PDP members must purge themselves of messianic complex, Sowunmi warns

A stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party, Segun Sowunmi, has said that only genuine and sincere reconciliation would help the party return to winning ways.

The PDP, which governed the country for 14 years from 1999 to 2015, was torpedoed as a result of internal wrangling, which resulted in the loss of the 2015 presidential elections to the All Progressives Congress.

In a statement made available to journalists on Saturday, Sowunmi blamed the party’s inability to rise from its downfall nine years ago on members’ indiscipline and disrespect for party supremacy.

He said that as the former governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and the 25-man-led reconciliation committee began the work of uniting warring factions in the party, this critical assignment must be embraced by all with all sincerity of purpose; otherwise, it would amount to another sheer waste of time and resources.

Sowunmi regretted that a similar committee in the past, such as the one headed by the former Senate President, Bukola Saraki and which submitted a fascinating report during the build-up to the 2023 general elections, had done little or nothing to reverse the misfortunes of the party.

He said, “As we embark on this new effort, we must not waste each other’s time, for if we do not desire honest, genuine and commonsensical approaches to our issues, we will achieve a worse outcome. None is all right, and none is all wrong.

“The scapegoating of an individual for what ought to be a matter that shows that there is enough blame to go around is unhelpful.

“There is no messiah anywhere, and as such, all must purge themselves of any messiah complex they may have, for it is incontrovertible that our reasons for losing 2015 stem from indiscipline and lack of far-reaching reflections on what is in the party’s interest and there are living players who though may have seen the wrongness of their actions and must not pontificate as though 2015 did not happen.

“The limping of the party and the management of the consequences of that action was very serious. We managed to get to 2019, which is considered our best outing in recent history, but we still came short. At the heart of this, too, say what you will, is the fact that the complete commitments of those who can work were absent for the altar of personal hurt and using party elections to settle personal scores and private grudges.

He said that the party’s loss in 2023 was a self-inflicting injury, preventable and avoidable, but it was allowed to happen because many members would not respect party supremacy.

Sowunmi said before the reconciliation team began its work, “I believe we must at the onset speak to ourselves and be ready for compromises, apologies where necessary and some punishment where it is unavoidable”.

He said one other thing that would also aid the party to stage a powerful comeback is the adoption of reforms as necessitated by the changing times, adding that the party must be ready to move with the dynamics of time.

Sowunmi said, “There has to be a time when the father steps back and allows the next generation to take over so that the baton is passed effectively, and the organization is preserved.

“Those who must run the party affairs today must be aware that history will adjudge them for any misadventure that they allow. We nevertheless must allow those with constituted authorities to act their roles.

“No one must appropriate to themselves greater love of the party than others.

“The activities of politics have their challenges, and those who cannot stand the heat might just do everyone a favour and get out of the kitchen”.