THE man-made disasters that afflict the country weekly are avoidable if the political leadership is disciplined and focused on governance. If the politicians think less of themselves and how to win the next elections, there would be less tension and trouble in the polity. If they’re faithful in their service to the ccountry, their patriotic energies would be noticed and appreciated by citizens.

And together, all Nigerians would push to make the country a great and safe place. It is the leadership deficit at the political level that creates opportunities for terrorists and marauders to plunder.

PDP’s many afflictions: The pathetic story of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been told over and again; it has become boring. Yet, it cannot be ignored. The party is a major stakeholder in the making of the Fourth Republic. Indeed, the PDP had the singular opportunity to shape the attitude of politics of this dispensation.

But the owners have been reckless. They thought of it as an election-winning project, rather than an institution of democracy and good governance. The continued deterioration of affairs in the party could ruin the chances for this democracy, as the events of last week portrayed.
Against all odds, the PDP held its national convention on November 15 and 16, in Ibadan. The national convention is the highest administrative organ of the party, according to its Constitution and convention. The major highlights of the occasion were the election of a new national executive and the expulsion of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, along with Ayo Fayose, Samuel Anyawu and eight others.

For Wike, observers reasoned his sacking came too late. For more than two years, he recklessly fraternised with the ruling party and government in ways that are detrimental to the survival of the PDP. There couldn’t be a more insidious way of destroying a party than Wike’s style of one leg in and the other outside.
His strategy is to ensure that the PDP does not field a candidate in the 2027 presidential election, because his candidate is President Tinubu. The party had tolerated Wike’s excesses for too long ,such that when the motion was raised by elder Bode George, it was followed by a resounding acclamation.
Fayose, former governor of Ekiti State, like Wike assumed he possessed the bragging right to determine the survival of PDP. The party gave him the ticket to become governor for two terms. He also appropriated the right to install a successor of his choice, which he bungled. Apparently, Fayose no longer has a need for the PDP. At different times, he had pronounced the PDP dead, having pledged loyalty to Tinubu.

Wike and Fayose had done their bit for their party. They were the lone opposition voices after the All Progressives Congress (APC) sacked PDP in 2015. They tormented Buhari’s government to no end. But it’s clear now they did all that for their own sake, when as governors, the party was relevant to them.

Now, they’re at home with Tinubu’s administration, where their interests are well accommodated. Fayose has been given clearance by the court not to lose sleep over the corruption allegation filed against him by the EFCC. He has been cleared of all charges. Wike has been compensated as the FCT minister.
Only in Nigeria do we have politicians belonging to two or more parties at the same time. It is only in Nigeria a candidate will openly work against the party that gave him/her ticket and heavens won’t fall. Each time the PDP attempted to exercise authority and extract discipline, the courts and the police offer Wike protection.

Last week’s chaos at the PDP Secretariat, Abuja, when the new exco was to hold their first meeting, was the height of political rascality. Instead of returning to the courts, Wike and his allies stormed the party’s secretariat with thugs and the police.
It’s only in Nigeria and in other Banana republics, politicians will use the police to disrupt democracy. They claim democracy is their best option, but they perform worse than the military, in every aspect of leadership.
The ruling party and government have sown strife and division in the opposition parties, coercing governors to abandon their parties. Despite having all the aces, it is not enough that the opposition is already weakened; they are going for total annihilation. Let greed not push this government to truncate this fragile democracy.

In their frustration, the mainstream PDP had to summon help from President Trump and other lovers of democracy across the world. Kabiru Turaki, the new chairman said: “I want to call on President Trump; what is at stake is not just genocide against Nigerian Christians. He should come and save democracy in Nigeria. Democracy is under threat. I’m calling on all other developed nations: come and save Nigeria, come and save democracy.”
Let this government not push the opposition to the wall. Before their meeting, the new party executive had gone to meet the Police Commissioner in charge of FCT, to notify the police of their upcoming meeting. They got assurances that they would be protected. But the same police came the following day and fired teargas canisters directly at party members. Those who know history remember that this was exactly how the First Republic began to unravel.

