Neither PDP Nor APC By Okey Ndibe

[Ikhide]

"Given the deep current of political disaffection I detected in Nigeria, I had expected to see new, outside-the-box thinking about the way forward. Instead, I was confronted with a paralyzing sense of helplessness. I found that Nigerians, including those one expected to know better, were trapped in a conceptual political mindset in which only two parties—and, by extension, two paths to the future—exist in the Nigerian universe. Those two parties—and paths—are the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In conversation after frustrating conversation, one had a hard time nudging Nigerians to release themselves from their binary entrapment in order to see a third way. And yet, to hear them speak was to realize that there was no doubt in their minds that the two parties whose fortunes and prospects alone excite them represent dead-ends. As I argued last week, the PDP and APC are kindred spirits, two parties beset by ideological aridity, and most of their most prominent figures fueled by the same contemptible idea that politics is, above all, a means for accumulating riches. Why else do they hire thugs, kill or maim their opponents, betray all lofty principles, submit themselves to the most diabolical rites? It is certainly not to serve Nigerians.

If the two parties jostling to define Nigeria’s future are essentially ideologically similar and deeply pathological—and I insist they are—then why don’t we unshackle ourselves from their stultifying reins? That was the question and challenge I put to many a friend or fan I met last week in Nigeria."

- Okey Ndibe

Brilliant analysis, lame option. *shrugs* We are stuck. Democracy is not an option but I don't really know what to do or say about the Nigerian situation anymore. As folks keep reminding me, I no longer live there. I leave the ilo for those who own the problem, those "on the ground." I hereby still my voice box. No more talk about Nigeria, biko. Abeg I will have nothing to do with Nigerian politics any more. I am done with all that, such a time waster.

http://saharareporters.com/2014/11/25/neither-pdp-nor-apc-okey-ndibe

 

- Ikhide

 

Stalk my blog at www.xokigbo.com

Follow me on Twitter: @ikhide

Join me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ikhide

[Salimonu Kadiri]

Between 1960 and 1999, that is to say 39 years, the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA EARNED N4.8 trillion (NAIRA). FROM 1999 TO 2013, WHICH IS 14 YEARS, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA EARNED 50 TRILLION NAIRA. From 1999 and hitherto, the PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PDP) has been in control of the Federal Government and money accrued from crude oil export. We Nigerians should feel concerned over how the PDP has managed over 50 trillion Naira revenue received by the Federal government for the past fifteen years instead of engaging in mental masturbation about if APC that has never been in power at the centre is the same as PDP. With the election coming less than four months, it is too late to organise a new party to confront PDP and APC. As things are, Nigerians have tasted the government of PDP  for fifteen years now and it will only be fair to test another party for the next four years, most especially when our experience of the PDP government is negative in all aspects of life.
 

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Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 03:30:13 +0000
From: usaafric...@googlegroups.com
To: usaafric...@googlegroups.com
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Neither PDP Nor APC By Okey Ndibe

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[Cornelius Hamelberg]

Gentlemen,

This was the concluding paragraph of an SLBS  essay competition which Sylvester Ekundayo Rowe won (I must have been in the third form in Secondary school and had my hopes, but here are his concluding words (from memory) :

“The tragedy is that whereas a child’s dream to become a man is realised, the man’s dream, to escape from the wonderful realities of manhood into the exciting innocence of childhood, remains a nightmare!”  

When I look back, what is most painful is the nostalgia, how innocent and confident we were about the future, and the kinds of hope that we had at Independence.  I regret that I didn’t join the military, like JJ Rawlings.

Today, our eyes are wide open and no one has any illusions, especially not the rascals who are doing their best to deceive us and would like everybody to vote for them so that they can control the cash flow,  some say, into their own pockets and the pockets of their clients. But if we have any interest in the future of the 180 million plus people of Nigeria – then we have to climb out of the deep dark hole of despair and do something. 

At every election time we have always said that it’s our democratic right and our duty to choose from the options that are available to us and it’s mostly the duty of choosing the lesser of two evils.  Right now at this Nigerian Presidential Elections 2015 there’s the d-evil that we know and the people must decide whether they want another few more years of the same or whether it’s time for a change for the better. Let’s wait and see who will represent the APC and who the running mates of both the PDP and the APC will be.

