A prominent All Progressive Congress (APC) influencer and staunch supporter of the Tinubu political legacy, Sunday Wale Adeniran, has attributed the ongoing cracks within the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to former Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.
Adeniran accused Tambuwal of greed and betrayal, citing these as the key factors behind the party’s collapse.
In a concise yet detailed post shared on his social media account on Saturday morning, titled “Tambuwal, The Man Who Killed PDP,” Adeniran chronicled Tambuwal’s role in the PDP’s internal crises, particularly during the party’s 2022 presidential primary.
According to him, Tambuwal’s actions, driven by personal ambition, fractured the party’s unity and led to its current state of disarray.
Tambuwal, who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives between 2011 and 2015, became Governor of Sokoto State in 2015, a period marked by a mass exodus of PDP heavyweights to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Prominent figures like Atiku Abubakar, Bukola Saraki, and five PDP governors, including Rotimi Amaechi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, defected to the APC, leaving the PDP in a state of paralysis.
The responsibility of keeping the PDP afloat fell on Nyesom Wike, the then Governor of Rivers State, who single handedly financed and supported the party’s activities.
“Politics is expensive and so whenever there was a need for a PDP man to run for election for a high office, Wike was always there to support the party”
“Wike had PDP under his total control because it is he who pays the piper that dictates the tune
“He was the only voice in the wilderness”, Adeniran described Wike as “lone ranger,” who ensured the party did not collapse entirely, even as the Atiku-led group within the APC tightened its grip on the National Assembly, Adeniran said.
However, the cracks within the PDP began to widen in 2019 when Tambuwal, backed by Wike, sought to become the party’s presidential flagbearer. Wike, who had effectively controlled the party, pushed for the primary to be held in Port Harcourt, a move aimed at winning the ticket for Tambuwal.
Sadly, despite Wike’s efforts, Atiku won the ticket, defeating Tambuwal and securing the party’s nomination. This defeat marked the beginning of a rift within the PDP, as Wike felt betrayed by the outcome, Adeniran recounted.
The final blow came during the 2022 PDP presidential primary at the MKO Abiola Stadium. Tambuwal, who had initially stepped down from the race, was allowed by the party’s chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, to return to the podium and endorse Atiku, citing northern solidarity.
This move, seen as a betrayal by Wike, was described by Ayu as a “heroic act of democracy.” However, Adeniran argued that it was this very act that dealt a fatal blow to the PDP’s unity.
“…. on the day of the primary at MKO Abiola stadium, Tambuwal was allowed by Ayu to come back to the podium a second time (which is not permitted) to come and step down for Atiku only on the basis of being a fellow northerner.
“Iyorchia Ayu, the party’s chairman who Wike brought in was so glad that he called Tambuwal hero of democracy.
“That was the moment Tambuwal gave PDP a fatal shot but like our elders say ‘omode bu iroko, o boju w’eyin, omode o mo pe oojo ko ni oluwere npa ni’. Meaning: a child cursed the iroko tree and looked back, he does not know that oluwere does not kill instantly.
Wike, who had tirelessly worked to preserve the party, felt sidelined and betrayed. He vowed to fight against the party he once saved from collapse. His subsequent actions, including his alliance with the APC and support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT), have further weakened the PDP, leaving it fractured and struggling to regain its former glory.
Adeniran concluded that Tambuwal’s greed and lack of loyalty were the primary factors behind the PDP’s fall. Tambuwal actions were driven by personal ambition, not the party’s interest, Adeniran stated. His greed and betrayal created a crack in the PDP’s foundation, and today, the party is paying the price.
Adeniran therefore reminded critics who blame President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT) for weakening the opposition, as el-Rufai has claimed after missing out on a political appointment, that they should remember that the opposition sowed the seeds of its own downfall by allowing internal divisions to fracture its unity.
“If anyone therefore accuses PBAT of destroying the opposition like el-Rufai is lamenting after failing to secure appointment, it is because the opposition caused a crack on its wall”, he noted.
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