By
Rahman Owokoniran
The spectacle of certain PDP figures – notably Chief Bode George – suddenly discovering an urgent need for Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to return to the party begs profound questions about motive and timing. What manner of individual volunteers for this “convincing” task now? The convenience is staggering.
* When last truly, did these self-appointed recruiters reach out to Jonathan about the PDP’s internal decay?
* When last did the party hierarchy deem him worthy of consultation on the “Mumbo Jumbo” consuming it?
* And crucially, where was this fervent “love of the South” when the Southern agenda was paramount before the 2023 elections? Jonathan, the most prominent Southern symbol, was conspicuously absent from their advocacy then.
Eni to gbon to ni enikan ko gbon ohun ni baba were (The wise one who believes no one is wiser than him needs a mental checkup).
This sudden remembrance of their “hanging rag Joe” dusted off and pushed towards the fray, reeks of desperation. The simultaneous courtship of Peter Obi for the same presidential ticket compounds the absurdity. It’s a transparent trap:
1. The Either-Or Dilemma Ignored: PDP seeks both men simultaneously. Yet, picking one inevitably alienates the other and their overlapping support base. Why not approach strategically with an either-or proposition? Because the goal isn’t genuine unity or winning – it’s about capture.
2. The Real Motive: Distraction, Not Victory: PDP stalwarts know that inviting Jonathan or Obi isn’t truly about winning the 2027 election. It’s about drafting them into a pre-fabricated “Southern Conspiracy Theory.” They desperately seek to shift the 2027 narrative away from their failures and the nation’s crushing realities – the ruined economy, rampant insecurity, and utter lack of accountability. Their aim? To force the North/South dichotomy to the forefront, thereby masking their irrelevance and misgovernance.
3. The Irony of the Messengers, observe who champions this divisive agenda: powerless men without jurisdiction, the very architects of the “North Must Wait Till 2031” mantra. Their agenda – clinging to relevance through regional polarisation – is laid bare before Nigerians. The nation must decide: continue down this path of division, or forge unity for the sake of all, including generations unborn?
Jonathan and Obi are no pawns. They are proven leaders, egg heads of profound wisdom. Their judgment, honed by experience, is unfettered and unlikely to be compromised. They know what they want, and they know precisely what Nigeria needs. Falling for this belated, self-serving PDP gambit is not it. We trust them to see through this charade, to recognise cheap advice born of foolishness and ignorance for what it is.
RAHMAN OWOKONIRAN WROTE FROM LAGOS
