Only yesterday, a group of seven rebellious state governors from the fold of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, reportedly decamped to the All Progressives Congress, APC. When they declared their angst against their party, the governors were swift to assume the sobriquet, new PDP, which the media promptly abbreviated to nPDP.
In an attempt to give reason, relevance and some form of legitimacy to their rebellion, the governors gallivanted the states of the country which according to them, was to consult relevant stakeholders and statesmen on the way forward. No doubt, they must have won some converts along the line; and no doubt too, they must have lost many more friends than they made while their much publicised rebellion lasted.
And whether the new APC members took a swift dive from PDP to avoid the suspension sword that dangled over them, courtesy an envisaged report of the Umaru Dikko disciplinary committee earlier constituted by the ruling party on their grievances, is neither here nor there. After all, the leading party had stated earlier that it would not lose sleep if and when the then G7 governors jumped ship.
But one must state that in spite of their Skelewu dance that saw them performing stunts that would make Jet Li and Jackie Chang green with envy even as they do a typical emulation of the known dance steps of Davido’s Skelewu song, the governors were courageous. That they spiced up their latter day courage with displayed infantilism and naivety, underscored them as some wannabes who in a hurry belong and relate, fail the first lessons in loyalty.
And come to think of it, Davido’s Skelewu dance steps as simplistic as they appear are not easy to copy. Even when you think you are able to perfect the slow tempo side of the song, by the time push becomes shove in the fast tempo side of Skelewu, only the masters of dance hall skills can measure up to average; which is why many wondered yesterday as to why the hitherto G7 governors took Nigerians and their admirers on a rudderless journey through the nooks and crannies of the country’s political terrain threatening fire and brimstone over any attempt from any quarter to stop them from having their say and their way in the scheme of things in the Bamanga Tukur-led PDP. The wild goose chase of the aggrieved governors which also took them to sessions of meetings with President Goodluck Jonathan ended yesterday with embattled Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, the farmer on Adamawa hills, Murtala Nyako and their consensus leader, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State becoming the main game caught by the APC recruitment dragnet.
While Governors Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State and Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State reportedly walked out of the Kano governors lodge in Abuja, venue of the nPDP-APC merger, two of their hitherto frontline members, Jigawa State’s Sule Lamido and Sokoto’s Aliyu Wamakko were nowhere near the venue of the event.
Niger State governor was to issue a statement moments later to the effect that he remains with the ruling party and was not tagging along with his former co-protesting governors.
Like some colleagues were to comment at Nigerian Pilot’s ever-busy newsroom as the news broke yesterday, the new PDP’s Skelewu dance of the past few months have suddenly come to an end with nothing tangible to reckon with as long term achievement for its members.
“Them think sey Skelewu dance easy as them see am?” asked one reporter yesterday. That was a good question because like Azonto dance steps, there needs to be reasonable sync between the movements of your legs, shaking of your head, twisting of your arms and some back sliding and side sliding all in tune with the rhythm of the song if you must receive any applaud.
And the reporter was right, for by late yesterday afternoon, the gulf between the boys of Skelewu dance and the men broadened. Simply put, the chief press sSecretary to the Niger State governor, Danladi Ndayebo distanced Aliyu from the merger, saying he remained in the PDP. Even though Dr. Aliyu was at the meeting where the merger was finalised, his spokesman said their talks were inconclusive and that the governor was shocked at the merger announcement.
“My principal remains in the PDP. He has not left the party; he is not a part of the merger…” Ndayebo was quoted as saying.
Furthermore, a source familiar with the merger talks was to reveal that Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa won’t be leaving the PDP at least for now, as “he is finding it difficult to leave.” He added that Lamido remained “a strong party man and one of the founders of the PDP.”
Certainly, the nPDP is dead and buried with the foregoing development proving many observers right that Davido’s Skelewu is not a song that can be danced to without requisite skills. At some point, it would appear as if you are barely strolling but you are dancing or on slow march; at some other point when the beat becomes faster, you either give measured steps to suit the beat or you sit down and rest your feet. To the masters, while dancing to Skelewu, there is no parking on the dance floor.
Thus, Aliyu and Lamido may have danced along with their colleagues all this while, but they must have realised that dancing into the APC camp where the Tinubus of this world hold sway could be suicidal; at least, politically. So, they danced back to their more familiar comfort zone, the ruling party. Their Skelewu dance may have been cut short, but there is a whole lot of political sense in their choice. As for the other five governors, they may sooner realise that their Skelewu dance has just begun because in the camp of the opposition they have opted for, a lot of unpredictability looms.
But trust fellow Nigerians. They were all over the social media, quick at weighing what the future holds for the country’s latest political merger.
Ekugo Andy: “The reason APC was ‘supporting’ them then was based on the old Arabian saying that ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ but wait and see drilling now. Amaechi will be the first to start crying.”
Daniel Tarka: “We need credible opposition. Tinubu was first wanted in the US for drugs. Ran Lagos treasury as his family, micro finance bank and rakes in N3 of every N10 Lagos State earns. Nyako has run the naval ship he commanded to Yola waters aground. Employing 2, 000 special assistants, and making his son, Commander Abdulazeez the chief of staff and other children in charge of the state government Projects Office. They looted the treasury monthly by over N1bn. King Amaechi collected over N1trillion in the few years he stole his cousin, Celestine Omehia’s mandate. The mono rail project which today costs N300bn won’t be completed until 2019.”