In my opinion, there is a qualitative difference between the front runners, between Goodluck Jonathan whose lackeys say that he is the best leader that Nigeria has ever been blessed with, and my man Muhammadu Buhari, a man who Jonathan can certainly not accuse of corruption. The other leading contenders in the APC are also impressiv and should the APC win - and I hope that they do, then the pressure on them to perform will be enormous – and so might be the resilience of the PDP who might try to sabotage the APC’s best efforts at good governance.

I’m still unable to figure out what the incumbent government’s arms scandal in connection with the arms purchases in South Africa is all about. President Jonathan has not been clear about this. 

Goodluck Jonathan says, “Come follow me, I`m your leader!” as if he’s the Pied Piper who is going to drown all the rats. In fact I don’t for a moment believe that Goodluck Jonathan believes that he is the best leader that Nigeria has ever been blessed with. What I do believe is that some of the sycophants that surround him are trying to sell him that notion and I’m even more convinced that Goodluck Jonathan would be willing to defend his record in a debate with any for the APC‘s leading contenders if he believed that, but as you can see,  he lacks that kind of confidence. and is afraid to debate and to surprise us all , even if he is slipped the questions in advance.

 We are on the brink of the abyss.

I should say that a vote for the APC is a vote for peace, because ( and I’m not superstitious) should it turn out that this coming election is rigged, such will be the outrage that it will be impossible to stop the total and complete  disintegration of Nigeria until the wave  of violence has run its course.

[Mobolaji Aluko]

My People:

Let us forget about Ikhide Ikheloa for the moment, who has told us too many times already that he won't talk about Nigeria any more, only to come back writing the day after someone who voices his own arid opinion about Nigeria steps forward.

So I wish to engage Okey Ndibe:  he should form the "Third Force", and I am sure that many people will join him.  But until then, since two comes before three in Arabic arithmetic, we are stuck with the two major tendencies in Nigeria: APC and PDP.

Coming to think of it:  what am I "saying" sef?  There are twenty four other political parties in Nigeria than APC and the PDP.  They all can JOINTLY form Okey Ndibe's "Third Force", abi?

And there you have it

Bolaji Aluko

Shaking his head

http://www.inecnigeria.org/?page_id=18

S/N	Political Party [with Party Acronym]
1	Accord                                                        [A]
2	Action Alliance                                            [AA]
3	Advanced Congress Of Democrats            [ACD]
4	Allied Congress Party of Nigeria                [ACPN]
5	Alliance For Democracy                             [AD]
6	African Democratic Congress                    [ADC]
7	African Peoples Alliance                            [APA]
8	All Progressives Congress                        [APC]
9	All Progressives Grand Alliance                [APGA]
0	Citizens Popular Party                              [CPP]
11	Democratic Peoples Party                        [DPP]
12	Independent Democrats                           [ID]
13	Kowa Party                                               [KP]
14	Labour Party                                             [LP]
15	Mega Progressive Peoples Party            [MPPP]
16	National Conscience Party                      [NCP]
17	New Nigeria Peoples Party                     [NNPP]
18	People For Democratic Change             [PDC]
19	Peoples Democratic Movement             [PDM]
20	Peoples Democratic Party                     [PDP]
21	Progressive Peoples Alliance                [PPA]
22	Peoples Party of Nigeria                        [PPN]
23	Social Democratic Party                        [SDP]
24	United Democratic Party                        [UDP]
25	Unity Party of Nigeria                             [UPN]
26	United Progressive Party                       [UPP]

[Ikhide]

Well, realistically, thanks to our national tendency toward sloth and meaningless prayers, we have just two awful choices! If you put a gun to my head and asked me to choose between PDP and APC, I'd weep copiously. And vote PDP - just before you pull the trigger!

- Ikhide

[Moses Ebe Ochonu]

Ikhide excerpted just one part of Okey's piece. The totality of Okey's op-ed, if I read it correctly, makes a more expansive argument. He is not simply arguing for a third force beyond the PDP-APC binary. He is saying that there are more fundamental questions confronting Nigeria than the question of the forthcoming elections and of choosing between the two main political parties. I wholeheartedly agree with his analysis. Okey is decrying the myopia of fixating on elections which, whatever the outcome and no matter which party wins, will not magically heal the fissures and existential malaise plaguing the country. As an example, he posed the question that I have posed in several interventions, that of whether we Nigerians actually desire to continue as one country and if we do under what terms. His argument, which I have made several times, is that obsessing over elections and the party paradigms that will be on the ballot misses the point of how the status quo will be reaffirmed no matter who wins because the current system (fiscal, structural, and constitutional) is designed to produce failure and to reproduce the familiar problems no matter who or which party is at the helm. I believe Okey's piece should be read in whole and not reduced to his advocacy for a political third force. He wants us to prioritize first questions in the order of things, to get the structures right before getting to the question of who will occupy the political kingdom.

