Shamaki Bimga Samuel
On the global scene, political participation is every body’s business. Thus, in any democratic setting, defection from one political party to another is a normal phenomenon that is similar to anti-party activities. The whole gamut of this issue is tilted and geared towards pursuance of personal interest, as such it is believed that every action or inaction of politicians is anchored on cost-benefit analysis that is close to their hearts.
It is very disheartening and unfortunate that some so called Peoples Democratic Party stakeholders are making unfounded allegations against party stalwarts, after all the efforts and sacrifices made by such party chieftains to ensure that the PDP remains intact and united. I am particularly referring to Hon. Mohammed Inuwa Bassi, Hon. Yettisuuri, Hon. Mark Balanso and Hon. Aloysius Babadoke for conniving and vilifying Dr. Umar Ardo through a vituperative letter to the National body of the People’s Democratic Party. The questions that arise from their misguided and misplaced action are: Are they using Dr. Ardo to create political relevance and draw attention to themselves in Jada Local Government Area or the state? Or are they trying to stop him from pursuing his political ambition? In other words, are they trying to ignite crisis or perpetrate chaos the more in the party? What really is their problem?
Dr. Ardo is one unique and indispensable political scientist and politician in Nigeria whose deep knowledge and experience both in the academia and political ecology is worth commending. It only takes a sound mind, a strategist and seasoned politician like Dr. Ardo to shun political office given to him simply because the government in place at that time refused to meet up with party manifesto and promises made earlier to the masses during political campaigns.
It is crystal clear that what is lacking in the political terrain of Nigeria is “Social Justice.” This ranges from acts of impunity, rigging of elections, ignoring due process during elections, unfavorable political judgments by election tribunals and many other political malpractices that hold Nigerian politics by the jugular; they are also the factors that have demeaned the country and made her big for nothing. It is only political activists like Dr. Ardo that can tame the wild and dysfunctional politics practiced in Nigeria; he knows the terrain, the political game and the big time players. This prepares and arms him with the necessary wherewithal to deal deadly blows to the political schemers, scammers and fraudsters who always take Nigerians for granted.
Identity and selfish politics have become the order of the day and mediocrity has replaced meritocracy. No wonder we only have ill-prepared, untrained and uncouth people at the helm of affairs in the country. Of course, this is the reason why despite the availability of resources in Nigeria, the country still remains under-developed and the citizens suffer as dregs of the society and wallow in abject poverty.
Dr. Ardo is an architect of social justice that is why he deploys the rule of law to attain his political goals in Adamawa State in particular and Nigeria in general. Some political neophytes see Dr. Ardo both as a dangerous petrel and radical politician who only believes in court proceedings that at the end of the day do not favor him. Bur Dr. Ardo doggedly fights on with the hope of righting some perceived wrong sin the quest for social justice. Or would his opponents and detractors prefer him to gather thugs and instigate violence or uprising in the state as his last resort? Of course no.
The defunct Goodluck Jonathan administration was immersed in monumental corruption, insecurity and political dilemma that placed the nation at the verge of disintegration. Nigerians groped in the dark for long and were hopeless until a patriotic citizen, a socio-political engineer, a full blown politician and a political scientist, a man that has Nigeria at heart came to her rescue.
It was the ingenuity and political sagacity of Dr. Umar Ardo that saved the country. He single-handedly came up with the idea of merger of political parties that could bring needed change and salvage the nation from the predicaments that bedeviled her. He generated the brilliant idea and subsequent strategies that saved the nation, regardless of being a PDP member. He performed the patriotic act as a duty and responsibility to his fatherland hoping for the betterment of Nigeria and Nigerians.
It was Dr. Ardo who deployed his vast knowledge and skills as a scholar and political analyst and came up with a 41-page memo which culminated in the merger of ACN and CPC along with other parties. He consulted General Mohammadu Buhari and pleaded with him to meet Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu for a merger. What transpired between the two leaders is now history.
In saner climes, Dr. Ardo would have reaped the benefits of his hard labour and become a national hero, garnering national awards and enjoying the status of a celebrity. Not in Nigeria where mediocrity and sycophancy supersede rationality; where ingenuity, hard labour and productivity don’t pay.
Dr. Umar Ardo who nurtured the merger idea, spent a colossal sum for the emergence of APC as a formidable party in Nigeria and contributed immensely to the rise of General Muhammadu Buhari as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria cannot be accused of anti-party activity against the PDP. What he did was an answer to a clarion call. Although the APC has recorded successes in terms of restoring peace and order in the country and waged the war against corruption, much remains to be done if Nigeria must develop.
Finally, let it be visible to the blind and audible to the deaf that ever since the emergence of the Fourth Republic in 1999, no Nigerian sweated in the service of Nigeria like Dr. Umar Ardo. Similarly, Dr. Ardo has ever since remained a loyal member of the PDP. His gubernatorial aspiration in Adamawa state is sacrosanct, going by his state-wide acceptance and his thirst for the delivery of dividends of democracy to all and sundry in the nooks and crannies of the state. Therefore, he is the perfect candidate for 2019. PDP, Power to the People!!!
