The Movement for The Defence of Democracy (MDD) was launched last week in Lagos as a pressure group to rescue Nigerian democracy, provide an alternative to the current asphyxiation of the political space by a behemoth called the Peoples Democratic Party, and prevent the drift towards an anarchic one-party state. The group is made up of aggrieved, disgruntled members of the PDP, those who feel that the PDP has been hijacked by power mongers and particularly President Olusegun Obasanjo whose word has since become law within the party and the country, PDP stalwarts who were wrong-footed in the recent PDP zonal congresses, plus a few members of a faction of the Alliance for Democracy who seem to be playing smart politics by fishing in the troubled waters of the PDP and helping to play the role of undertakers.

The full membership list of the MDD is not yet known as there are others in the background: Governors, legislators in every Senatorial district, big party men, and foot-soldiers who are determined to divide the PDP down the middle, and who may possibly show up at the follow up meetings of the group scheduled for December 7 and 12. It is particularly ironic that the city of Lagos was chosen as the venue for the announcement of the birth of the MDD. A few months ago in this same city, PDP leaders held a rally where they promised to ensure a "Tsunami" in the politics of Lagos and sweep Bola Tinubu and his men out of power forever. But now, with the emergence of the MDD, and the implosion within this self-styled "biggest political party in Africa", what is happening to the PDP, is poetic justice: self-inflicted and inevitable.

We do not need any soothsayer to confirm that this is in part, a by-product of the clash between the President and Vice President Atiku Abubakar, whose supporters across the country suddenly became targets of a great witch-hunt by the former's agents. Although a court of law had ordered the PDP to follow due process in its zonal congresses and allow free competition, lists of state executives were faxed to various PDP branches from Abuja and anyone who at any time sounded as if he was critical of the President, was shut out of the party. Old members who started the party even before President Obasanjo joined politics were denied registration cards; the entire exercise became a form of sorcery, such that in virtually every state, the PDP abandoned democracy, opted for tyranny and discouraged free speech. The underlying agenda was: "stop Atiku by all means. Reduce his influence within the party. Make it impossible for him to succeed Baba on the platform of the PDP. And if there is any other person who may prove to be a potential trouble maker, get rid of him, embarrass him or her." Although Vice President Atiku has not identified publicly with the pressure group called the MDD, it is obvious that the group is a coalition of anti-Obasanjo forces; they are driven by anger if not disgust, frustration if not despair.

Senator Mohammed Ohaire (PDP, Kogi Central) summed up the grievances of the group as follows: "There are signs that things are not really going on well with the PDP, especially when a notable personality like myself can be denied registration in my constituency. And all those people that we have struggled (to get into)... positions at ward and local government and state levels can be removed without any cognizance of the efforts that we have put to build up this party, I think something is wrong." He added: "if you own a house, a house that is jointly owned and a mad man comes in and removes all your property and other stakeholders are staying there watching the mad man doing it, what do you expect will happen?" Ohaire is complaining about mad men in the PDP; another PDP stalwart Bamanga Tukur had before him complained about "armed robbers" taking over the party.

The situation in the party has thus degenerated so badly that party members no longer trust each other, they trade abuses; personal differences have become the main preoccupation of a party that is supposed to defend the interests of the people. What does the PDP stand for? When this same party came to power in 1999 and again won majority seats in 2003, its members were so triumphant they behaved like a happy family; they dominated the space like conquerors, and boasted about the future. Other political parties: the AD, ANPP and the odd 27 others were sidelined, or sucked into a grand conspiracy against the people.

Politics in Nigeria is about what anyone can get, it is about allocation and the sharing of resources; for an average politician, in the face of allocation and sharing, party affiliations are unimportant, expediency is all that matters. And so at all levels, members of the AD, ANPP and the other political parties who were supposed to provide an alternative to the PDP simply joined the PDP train. Their big men accepted contracts and political appointments from the ruling party either for themselves or their children. Lawmakers from opposing parties collected money and other forms of inducement from the ruling party.