There is enough in the world for everyone's need but not for everyone's greed.


---Mohandas Gandhi

[Ikhide]

 Moses, you have been asked to dismiss whatever Mr. Ikhide Ikheloa has to say on this matter, so you should please comply with the decree. This is what Bolaji does; he gets patronizing and condescending whenever you do not agree with him. I did read Okey's piece closely and as I always do used a teaser to get people to read it. This after all is a pantheon of eggheads, they should read a piece and draw their own conclusions. I did say that it was a brilliant analysis. I also said that Okey's options were lame. No one on the ground at this late game knows of any party other than PDP and APC. Those are the options in my village, in Benin City, in Lagos, everywhere. Even with the two, the better prepared is the PDP. As we speak, a couple of months to the elections, the APC is still not sure of a flag bearer. They are not serious. Of course not.

 

In any case, Moses, is there anything new in what Okey said? Is there anything there that has not been said ad nauseam here, elsewhere and in books, including yours? Is there anyone on this ilo that is not genuinely concerned about the direction of our country? And if talk could solve these problems, would we not be in Mars? For 15 years, Moses, the PDP and the APC have simply being loitering around doing nothing but looting and pillaging, not much in structural changes have taken place. Their rulers offer edicts and decrees and largesse as if they are the military. They can because missing in all of this is ACCOUNTABILITY. We had FIFTEEN years to do that. And we are in this sad place. What do we do? We pound on our keyboards and release yet another brilliant analysis of the situation.

 

We are in a very bad place, the world knows it. It is painful to see, but we all sit here and pontificate becaise we are either comfortable and/or we are part of the problem. This is what distinguished our condition from that of other nations. They are not waiting for criminals and thugs to come "reform" their society. Nonsense.

 

Oya. carry on. I am listening.

 

- Ikhide

 

Stalk my blog at www.xokigbo.com

Follow me on Twitter: @ikhide

Join me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ikhide

---

From: Moses Ebe Ochonu <meoc...@gmail.com>
To: USAAfricaDialogue <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 30, 2014 6:24 PM
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Neither PDP Nor APC By Okey Ndibe

[Anunoby, Ogugua]

Timing is always important.

Okey and Moses make good points. Elections are only a few months away however. The question must be whether this is the best time to mount their posts. The questions they pose should have been addressed at the last national conference. There were not meaningfully addressed because of the fraud that Nigeria’s “leaders’ continue to perpetrate on the Nigerian people.  

Nigerians I believe, will be better served now and the immediate future, if they focus on having successful, free and fair elections. The enduring issues of the purpose and utility of corporate Nigeria as it presently operates, may be revisited after the elections as it should be. That Nigeria does not work for a majority Nigerians, Africa, the world, and the human race, is not in any doubt. It is too grave a matter to be attended to at this time. It is not conceivable that the forthcoming election may be postponed except of course, some truly grave untoward event happens.

 

oa     

[Anunoby, Ogugua]

“… a couple of months to the elections, the APC is still not sure of a flag bearer. They are not serious. Of course not.”

 

Ikhide

 

Do you really mean that the APC is not serious? Are you sure you do not mean the APC cannot be serious? Are you being politically correct this time? I know you usually are not. What is going on?

More seriously, I am with you. If the PDP and the APC are at all problems, they are at their worst peripheral problem of Nigeria.  They are effective vehicles for the continuous plundering of the Nigerian state. Does anyone know of a more effective vehicle for that singular purpose In a phony democratic dispensation? The addition of a third leg to a wobbly two-legged stool is not likely to make the stool sturdier.

The preponderance of evidence suggests that Nigeria works as it is designed and intended to work. The country’s constitution was written by coup plotters- anti-constitutionalists, and their cronies to maintain their hegemony. It is not a people’s constitution. Its implementation is anti the people.

The hope is that someday, a movement to redesign, not reform or restructure the state, will start and be successful. What is needed is a reconceptualization of the Nigerian experiment. You do not save a disease-ridden farm animal. You replace it.  

