seize the moment and momentum to make our party stronger and better.”

Expressing shock over Okowa’s defection from the party, he said “it is unbecoming and shocking for the running mate to the standard bearer of a leading party to abandon ship to join the ruling party.

“This is unprecedented and nobody should try to justify such an act with the talk of being put under pressure. It is simply a sign of how low we have sunk as a polity. The country is experiencing a collapse of leadership values.

“These developments in the polity are the reason why I have always canvassed the idea that we should emphasize building and strengthening our institutions and not individuals.

“With the defection of the governor of Delta State, even if the party has only ten governors in its fold, the PDP is still in a good position to win the next round of elections.”

Charging party members to remain, he admonished and hem to know that the PDP is better with fewer members who are “loyal, sincere, determined, dedicated, and committed to its ideas, ideals, and progress” than to have so many who will identify with us in the afternoon and be romancing the ruling party in the night.

Preparing against 2027, he said “we have enough time to brace up to the challenge. There is nothing that prevents us from getting some governors from the other parties to join our ranks.

“My appeal to our young party members is that this defection is just a mere challenge to us to further mobilize and put our house in order. Also, our women’s wing should seize the opportunity to help in the rebuilding mission. The PDP will come out stronger from this development.

“I am very sure the various leadership organs of our party will soon make public their reaction to this development and convey the necessary meetings to strategize on how to strongly and strategically respond to it. Therefore there is no cause for alarm.

“Our party members should not lose focus, hope, or the determination to win. We should see the current development as a challenge to rebuild and refocus the party. Tomorrow is very bright.”