There are many types of poetry. William wordsworth in his introduction to Lyrical Ballard which herald the romantic era of poetry, saw poetry as ‘a spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings, emotions recollected in tranquility’. Simply put, poetry has to do wth using words to express emotions, and feeling. There are some poetry that has nothing to do with definitions by wordsworth, there is the nonsense poetry, enjoyed by its sheer nonsensicality but with a deep meaning, and a crucial lesson when read with a poetic mind. An example of nonsense poetry is the story or Humpty Dumpty who had a great fall while sitting on the wall.
He had a fall, so great that all the kings men and kings houses couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty together again. The simple lesson from this poem of few lines is that considering his size, (huge and shapeless) Humpty Dumpty supposes not sit on a wall.
If he was on the ground, even if he fell, it wouldn’t have been so fatal that all the kings’ men and horses could not put him together again. A further lesson is that man should consider his status in the society in taking certain decisions, man should always chose him surroundings according to his importance, and status in the society. Humpty Dumpty was important in his society or the king would not have detailed his men and horses to put him together again!
Enough of poetry, the People’s Democratic Party was formed in 1998 by a blend of astute politicians from all the sections and region of Nigeria. Ts symbol, an umbrella decorated in the party colours of Green, White and Red was imposing. It provided a cover for all Nigerians, and prided itself as the largest party in the constituent of Africa. At a point, a ticket from the party was an assurance of a position vied for. The real battle was securing the ticket of PDP, after which the candidate will roll out the drums. Politicians from other party decamped enemas to the party from other weak, parties. For 16 years, the party bestrode the political arena of Nigeria like a colossus, no other cock could crow, it was a case of PDP and other parties.
Countdown to the 2015 general elections, PDP decided to sit on the wall, the problems of PDP actually started in the era of president Obasanjo, he came to the exhaled seat through the votes of the North, South South, and South East, his kiths and kins in Yoruba land rejected him outrightly, they preferred Olu Falae, and their slogan was ‘no more solder’ the south westerners demonstrated their disdain for Obj, and voted AD governors in all their states. During the 2003 elections, Obj Cajoled the Yoruba electorate to support his 2nd term bid in exchange for the return of the governor of the South west to their positions, the AD governors fell for it, and a week after his elections with support from the AD government, he told all of them to pack their belongings from the governors houses. All the governors of the AD failed in their 2nd term bid except the Jajaban, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Lagos State. The disgraced governor has never forgiven Obj or the PDP for their fall.
Obj’s style of leadership estranged the PDP from the masses and the good people of Nigeria. He was crude, brutal, and domineering in his rule – Nigerians started yearning for an alternative in the second term of Obasanjo, but all the alliances failed.
The next reason for the fall of PDP was their attitude to elections. Obasanjo propounded the ‘do or die’ politics. Even areas PDP had advantages the federal might was always used to grab, Nigerians were watching. Rigging was the in thing, and imposition of candidates on the hapless electorates. There were no internal democracy, favoritism, godfatherism and thuggery became the order of the day. The only State in the South that withstood the roaring lion was Lagos who is blessed with the commander of the most successful trigging machinery in the world, with headquarter at Boudilon Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
As at the end of the Obasanjo era in 2007, the umbrella was beginning to leak, and notable politician started to decamp to the opposition. PDP like fat Rosnald in James Hardly chase’s novel this is for Real; couldn’t recognize trouble when it sat on its laps. Yar’ Adua was tolerated because a part from being a Hausa/Fulani, he tried to correct the high handedness of Obasanjo. Peter Obi and Adams Oshiomole recovered their governorship seat for APGA and CAN respectively, the judicial gained their independence, and corruption was looked at.
The emergence of Goodluck Jonathan, the legendary epitome of Goodluck as his name implies at the death of Yar’Adua threw PDP into a frenzy, Jonathan was ill prepared for leadership, hence many advisers surrounded him from all over the country, confused and confounded by the intrigues of power, he was rowing to and from like a ship in a turbulent sea, like a confused captain who is at the mercy of the elements of turbulence. Jonathan’s ineptitude as a leader further polarized the biggest party in Africa along, regional and ethnic lines; the greedy governors seized the opportunity of the weak centre and grabbed power, and the soul of the party. The governors were larger than life, they took over the leadership of the party and decided what goes to who. Credit must be given to Obasanjo for the emergence of Jonathan as the President after the demise of Yar’adua; he stood by him and shielded him from the hawks from the Hausa/Fulani oligarchy who wanted one of their own to succeed Yar’adua.
At a point Obasanjo became too overbearing for Jonathan, and he revolted, with his swarm of advisers, he closed his ears to Obasanjo, and as W. B. Yeats would say, ‘the falcon could not hear the falconer’ Obasanjo is known to be vindictive, he does not forgive his offenders, he marked Jonathan and PDP ‘X’ which culminated into his publicly tearing his membership card of PDP.
The fall of PDP came to a climax with the defection of 5 governors of Rivers, Kwara, Sokoto, Kano, and Adamawa to APC after calling themselves The New PDP. The Central Working Committee, the executive, and the BoT of PDP were so polarized, and working at cross purposes that they couldn’t handle the crises that culminated into these defections. The icing in the cake was the outcome of the primaries into the national assembly and governorship position as a countdown to the 2015 general elections, the sitting National Assembly members saw themselves out played in their own games. Most of them could not return to their seats due to the mechanization of the overbearing governors. A good number defected to the popular APC which was growing everyday in number and in popularity with a message of ‘Change’.
PDP’s imminent fall like Humpty Dumpty came to a head after the emergence of APC, for the first time an alliance of aggrieved politicians, the massive defection from the PDP and the emergence of Mohammadu Buhari, perceived to be an anti-corruption crusader pulled the rig from PDP’s feet. Even PDP Stalwarts and executive members from all over the country were openly and clandestinely campaigning for Buhari. A State like Bauchi is a case study. The National Chairman of PDP, a serving governor, three Senators, a serving minister could not give their party up to one hundred thousand votes! In one of the northern States, the governor wanted to go to the Senate under PDP but wanted the electorate to vote Buhari for President, he ended up losing the Senate seat because the electorate were not educated enough, they voted for the broom all the way.
Like Humpty Dumpty, the Peoples Democratic Party, the big umbrella has fallen, can the king’s men, and horses put PDP together again?
The story of ‘the fall of a great house’, (Derek Walcoft) could not be completed without the mention of the contributions of the then First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan. The Former First Lady is an epitome of the words of the scripture in Psalm 126 verse 1-2 “When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing…”
If someone had prophesied to Patience Jonathan in 1996 that in the next 12 years she was going to be the first lady, she would have rebuked the person, and nothing would have made her believe the prophecy. She saw herself rising miraculously from the wife of a deputy governor to the first lady of Nigeria within a period of 10 years. Patience couldn’t believe her luck, and this sudden and unexpected rise in status drove her crazy. Her conduct in private and public is subject for another write up.
First was her squabble with Yar’adua’s wife over land, her speeches ridiculously rendered, her unguarded utterances, the public display of ignorance all culminated into a big embarrassment to the country, her husband the President, and PDP as a party. The Chibok girls episode can win an award in a comedy chip. That there were functionaries of government with whatever names who would have called her to order is a big question. The President was o timid that he couldn’t call his wife to order, and the PDP as a party kept a diabolical silence. Her reference to the Almajiris of the North as born thruway was the last straw that broke the Camel’s back.
Bye and large, the great party has fallen, the nation awaits the rise of Humpty PDP from this great fall!
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