 

oa

[Mobolaji Aluko]

Ikhide:

I asked that you forgotten about "for the moment", not for ever.

The switch is back on:  Moses can consider what you say from now on.

As for being condescending, yes there are people who episodically need to be condescended against, the way they carry on.  You are one of those - particularly when you keep wailing about Nigeria, and you offer no solutions, just wailing and wailing, and yet you enjoy yourself THOROUGHLY when you come to Nigeria.   I am sure that I am one of those too -  for some others; I don't mind it.  I just carry on.

And there you have it.

Bolaji Aluko

[Adeshina Afolayan]

Well, I read Okey's article and then returned to read the Moses' extrapolation and I began to wonder if Okey said all that Moses ascribed to him. Don't get me wrong: Oga Moses' analysis about Nigeria and what is wrong or what needs to be done is straightforward and right on target. But hasn't all that been forced into Okey's simple analysis of the stranglehold of the current political juggernauts,  a la PDP and APC, on our electoral jugular? 

If we are to make any democratic progress, we cannot depend on both parties and their 'ideological aridity'; we need a better platform--a third force--as a counterpoint to our seeming political helplessness. So, Ikhide's teaser gets the gist of the entire essay. Okey's option is straightforward: Let us look at Oga Aluko's list of parties and see which of them can champion the cause of a radical rethinking of the polity. And once we see it this way, I am sorry but we arrive at Ikhide's point. Which of these parties--parties in names only--possess the capacity to displace PDP or make throaty noises like APC? Kowa Party? Accord? Which of them is not drawn by the allure of power?

I posted recently on what I consider the responsibility of a serious political opposition. Face it folks, APC doesn't fit the mold. It isn't even tantalising enough to achieve its stated objective of displacing the PDP. And isn't that objective arid enough in itself? 

So, we return to options. I don't know what will constitute  'Third force' and how such a force will emerge. It certainly is worth thinking about. And its starting point will be herculean. Such a force would not be taken by the rhetoric of displacing PDP or  taking over the rein of power. Rather, it will dismantle the Nigerian predicament issue by thorny issue, and produce an ideological blueprint for reassembling and social reconstruction. This may go on for years but it has the advantage of making the aridity of the existing breeds of politicians more obvious even to the most ideologically unsophisticated Nigerian. 

Just the other day, politicians took over Bodija region of Ibadan, southwest Nigeria, and the entire district stood still in chaotic exuberance. I was caught in the traffic jam and couldn't move at all. Then money began flying all over the place. Two able-bodied youths fell right in front of car, locked in a 'mortal' battle to seize the packaged largesse. The drums were rolling; the women were dancing; the youths were strutting and brandishing banners. It was an APC jamboree. 

That is what the 'third force' must displace with consistent rebranding of our political space; with ideological questioneering. And the good thing is we don't need a 'political party' to do that; we only need a 'political association' of dedicated patriots who know what it takes and how we can recalibrate our national future.

Adeshina Afolayan

Sent from Samsung Mobile

[Salimonu Kadiri]

Nigeria is a nation of false messiahs, false prophets, false statesmen, false anti-corruption crusaders, and false industrialists nurtured by intellectuals with the traits of bats - they are neither birds nor mice. After, April 19, 2011, Presidential election, Nigerian intellectuals knew that another Presidential election must take place latest April 2015. But the Nigerian intellectuals have not exerted any pressure on Jonathan to bring about the restructuring of Nigeria, based on the much touted national  conference he set up and have received its report. Now that the election is about two months away, Nigerian intellectuals have turned themselves into peripatetic gypsies or stargazers to foretell that the coming election will not be good for Nigeria irrespective of who wins between the PDP and APC. From their narrow and myopic prism those Nigerian intellectuals are telling Nigerians that there is no difference between the PDP that has ruled Nigeria for the past fifteen years and APC that has never ruled the country, not even for a second. We should reject their twisted reasoning for being incongruous with common sense. Now is the time to differentiate unpatriotic elements, sycophants/crawlers and intellectual hypocrites from genuine patriots and principled men and women of our dear country, Nigeria. On November 11, 2014, President Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan declared his intention to contest for another four years term as President of Nigeria on the platform of his Party, PDP. He narrated his achievements in the past four years to support his demand that Nigeria should vote for him in year 2015. Some Nigerian intellectuals are not willing to debate the performance of Jonathan since being in office instead, they want him to continue in office because of ethno/religious consideration which they mask as PDP is equal to APC and are thereby claiming that there is no need for a change of government.

