Frontline Political Analysts on Saturday agreed that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), by jettisoning its rotation principle as enshrined in its constitution and selecting Atiku Abubakar  as its presidential candidate, is finished as formidable force in the nation’s polity.
The analysts, former Presidential Candidate of National Conscience Party (NCP), in the 2015 General Election, Chief Engr Martin Onovo, and Dr. Obasi Obasi, a Public Health specialist, bared their minds on the emergence of Atiku, a Northerner, as PDP flag-bearer, against a South Easterner to ensure equity and fairness, during a radio program Freedom Square on Solid 100.9 FM, Enugu.
For Dr. Obasi:
“My take on PDP, it is a monumental disaster, honestly. I will first of all thank Peter Obi for even moving away from PDP to Labor Party and giving the South East a hope of belonging because I wonder what would have happened if Peter Obi was there and South East would come back with 15 votes out of over 700 votes. I equally believe that PDP violated some part of her own constitution by allowing Atiku Abubakar to emerge because many of us had expected for national cohesion, justice, fairness and equity. PDP would have allowed the southern part of Nigeria to have a taste of what governance is like.”
Chief Onovo affirmed that although PDP which has over the years enjoyed strong support from the South East, betrayed the region, the position of the South East is not threatened in any way by PDP’s betrayal, after all, it constitutes a majority tribe, a tribe of very gifted people, and it has survived different adversities. It also has the capability to sustain itself and maintain itself in a good position having one of the highest standards of living among the regions in the country.
In Chief Onovo’s views:
“Any discerning observer knows that PDP has come to its full cycle. This is the end of PDP. The PDP is finished. Document that and see if I am right or wrong. When you lead a people, you lead them to where you agreed you want to go. If you lead them to where you want to go, that is tyranny. That’s number one and that is a background.
Now, do you realize that as today, the PDP has a National Chairman from the North Central, and its presidential candidate is from the North East, that is not Nigerian. That is anti-Nigeria. That is against everything Nigeria stands for.
Take note, federal character is in the Nigerian constitution, power rotation has been long established and agreed, the PDP has violated all our national norms A to Z with this situation. Now everybody knows and agrees except mischief people that it is the turn of the South East. The South East has been loyal to the PDP from 1999. Even when the odds turned against the PDP, the South East remained loyal, including the South South.
Do you realize that in the South South, all the Governors as of today are PDP? Do you realize that all the Governors in the South East were PDP except recently during the manipulations of Imo and Ebonyi? So, there is no politician of any worth who will destroy his base in pursuit of fantasy. It does not happen. Or because dollars were placed on the table.”
He said although he supported Atiku in 2019 because that was the national consensus “to get rid of this catastrophe called APC,” the former Vice President is not qualified to be the President of Nigeria. For one, he is too old, secondly he does not have sound formal education (only 2 years of diploma) and also his track record while in office was poor. For instance his handling of the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) was a failure because none of the companies under the program survived. He also pointed out that Atiku had said he would sell the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), an act that would have amounted to the total destruction of Nigeria.
There have been calls for the removal of PDP Chairman especially in the South East following the unfavorable party primaries. Chief Onovo argued that if it happens, federal character will be cured, however, rotation would not be cured and corruption would not be cured. This is so because if a little error is made, it multiplies. “PDP has initiated an explosive of self destruction,” he concluded.