The APC said the call for Trump by the PDP was “reckless, shameless and unpatriotic.” Familiar words. The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Muoka, said that “Turaki’s first official act as factional chairman was his call for foreign invasion of Nigeria as solution to the self-inflicted internal crises of his PDP. This is not only reckless and unpatriotic but shameless and it is a dangerous threat to national security and sovereignty.”
It is the prerogative of the courts and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to declare that there are factions in the PDP. But the APC has gone ahead to declare Turaki as a factional chairman, just because one man, Wike, has rebelled against the party and is holding it by the jugular, ably assistedby the Federal Government.The plot is playing out very well.
The last we heard was that the FCT Police had sealed the PDP secretariat (Wadata Plaza), with barbed wires and barricades. On whose order was that assault against democracy? No court ordered the PDP Secretariat to be put under lock. Unless such order was procured in the night (Jankara). And everyone is quiet about it as if Nigeria now operates a Police State.

Those who claim democracy is their best form of government are keeping quiet in the face of repeated assault on the party system. Let those who wield authoritarian powers and their supporters be guided, that if democracy fails, every one of them will go home empty-handed. It happened before.

Meanwhile, terrorists seem to dare Trump: It’s much like Trump’s threat to deal with terrorists and their sponsors has added fuel to their dare-devilry. They have become audacious while the politicians are distracted.
Terrorists of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), staged a daring ambush on a military convoy in Sabon Gari area of Damboa-Biu Road, in Borno State, penultimate weekend.

Four soldiers were reported killed. Brigadier-General M. Uba, who commanded the 25 Task Force Brigade lost contact amid the chaos. The enemies tracked and executed him. The Military tried to manage the mishap, but the terrorists displayed the evidence of their dastardly act. The fallen army general is said to be the highest officer to be sacrificed in the war against terrorists.

There was calm in government, just press statements. The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, had gone to Kogi, to chant ‘four plus four’, their party’s 2027 campaign slogan, to woo dissidents from other parties. At a time, terrorists have invaded every part of the country, the only project of substance to the ruling party is the plot to win 2027. So heartless.

Another batch of terrorists struck in the early hours of Monday. This time, they went to Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, in Kebbi State. They took 25 girls and two were reported to have returned. The terrorists went to Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Oke Isegun, in Eruku, Kwara State, in the evening of last Tuesday. Two people were killed and reports said over 30 were abducted.
President Tinubu was forced to decline trips to Angola and South Africa. Only in Nigeria areleaders so eager to jump on the aircraft while the homefront is on fire. Tinubu had packed his bag to attend the 20th G20 Summit in South Africa and also attend the 7th AU-EU Summit in Luanda, Angola. This President has shown predilection to steal away from troubled spots. But this time, he embraced wise counsel, while he sent Shettima to go to Kebbi.

Meanwhile, a delegation of government was in the United States, to meet with officials, including members of Congress, including Congressman Riley Moore, in a diplomatic effort to explain the security situation in the country.
Led by the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, there were minister Bianca Ojukwu, Police IG, Kayode Egbetokun, Attorney General, Lateef Fagbemi, Chief of Defence Staff, Olufemi Olueyede and Chief of Defence Intelligence, Lt. General EAP Undiendeye.
Some have announced the team as high-powered, but foreign affairs experts say the power is not high enough, in terms of not having thorough-bred diplomats who have mastered the art of tough negotiations. They’re also bothered that there is no ambassador on ground to chaperon the team through the dynamics of U.S. foreign policy. But it’s good to be there to engage Trump.

Be that as it may, unrelenting activities of terrorists make a mess of continued denial of genocide by government and their agents. On Friday, terrorists invaded St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, taking with them over 315 students and staff members, according to CAN.

There’s an emergency in town and government must wake from slumber to tackle insecurity headlong. Government must decouple from political rascality and stabilise the polity. Sowing the seed of discord in the opposition is another way of enabling insecurity. It’s a needless distraction!