 

When some cabals in February 2010 wanted to subvert the Constitution of Nigeria in order to prevent Jonathan from acting as the President in place of Umaru Yar'Adua who was in coma, Nigerians of all religions and ethnic groups rose up to protest against the cabals and Jonathan did not only become the Acting President but later as the substantive President when Yar'Adua was officially pronounced dead. In 2011, Jonathan contested on the platform of PDP for the President and he was declared the winner. As president, Jonathan has divided Nigeria into ethno/religious interest groups. Section 15(4) of the 1999 constitution states: The State shall foster a feeling of belonging and of involvement among the various people of the federation, to the end that loyalty to the nation shall override sectional loyalties. Jonathan, in words and actions has been very sectional and tribally inclined. On May 19, 2013, President Ebele Azikiwe was in Enugu to commission the repainted Enugu Airport building. Present at the occasion were the Governors of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States. Referring to President Ebele Azikiwe in a welcome address, the then Chairman of South-East Governors' Forum, Peter Obi said, "You have carried us all along and shown abiding interest in, and support for, our zone. For that, Mr President, we will continue to be immensely grateful.
 We have previously expressed our appreciation for the eminently qualified sons and daughters of this zone who you have honoured with various national appointments. Please, be rest assured that we will always avail you of our very best and qualitative candidates, who are not only proud and honoured to serve, but are also committed to bringing added value to every task you may assign to them." Ebele Azikiwe responded, "I thank you for the kind of support you have given to me since I indicated interest in national politics. Till today, I have the strongest support from the South-East; I want to thank you for that. I am very grateful. I AM PART OF THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY AND I WILL CONTINUE TO REMAIN SO EVEN AFTER NATIONAL SERVICE." (www.punchng.com/news/my-strongest-support-from-seast-jonathan/ The following day May 20, 2013, the former Presidential Adviser to Obasanjo, Chukwuemeka Ezeife was interviewed in the Nigerian Vanguard on line by Levinus Nwabughiogu. To the question, where does Igbo nation stand in 2015?; Ezeife replied, "I see Jonathan as an Eastern person holding the office of the President and put there by principally the South-East." Later in on-line vanguard of 5th June 2013, it was reported that the Governor of Abia State, Theodore Orji had said that the Igbo would never waiver in their support for President Goodluck Jonathan, noting that they were poised to deliver the South-East to Peoples' Democractic Party, PDP. According to Orji, supporting President Jonathan remains the only way the bread of the Igbos will be buttered. The government of President Jonathan is not only favourable to the Igbos but also very generous in funding projects... As late as 4th of September 2014 Jonathan roared that the Igbos have it better in his government (www.punchng.com/news/igbos-are-better-off-in-my-govt-jonathan/).  With all these statements let us take a look at some key positions in Ebele Azikiwe's government. Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim; Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Miniter of Petroleum, D. Maduike; Minister of Health, Professor Chukwu Onyebuchi; Minister of power, Professor Chinedu Nebo; Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu; Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka; Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Dr Nwanze Okeidegbe; Governor of Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele; Chief Executive Officer of The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, Uche Orji; Head of Security and Exchange Commission Mrs Arunma Oteh; Chairman National Population Commission, Eze Duru-Iheoma; Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, Sam Amadi; etc. Normally, it would not have mattered much if all the officials in Ebebe Azikiwe's government are from the same village in Nigeria, provided that their productions are made available to the entire population in the country. Unfortunately, the officials who are politically marketed as representing their tribes in office, neither produce goods and services for their tribes nor the entire country even though they receive personal emoluments and benefits in office. The two types of intellectuals who want Jonathan to continue as President beyond 2015 are partly those who see him as a minority tribe President and partly those who like Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State see him as the only means of buttering the Bread of the IGBOS. The other time, Igbos bestowed the traditional title of OGUGUA NDIGBO - THE CONSOLER OF IGBOS - on Babangida for buttering their bread and we wait anxiously to know what title will be bestowed on EBELE AZIKIWE.

---

Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 17:24:18 -0600,
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Neither PDP Nor APC By Okey Ndibe
From: meoc...@gmail.com
To: usaafric...@googlegroups.com