What has then been demonstrated is the underdeveloped nature of Nigerian politics and the failure of the country's political party system. Politics in Nigeria is about the self not the common good; political parties do not promote ideas or programmes; they are vehicles for self-promotion and enrichment. The party that holds majority power can distribute patronage and compromise the entire political party system. The PDP in six years has been the champion of this vision-less, direction-less politics. It is invariably a kind of politics that focuses on personalities rather than ideas; territorial control rather than the people. And so, it was inevitable that the PDP soon found itself in self-fulfilling turf wars. In every state, this turf war has taken democracy out of the governance process, it presents the PDP as a party of power mongers without principles.

Femi Okurounmu writing in the Tribune (November 16) has said that the break-away faction of the PDP that has now formed the MDD is a renegade faction that is opposed to the reform or "internal cleansing" or "purification" (!) that President Obasanjo is carrying out in the PDP. Okurounmu's pro-Obasanjo, anti-Atiku, anti-Tinubu analysis plays politics with the subject, definitely the recent PDP congresses do not point to any reform or revolution. He writes: "The recent ward, local government and state congresses of the party indicate clearly that the president wants to sanitize it, give it focus, instill discipline and use it to move the nation in a reformist direction. It will be no exaggeration to call the current happenings in the party a revolution. It is however a revolution that is welcome to those who have always argued that a political party must have clearly defined goals that bind its members, that its members must be subject to party discipline and that money should not be the dominant factor that provides access to leadership positions but rather the commitment and loyalty of individuals to the overall goals of the party. The recent congresses of the PDP are clearly suggestive of reforms along these lines." But oh no, Okurounmu is wrong!

In an editorial, the Vanguard newspaper (November 17) says the MDD is a welcome development, because an alternative voice in Nigerian politics is urgently required. The New Age in its November 17 editorial opinion says the emergence of the MDD is "perhaps the most significant political development since the return to democracy in 1999" But can we trust the MDD? It is true that alternative voices are urgently needed at the moment in Nigerian politics. The political space has been taken over by only one theme: 2007 and the politics of succession, extension and exclusion. There is also great anxiety about the future.

There can be no doubt about this: we need alternative voices that can remind the politicians in the PDP and elsewhere that the future of this country is greater than the dreams of self-appointed messiahs. We need voices that can articulate the basic priorities that we need to address as a nation. Our institutions have failed. INEC is a political party of sorts. The main political parties do not respect court rulings... We need to reinvent the political party system, and draw up a transparent electoral framework. Political parties are supposed to be mirrors and expressions of the people's choices and aspirations. They seek power to promote a vision of society and translate same into programmes for the benefit of the people. Alas, our political parties are special purpose vehicles for getting into public office; the process of social and political advancement is truncated; the PDP in particular has been handed over to one man.

The euphoria over the emergence of the MDD may have arisen over the comfort that is derived from the fact that nemesis has at last caught up with the PDP. But the MDD can only become an alternative if it is driven by high ideals. The group is populated by the same old brigade, by the same men and women who are part of the Nigerian problem. To provide an alternative or quality opposition, anger or disgust is not enough. A new movement that is built on hate or disaffection is not what we seek in the long run. The MDD should not be driven simplistically by a revolt against Obasanjo or a desperate search for power and relevance

It can only become an alternative if it is driven by clearly enunciated policies and programmes, and if its men and women inspire confidence. The danger is that some of the spokespersons for the MDD sound as if the group is a blackmail construct: that is, if some of the aggrieved members are appeased and re-integrated into the PDP mainstream, they would most likely stay inside the PDP. No great movement can be built on such an opportunistic foundation. Nigerians do not want another party like the PDP which is organised strictly for the purpose of gaining power, for witch-hunt and thievery.

