‘PDP has crossed from pride to shame’ — Orubebe writes Secondus

Godsday Orubebe, former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has crossed from pride to shame.

In an open letter to Uche Secondus, Orubebe said is suffering from a post-traumatic stress disorder and would need sustainable ideas to bounce back to reckoning.

He said the party is now under the control of certain individuals who are exhibiting “dangerous levels of undemocratic behaviours”.

“PDP is still lost in depression and suffering from a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)… the platform has crossed the bridge from pride to shame,” the letter read.

“We have gone from a party of pride to a party of shame and gradually receding into the abyss of political reality. For the simple reason that the nation is witnessing calls for the rise of a ‘third force’, we are fast becoming a shadow of ourselves.

“The party is gradually coming under the control of certain individuals, who are exhibiting dangerous levels of undemocratic behaviours. One of the biggest challenges that the PDP faces is balancing its needs for funding with established egalitarian values and internal systems.

“If the party continues to be held hostage by few major donors, it will continue to find it difficult to instil the values that will endear us Nigerians.

“We must take our appeal to Nigerians and through our reforms, let the party truly become a people-funded party. Small donations from millions of Nigerians will go a long way in the party’s financial requirements and will create the necessary atmosphere for true ownership among members of the party.”

He added that the necessary reforms should be put in place before “it is too late”.

Orubebe made headlines after he attempted to disrupt the collation of results of the 2015 presidential election at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

He had accused Attahiru Jega, then chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), of bias against the PDP.