PDP:The Only True Nigerian Party

                                      

The People's Democratic Party was formed in 1998 alongside other political parties ahead of the 1999 general elections. However, like a house built on a solid foundation, only the PDP has stood the test of time over a period of 14 years, remaining strong, rooted and unshakable like the Rock of Gibraltar and bestriding the electoral and political landscape of Nigeria like a colossus.
There is no doubt in my mind that the PDP from inception is the only political party whose founding fathers built on solid foundation with pragmatic, sound democratic principles and ideologies as its pillars. The party has won all Presidential elections since 1999 till date. During the 1999 elections, in all criteria,the PDP emerged tops,winning 21 governorship seats out of  36 while controlling more National Assembly seats.In the 2003 general elections,the party won 28 governorship seats,taking 5 out of the 6 western states which were under the grip of the AD.The party also led with 223 out of 360 seats in the House of Representatives,and 76 out of 109 seats in the Senate.In 2007 PDP won 27 governorship seats,260 out of 360 seats in the House of Representatives and 85 out of 109 seats in the Senate.The PDP again was most party successful in the 2011 general elections.

The PDP has remained a winning machinery despite the  coalitions,mergers,destructive criticisms,blackmail and character assassination embarked upon by the opposition.It is not for fun that members including founders of the party had defected to the opposition and after wondering in the wilderness,they always returned back to the party.Atiku Abubakar remains a constant example.The PDP remains the only all accommodating party with its umbrella ever willing to shelter Nigerians weather Christian or muslim,rich or poor,young or old,Igbo,Hausa,Yoruba or from the minority tribes.It is the only party not built on tribal or ethnic lines.Its ideology is built on the welfare of the people.Even though it has had its fair share of internal disagreements,it has always weathered the storm.

Most recently,Emmanuel Uduaghan,governor of Delta State extoled the virtures of the PDP and why the party has been so successful,he sai"PDP is the only party in Nigeria that has maintained its name since its formation in 1998;all the other parties have either merged,re-merged or died".
Forget this people who go about claiming they are out to rescure the nation,we all have been through this before and we all know that this men are out to rescure their interests".This men held public offices and their only legacies remained their fat bank accounts and investments scattered all over the world,so how can these same men turn around and claim they are out to rescure Nigeria?The recently formed All Progressive Congress(APC)is a perfect example of a political party with segregation as a major component of its foundation,now how can a party like this rescue Nigeria when it is yet to rescure itself from ethnic and religious bias?

A political party should be built to accommodate diverse groups of individuals without any hinderance whatsoever but the APC and its founding fathers do not believe in this democratic theory.The party’s leadership all comprises of muslims,beginning from its leaders/financiers,can such a political party survive in a democratic setting and a heterogenous society like Nigeria?

The Secretary General of Religious Equity and Promotion Council(REPC),Tanko Garba and an Islamic cleric,Mr Yusuf Garba spoke against the situation of the APC having an all muslim executive.According to both men"it is not out of the ordinary that the executive interim committee of APC are muslims.Does it mean that the APC will be the Nigerian version of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood party?Check out this,party leader for the north is General Muhamadu  Buhari is a muslim,the party leader for the south is Senator  Bola Tinubu with other executive committee members are muslims’’.Nigerians should attach weight to these statements especially because they are coming from fellow muslims.

Comparing this disturbing trend in the APC and that of the PDP,the National Publicity secretary of the PDP,Olisa Metuh said "In this great party(referring to the PDP)considerations are not made based on religious,tribal or ethnic interest.Here,there are neither Christians or muslims;Hausas nor Yorubas,Fulanis noe Ijaws;Igalas r Igbos and so on.The PDP remains a large family with enough room to accommodate all opinions and interests without compromising the national interest".

These are some pillars that have endeared the party to the people over the years:

ü  The party favours free market policies which support economic liberalism

ü  The PDP strives to maintain the status quo on oil revenue distribution

ü  The PDP is against same same relations

ü  It is a broad based all inclusive platform

ü  It has zero tolerance for insecurity and terrorism

As we prepare for the 2015 general elections,I am convinced that the PDP will repeat its significant electoral victories as it had done in recent past.And with the support the party receives from the masses,I leave you with this statement famously made by a national chairman of the party "prince Vincent Ogbulafor"PDP will rule Nigeria for the next sixty years’’.