All things considered, Nigerian politicians, whatever may be their affiliation, have failed Nigerians. Great nations are built by political and pressure groups, by men and women who subordinate their private urges to the needs of the people. In Nigeria, there is too much hypocrisy. Every man who goes into politics wants to ride a bullet proof car, keep money in foreign bank accounts, build houses in every state capital and own an oil block through which he can collect rent from the Nigerian state. Every big man wants to use his position to steal opportunities for his own sons and daughters, for his wives and concubines, and for the many sycophants that surround him. It doesn't matter if the people have no food to eat, no schools in which their children can be taught and prepared for the future, no hospitals where access to quality healthcare can be guaranteed, no roads on which they can travel...This is the legacy of the past six years.

Sadly, there is no single person in Nigerian politics today who commands a large national following and who can serve as the symbol for national progress. Obasanjo could have risen to that status but he has allowed himself to return to the original level of a village royal chief, and if he further allows himself to be tempted by the thieves who are campaigning that he should remain in power beyond 2007, he would have destroyed whatever is left of his hard-earned place in the public arena. When he eventually leaves office, he would be no better than the prisoner of Minna!

It is unfortunate that as the politicians jostle for power and the legislators watch the pendulum of political influence, the machinery of governance is gradually grinding to a halt. Mark my words, by January 2006, no real governance would take place again in Nigeria; it is the game of political survival that would dominate public discourse fully and unfortunately. Already, every politician is looking for where to pitch tent: with Obasanjo or Atiku, with the democrats or the dictators, with the constitutionalists or the buccaneers, the federalists or the power mongers?

The greatest disservice that the PDP has done to Nigerians is to reduce Nigeria's Fourth Republic to a choice between two political camps and personalities. Truly, there is need to defend the people's democracy, but even more importantly, there is need to save Nigeria. It is not the professional politicians that would do it, it is only the people who can save the country and its future. Arise o Compatriots

Robot  # 1 | 20.11.2005 11:33

...Read the full article.

