What politicians do in the feat of desperation!

The ungentlemanly behaviour being displayed by a good number of politicians who lost the primaries of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in many states of the federation now calls to question the claim of being driven by the desire to serve by such politicians.

Pundits say that it is very disheartening that those who have climbed to the highest ladder of leadership in the country, who should consider themselves privileged, are still not content with their achievements in a country of over 170 million people.

Last week, following their defeat at the primaries in the categories of the positions they contested, Barnabas Gemade, a former national chairman of the PDP and a serving member of the Senate, dumped the party for the rival All Progressives Congress (APC) when he failed to pick a return ticket to the red-chamber legislative house.

Samuel Ortom, one of the ministers who resigned their appointments to pursue their gubernatorial ambitions, tendered his resignation and has embraced APC on the platform of which he intends to try his popularity next year.

Christopher Alao-Akala, a former governor of Oyo State, failed in his bid to pick PDP ticket to return to the same office and decided to bid the party bye. He has since picked the ticket of Labour Party (LP). Other aggrieved PDP staunch members who were still in the “valley of decision” at the time of going to press include Governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State who is said to be nursing the wound of his humiliation for failing to install Onyebuchi Chukwu, a professor and education minister, who resigned to govern Ebonyi, as the standard bearer. Elechi was so devastated that he boycotted the party’s national convention in Abuja.

Ayogu Eze, a ranking senator is currently unhappy with the leadership of his party for preferring a political ‘tyro’ of Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as the party’s candidate for the February 28 gubernatorial election. The senator was said to have organised a parallel primary in Enugu State where some group of people accepted his money and crowned him candidate. Although he has yet to dump the party, he stayed away from the convention.

Musiliu Obanikoro, a former minister who has occupied high profile positions in the country yet in his young age, went to hysterical last Tuesday when the result of his party’s gubernatorial primary in Lagos State did not go in his favour.

Analysts have said the above steps were clear evidence of desperation and acts of Indiscretion.

A public affairs commentator, kenneth Adams, explained that the lucrative nature of politics in Nigeria was responsible for the attrition war that goes with it.

“A people get the kind of leaders they want. Our brand of politics is corruption-ridden. If you look at our politics, you will agree with me that it is the easiest means to become stupendously rich. And any money you get without labouring for it goes the way it comes. Now, having given that background, the question is why do politicians want to die in power? The answer is simple. They are afraid of tomorrow. For instance, what is somebody like Gemade looking for again in politics? What is Ortom looking for or Alao-Akala? They are all looking for financial protection and positions that will enable them to be relevant. If you interview any of them, you will find out that their main reason for wanting to remain in power is to enable them belong. They want to be at political meetings; they want to have access to public funds to enable them spend the way they like; of course, you know that it is easier to spend government money than the one you laboured for. So, these are their fears,” Adams said.

Another pundit, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the desperation was so because career politicians who have tasted power and all that go with it hardly give up.

“Politicians are the same everywhere. President Jonathan’s reaction if PDP had denied him the ticket could only be imagined. But if you check his profile, you will see he has seen the best of it all in this country, yet he is desperate. No politician wants to go on retirement; they prefer to die in office and be given state burial to dying as ex-this and ex-that. Until we see public service as truly what it should be- service to the people and to our fatherland- we will continue to see this do-or-die disposition,” the pundit said.

Zebulon Agomuo