8th January, 2017
Both ex-presidents were elected on the platform of the PDP.
Olajumoke, a member of the party’s Board of Trustees, said that their dictatorial tendencies and pursuit of personal ambitions were responsible for the crisis bedevilling the party.
In an interview, Olajumoke spoke on how the two former leaders destroyed the party by seeking to control its machinery, without regard to party rules and discipline.
He said Jonathan’s greed caused PDP’s defeat in 2015, stressing that the former president had no reason to seek re-election, having agreed to run for only a single term.
”Obasanjo and Jonathan sowed seed of impunity. The same impunity that is causing crisis in PDP. When Obasanjo was in power, he behaved like an emperor. He put himself over and above PDP and nobody could challenge or look at him in the face. He was a dictator.
”Yar’Adua tried to reverse the trend, but unfortunately he didn’t live long.
Unfortunately, Goodluck Jonathan that succeeded Yar’Adua continued in Obasanjo’s footstep. He considered himself as the owner of PDP. Obasanjo and Jonathan should be held responsible in a way for the crisis rocking PDP.
”Obasanjo was a Supremo Generalissimo. He was dictatorial in everything. He didn’t tolerate opposing views. He brook no opposition. Whatever he wanted he rolled it down or forced it down the throat of other party members. There were complaints. But who dared challenge the lion, as it were then? This was the beginning of indiscipline in the party, because the state governors now after Obasanjo were behaving and taking similar actions as Obasanjo was doing at the centre in their own respective states. But this is very abnormal. It is not the norm, and PDP is paying the price today.
”In the politics of the first, second and third republics, the parties were supreme, and that was why you have the president and state governors deferring to party chairmen on issues relating to the party, but Obasanjo and Jonathan bastardised everything.
”But Jonathan enjoyed what he inherited from Obasanjo. He was determined to have absolute control over the party and the Federal Government. But this is a manifestation of dictatorship. Jonathan and Obasanjo’s determination to pursue their own selfish interests eventually hurt PDP’s interests as a political party. Both of them laid the foundation for PDP crisis. But my hope is that as we grow in our democracy, things will return to normal,” he said.
Jamiu Yisa