Unregistered  # 2 | 20.11.2005 12:25

We now learn more reading the voiceless dethroned and relegated to house chores than from frogs and monkeys enthroned and elevated to Oxford Advanced School of Analytic Pedantology. Profile I am Teju Abiola, one of the widows of MKO Abiola. I am the Executive Director of Democracy Sustenance Initiative (DSI) a non-governmental organisation dedicated to ensuring democratic governance in the country. And I am also the president of Development Concern, which is another NGO dedicated to the development of women and children. I am a mother of three. I hold a Master’s degree in Marketing. I got my first degree from the University of Ibadan, in Physiology and then my Masters degree from Ogun State University, Ago-Iwoye. My MBA is with emphasis on Marketing and Business Strategies. Maybe I will go further to go do my Doctorate in the nearest future. Growing up and polygamy It was fun growing up. I grew up in a very large family, in a polygamous family. It was fun, because our own kind of polygamy was different. My mother was the first wife and the one next to my mother was the one that used to cook for the whole family and we had only one pot; because all the children used to eat from one pot. It was fun. I lost my father quite early. He died in 1977. Most of the things I do now were most of the things impacted on me by my father. I was very close to him; anytime he was in the house, you would always see me around him. He had lots of girls, and he was the one that told me that being a girl was not in any form demeaning. In fact, he was the one that made me to believe that being a girl was better than being a boy. There are so many things he taught me; which is why today, I don’t even entertain the thought that being a woman is a minus for me. Growing up in a polygamous home was really fun; my half sisters and myself did things equally together. Political inclination and ambition: By the grace of God, I am very much interested in politics and I am into active politics. But I will not be able to tell you for now if I would be vying for an elective position or not because I am not interested in politics because of the elective positions. What I am interested in is to see that Nigeria is a better place. We can actually start to work towards the Nigeria of our dreams. That is why I am not particular about being in a specific position. I believe that the best person should pick the job. So, what I am going to be involved in by the grace of God, which I have been involved in before now and which I intend to intensify, is to continue to identify with people who are true progressives. Mark you, I said ‘true progressives’ not those who have variously metamorphosed. Though some people have moved from one end to the other, they have not followed due process, what they have done is to short-circuit the system and rename themselves. They are progressive only in name and not in deed –just like the democracy we have today; it is only in name and not in deed. We do not have democracy in Nigeria, what we have is a full-blown military dictatorship. So I am going to continue by the Grace of God to identify with true progressives and come 2007 and beyond, we are going to give it our best shot to make sure that we have true Democracy in Nigeria. We will not settle for less. Life as a widow It’s terrible, absolutely terrible. I don’t want to wish it on my worst enemy. It is really a terrible experience. Apart from losing a partner, especially one that was to you so many things, a friend, a partner, a husband, a father and an adviser and so on and so forth, you can imagine losing that person the way we lost MKO. It was really traumatic. If he had just died like that, the shock would have come and faded away. But he was incarcerated for four years and it was one of prolonging the agony. And when it was time for him to be released all of a sudden we were told that the man had died. Though we know better now that the man was poisoned and that he was killed. So, that in itself was a terrible experience. I couldn’t see him I couldn’t talk to him. He had children that couldn’t see him or speak to him. And each morning you just wondered when the authorities were going to come to you and say oh we have released him or we have killed him. For four years, we were in that suspense. It was really, really terrible. I remember how I knew he died. Somebody just called and asked “Auntie, are you the only one in the house?” I said no, and the person asked again “Auntie, where are you?” I asked the caller “what is it?” and the person asked again “Auntie, are you sitting down?” And I just asked “Have they killed him?” and that person was saying how could you talk like that? But I said tell me the truth, they have killed him, and the person just said, “Auntie, I am sorry” and that was how I knew. You know for several hours, I couldn’t even cry; it was like the light just went out. But later, I learnt how to cry when he was going to be buried. Well, that was a long time ago now. View about women in politics I believe women should play prominent roles in politics, not only Nigeria but all over the world because, first and foremost, we have equal stake with men. That is the truth of the matter. In some cases, like in Nigeria, we have more women voters than men. So, why should anything stop us? But of course, we know that judging from where we are coming from, there are the cultural and religious perspectives in which in some cases, women are supposed to be seen and not heard. Like I said, that is ignorance. So, those who do not believe that women should take part in politics are just ignorant of the fact that women will do as well as men. I don’t want to say ‘better’. Most traumatic and challenging experiences of life The death of Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola was the most traumatic experience I’ve had so far in my life. There are lots of challenges I’d pulled through, but really I think it is this period of my life that is most challenging. This is because Nigeria of today is something else. Some people have hijacked not only the polity, but the politics too. And if you want what is duly yours, you have to be with them or you don’t get it, and that is what is happening in this country now. As a progressive for instance, if you bid for a job, you are not certain to get it. As somebody who is not a card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), you are not going to ask for something somewhere and get it easily. It is difficult to separate the government of today from the ruling party, because the ruling party is not only in government but it is the ruling party that is also governing this country, you understand? That is why if you have an issue to settle with Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) or Lagos State Transport Management (LASTMA) and you call in the Police, they will only go ahead in chasing LASTMA people around. It is because PDP is ruling in government while another is governing in the state and the ruling party controls the Police. Isn’t it clear enough? And that is why I said this period is the most challenging of my life because I had to either leave my convictions and say because my husband died fighting, I can’t go the same way. Let me just join this people so that at least, I can have this and have that or admit that just like a true progressive that is wishing the country well, and those who believe that they have paid the price for democracy and true democracy, try not to lose focus. But as long as I live, I will not leave this side of the table, as a true democratic Nigerian. Who killed Bola Ige? The Igwes are dead and today they are still looking for who killed Mr. and Mrs. Igwe? Who killed Chief Dikibo? Who? We know what goes on in this country. That is why I said this is the most challenging period of my life. We see what is going on that are not done right. And when you speak against it, you are punished for it. The times are indeed challenging, I must say. Managing the busy schedule with home front: I would say that I have mastered it now. Before MKO was arrested, I never worked. But now I have mastered it since his death, because before he was picked up, I was carrying a little child at that time. Now I travel a lot, and any time I am leaving, I make adequate arrangement for my children, school, feeding and then I make sure I don’t leave them with house help; there must be a relation in the house. And wherever I am around the world, I talk to my children all the time on the phone. And when I am around, I take them myself to their schools and pick them up, so that we always have that interaction. Fulfillment Not yet, no. Relaxation How do I relax? One thing I enjoy doing is watching the TV with a large mug of tea, after dinner. Sometimes, I listen to music –especially Jazz, gospel and ministrations. Sometimes I go to the gym in the evening and most times I go to the gym in the morning. But the one I enjoy doing is to sit down with a cup of tea. Best meal: I don’t have a best meal. Funny, right? I eat not because I enjoy food, but because I need to eat.

