Okupe: The PDP currently being paddled is heading for the rocks

Doyin Okupe, senior special assistant to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) being paddled by its board of trustees (BoT) is heading for the rocks.

Reacting to the recommendations of the party’s BoT towards resolving the PDP crisis, Okupe said the board lacked the wherewithal to restore sanity to the opposition party.

He said its decisions had shown that the party is bereft of “real politicians”.

“Once again the leadership of the PDP as represented by the highly esteemed members of the BoT has manifested an inexplicable and tragic error of judgement in handling the current crisis in the party,” he wrote on Facebook.

“This sad commentary from the BoT is a sign of the total absence of real politicians in our political framework. Politicians with deftness, sagacity, skillful capabilities have become rare in our parties and political institutions.

“What we now have is a demoralising relic of the fake creations and impostors who have cornered the political arena in the last two decades.

“Politicians who cannot talk with one another or to the electorate; politicians who do not negotiate or mediate; politicians who must win and be on the winning side always; politicians who will talk from both sides of their mouths and whose positions change as frequently as the availability of financial sponsors for different reasons and rationale; politicians who do not stand for anything.

“Our governors have failed us; our institutional leaders have failed us; our structures can no longer sustain us, but the Almighty God, who was with this party at the beginning, before greed, arrogance, complacency, and political folly and carelessness derailed us, is still alive to lift us out of this self-created political dungeon.”

He accused the board of taking signs with a faction of the party, wondering the role it has played in the forthcoming Edo and Ondo governorship elections.

“The BoT is the conscience of the party, and the ultimate mediator in all internal squabbles. Now, the same BoT publicly takes a stand with one side in a crisis clearly bereft of any solution,” he said.

“After two unsuccessful conventions, with members of the BoT fully participating in all and even as major contender for political offices, the BoT chairman gleefully announces plans and venue of another convention without paying due attention to the insurmountable problems which caused the previous two to fail.

“The next two gubernatorial elections are few weeks away, and we have two candidates in each state, yet our leaders are comfortable taking sides.

“The more I look at this the more I am convinced that the boat being paddled by these our leaders is heading for the rocks. No wonder chief do-or-die and Bode George are singing to high heavens that the current national chairman, Senator Sheriff is the best thing that ever happened to PDP.

“I appeal to all ordinary men and women and people, like me who have devoted the last 16/17odd years to nurturing the PDP in various capacities and states to come together quickly, take our destinies in our hands and decide what we shall do with PDP.

“Let all men who fear God, and of good will link up and team together for this salvage mission. Our people and followers deserve it and our nascent democracy needs it. Our nation will prosper once again with this political platform.”