Senator Abba Moro, a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who currently serves as the Minority Leader of the Senate, talks about the factors responsible for the fall of the party and what can be done to reclaim its lost glory.
First, when the PDP came in 1999, it was seen as the largest party, maybe in West Africa or even the whole of Africa. Some people said it would hold on to power forever because of its strength, but in 2015, the situation changed. What do you think led to the party’s fall?
It wasn’t mere conjecture when people said that PDP was the largest party in Africa. In 1999, the PDP was the largest conglomerate of all shapes of human beings who had come together to fight first for democracy to be enthroned and then to sustain democracy. We were like a monolithic group – one family of PDP going forward. Our interest at that time was Nigeria; let Nigeria survive.
Unfortunately, after the euphoria of the 1999 elections, a lot of other intrigues came in. People who were even far from the foundations of the PDP came in and devised this delegate system where a few people would sit and pick delegates for conventions, who would then pick other candidates. The will of the people was circumvented. Subsequently, it became about self-interest rather than the country’s interest. Our problems stemmed from this shift.
In the aftermath of all the elections, especially the disastrous ones, the PDP constituted review committees. I was a member of the Ekweremadu review committee, and we analysed the circumstances and made serious recommendations, but they weren’t taken. Our fortunes started dwindling from 28 governors of PDP extraction down to 13 because people refused to make sacrifices and thought more about what they could get from the system than what they could give to it.
As the minority leader, I receive reports from all over the country about the manipulation of PDP congresses. In some places, it has resulted in fracas, and people have been wounded. Even where we have sitting governors who should be on top of the situation, we are still hearing cries and hues. Our misfortune stemmed from turning the party into a business, and that has brought us down.
Is that why the party is yet to pick up? You have explained why it fell, but nine years after, it is still struggling…
The problem is still there. In states where the PDP produced governors, they want to control the whole system. Senators, House of Representatives members, and House of Assembly members are all crying foul, except the governors. Even where there are no governors, the party leadership is fouling the atmosphere because of selfish interests, and in most cases, they are quite frankly compromised.
Instead of doing the right thing and allowing the people to choose their leaders, they try to manipulate the system to stay in control. I’ve told people that it’s better to be in control of government to better the lot of the people rather than remaining in a corner for selfish interests incapable of affecting people’s lives.
For as long as we do not allow the system to work, do not fight for democracy, and do not allow the freedom enshrined in democracy, the PDP will never wake up.
You said a lot of review committees were set up, but the recommendations were not implemented.
(Cuts in)… Even in the last NEC meeting, I told the party leadership that I hope this time around they were going to implement the recommendations of the review committees of the party.
Some have said it is the financing architecture of the party that is faulty. This, they said, allows some individuals to become the moneybags of the party, and those people who fund the party automatically think they are the owners of the party. What is your take?
Whether you like it or not, big men must belong to parties, but that doesn’t mean big men must take control of the party. The big men have their roles to play, and the party leadership has its own role.
What has happened in the present circumstances is leadership inertia. A party should ordinarily be self-funded. You accept donations, gifts and contributions from party members. If we look back to 1978–1980, the NPN had more big men and moneybags than even the present PDP or APC, but they didn’t dominate or hijack the party.
The issue lies in the refusal to adhere to life ethos. God makes you big to be part of the other person, not to strangulate them. Everything we are, including ourselves, belong to God. If God decides that you’ll die today, you die. If He decides that a billionaire becomes a pauper tomorrow, so be it. Lack of character and principle is the bane of party administration in Nigeria. People genuflect before money and pander to it easily, going where the money is.
At a certain point in the life of the PDP, the revered distinguished Senator David Mark said, “I’m going to be the last man standing in the PDP.” That’s the only point at which PDP can look up again. We need to fight for democracy and freedom for the ordinary members of the party. We need to develop a leadership style that is all-encompassing and prepare to work for money to build the party. Unless we do that, nothing will change.
Why is it difficult, if I may say, that the National Assembly caucus which you lead, is not able to make firm decisions pertaining to party administration?
Well, that is how sad it can be, but I can assure you that we are coming back in the next party meeting. For those of us who believe that the PDP must not die, it’s going to be fire for fire. I can assure you because I think that our silence and our desire to play along so that we can build a system together have been taken for weakness.
I am a foundation member of the PDP. I started with PDP when it didn’t even have the name PDP in 1998. I was one of the first sets of officials elected on the platform of the PDP. I was elected as chairman of my local government. I’ve come a long way with the PDP. I’ve never wavered. It’s very unfortunate that people see the PDP now as a business platform, and they don’t care about the survival of the party. It can’t continue like that, and I can assure you, going forward, it’s not going to be business as usual.
Let me take us back a bit. If the party cannot handle its internal problems and it’s supposed to serve as an opposition, how effectively can it play this role?
Let me tell you, God loves Nigeria, and God loves the common man. I told you now that if we return and they continue like this, it’s going to be fire for fire. We’ll break ourselves, then we’ll come together. And you know the popular saying, “Out of the ashes of war comes peace.”
You must knock on your heads. I think we have acquiesced in ourselves for too long. We have believed in ourselves for too long, hoping that the right thing will be done. We cannot continue like this because if you notice now, Nigerians are hurting, and these actions are done with a high level of impunity. What we have now is a hybrid of political parties and politics, with people who are neither here nor there. Such people don’t care. As long as they remain in their comfort zone, they don’t know that other people are hurting.
Are you optimistic about the future of your party?
Yes.
Do you see this party regaining its lost glory?
Sure. For instance, I can tell you now that for as long as I’m in politics, nobody will take over my zone. It will be PDP. It has always been. In the last election, the PDP lost everything, but my zone was able to produce seven House of Assembly members out of 11. We produced one House of Representatives member out of four and one senator. That is how we are.
Our drive now, God willing, is to make sure that we turn everything PDP. Little mistakes in the choices of human beings made us lose those elections, but this time around, we will be more careful and very circumspect in the choice of candidates.
So, you believe the PDP will do better in the next election?
Sure, definitely. This other party (APC) will go, I’m telling you. PDP will remain. I don’t know whether PDP will gain government, but PDP will remain. I can tell you that Nigerians are not fools. We can’t live like this and re-elect this one. It will be difficult.
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