SCS  # 3 | 20.11.2005 13:27

You must read carefully to decode the chief chameleon’s hidden codes and messages and claims: Sadly, there is no single person in Nigerian politics today who commands a large national following and who can serve as the symbol for national progress. Obasanjo could have risen to that status but he has allowed himself to return to the original level of a village royal chief, and if he further allows himself to be tempted by the thieves who are campaigning that he should remain in power beyond 2007, he would have destroyed whatever is left of his hard-earned place in the public arena. When he eventually leaves office, he would be no better than the prisoner of Minna! Already, every politician is looking for where to pitch tent: with Obasanjo or Atiku, with the democrats or the dictators, with the constitutionalists or the buccaneers, the federalists or the power mongers? Therein: Obasanjo is a democrat. He worked hard to earn his place as a symbol of national progress. He (OBJ) stands to lose all the said progressive developments and policies if he becomes a slave to Nigerians, who are buccaneers and dictators and power mongers. Teju Abiola is a Nigerian. Therefore, she must be a power-mongering dictator. Is she? But as long as I live, I will not leave this side of the table, as a true democratic Nigerian. Who killed Bola Ige? The Igwes are dead and today they are still looking for who killed Mr. and Mrs. Igwe? Who killed Chief Dikibo? Who? We know what goes on in this country. That is why I said this is the most challenging period of my life. We see what is going on that are not done right. And when you speak against it, you are punished for it. Can our PEDANTIC CLOWN inform the world about a nation in human history in which the attorney general was murdered by a DEMOCRATIC president? Tell us about a DEMOCRATIC THEORY in human ANALYTIC PEDANTOLOG in which the definition of democracy precludes the concept of rule of law. A Nigerian is only a Nigerian as a pedantic pleasure is only a pleasure.

Segun  # 4 | 20.11.2005 20:53

Reuben Abati, is a political jobber who has been desperately trying to get Government appointment. He is not in the least on the side of the masses. He is always tactfully supporting Obasanjo and the Northern establishment, this is a man who can sell us into slavery just to get what he wants from Government.He is also a hate monger and an ethnic jingoist. In 2001 he wrote an article titled "Obasanjo,seccesion,and the seccesionists" that article revealed that the man has no conscience at all, he is a typical status quo Nigerian who enjoys the current rot in the system.In that article, he was glorifying the Killing of Ken saro Wiwa, military rule, and even suggested that Obasanjo can "cut off some Igbo heads to stop Biafra" He is the most barbaric, and unconscionable journalist i have ever seen in my life. I wont be surprised if he is assasinated one day. You guys should just ignore his opportunist appointment seeking articles.

Nwankwo  # 5 | 20.11.2005 22:18

Neither will I be surprised if what you wished him happened to you ! God dey !

Abiola  # 6 | 20.11.2005 22:25

Let those who have something to hide fear death. Let death visit murderers and accompplices to murders. If my brother is a murderer or an accomplice to murder and injustice, may he die according to his work.

Unregistered  # 7 | 21.11.2005 04:17

The short answer to the title is No. However, in the circumstances and if we accept the notion that the government requires an opposition to make it more accountable, then perhaps any opposition would do for now. The PDP has had a clear run since the advent of the second term with the official opposition having gone to sleep and see where that has got us. The credibility of the conveners of the MDD must always be suspect because people like Kaita who were Awoniyi's "friends" looked the other way when he was being hounded out of the party many years ago. People like Lar, Chollom and Kwande could not be paragons of virtue or democracy when they looked the other way while PDP was recording 106% voter turnout on the Plateau at the last election. They have also not minded backing a Dariye who could not be described as the most prudent or democratic chief executive around. The PDP was apparently democratic under Ogbeh when it scored questionable landslide victories at the last election. The party was not under a dictatorship when the President decided he no longer wished to work with Gemade and handpicked Ogbeh. Ditto for Atiku as well who seems to have suddenly "re-discovered" his democratic credentials. These people were happy to remain in the PDP provided their interests were served. Suddenly the heat in the PDP kitchen is getting too hot for some it appears. The G34 who opposed Abacha were much of the same ilk as the MDD. A mish mash of ex this and ex that who had participated in the previous failings. They were successful because Abacha suddenly died and one should not count on a repeat performance by this Mr President who is though ageing, relatively fit. The sad thing is that we always seem to arrive at this point in our polity after being traumatised by the rulership of the time that we are quick to forget what the government under the previous regime/crowd was. The PDP has become a nightmare party for Nigerians and some of it's supporters but it was always going to be so. Apparently, business as usual for the PDP means anarchy for the rest of Nigerians as all pretext to democratic tenets or the rule of law are shoved aside. The ruling party has told us that it is not accountable to Nigerians whose votes clearly did not get it into office. Mr Abati's article is well reasoned and balanced and I do not share the descriptions ascribed by the other contributors. What is clear though is that Mr Abati must bear some responsibility for his positive endorsement of the PDP Presidency in the last election. An imposition arising from which our nascent democracy is yet to recover from. At the end of the day though, does what we think or say really matter? With Uba back in the PDP in time for 2007 to ply his rigging trade and with the VP asserting that his party rigs the election well before, can we say that it will be a contest of alternate rigging machineries with the better resourced carrying the day? With the PDP government having recently confirmed a grateful IG in office and a recently appointed INEC chair, is there any chance of INEC and the Police acting independently or in the best interests of Nigeria? It also appears that the MDD, the grouping of the disaffected, is setting out in PDP's own image and may end up fragmenting as there is no apparent common defining political ideology. It is also doubtful that the conveners of the MDD would have initiated their current moves had they not been pushed out of the PDP. Democracy seems to mean different things to the Nigerian political classes but what they all seem to consistently fail to do is to make winners of all Nigerians. Our politicians have time and again shown themselves as too fickle as only to be counted upon to sell our collective interests for a mess of the proverbial porridge. While it is hoped that a formidable opposition would arise to give the PDP a run for its money, it now appears that the only realistic chance of stopping the third term train rests with the international community. Aluta! Gwobezentashi

Unregistered  # 8 | 21.11.2005 07:50

BREAKING NEWS: BAYELSA GOVERNOR BACK IN NIGERIA. BREAKING NEWS: BAYELSA’S GOVERNOR BACK IN NIGERIA. 11.21.2005 Bayelsa State governor Chief D.S.P. Alamieyeseigha, standing trial in London for alleged money laundering, has been seen in his ancestral home Amassoma in Bayelsa state this morning amid huge celebration by his friends, associates and his Ijaw kinsmen. THISDAY checks reveal he has now proceeded to government house in Yenagoa to resume his duties as governor. He will address a press conference soon. According to Mr Oronto Douglas, Bayelsa state commissioner for information “ Our governor Chief D.S.P. Alamieyeseigha is back in Bayelsa. “ Asked how he escaped in London, where he is currently on bail for alleged money laundering, Douglas said “I don’t have that information at this time.” Several security sources, however, have confirmed to THISDAY, that the governor “jumped bail in London and has arrived Bayelsa.” Culled from ThisDay newspaper of 21 November 2005