PDP’s greed has gotten it into trouble

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Former PDP Acting Chairman, Uche Secondus hands over to the party’s new chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff on February 22, 2016, at the party's secretariat in Abuja.

(Twitter)

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is in trouble.

The party’s problems started with the appointment of Ali Modu Sheriff as chairman in February.

A member of the party revealed at the time that Sheriff had been chosen to occupy the top position because of his wealth.

“He (Sheriff) has money. He is fearless and he has the capacity to galvanise the north for the PDP,” the source, who was a member of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC), said.

Former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode also hinted at Sheriff’s financial prowess saying that “his stupendous wealth emanates primarily from the Republic of Chad.”

Fani-Kayode was one of many members of the PDP who rejected Sheriff’s appointment due to allegations that he was connected to Boko Haram.

“The truth is that appointing him [Sheriff] as our Acting National Chairman is like appointing Jack the Ripper as the leader of the Conservative party in Victorian England,” the former ministersaid in February.

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Femi Fani-Kayode

 (Daily Post)

“Kudos must go to the elders in the PDP Board of Trustees, a number of State Party Chairmen and a number of key individuals in the PDP Ministers Forum for taking a courageous and noble stand by rejecting and resisting the imposition of this abominable monstrosity. What Ali Modu Sheriff stands for and represents is utterly repugnant to every fibre of my being,” he added.

The PDP is not known for its morality, so only a special kind of monster can be rejected by its members. However, despite the many warning signs, the PDP went ahead to make Sheriff chairman and effectively sealed its own doom.

“His emergence at this time is the best thing in the present circumstance and those aggrieved should sheath their swords and deploy their time and resources into fighting the All Progressives Congress (APC) instead of their own party," Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose said in response to the chaoscaused by the appointment.

However, after seeing that the party was about to crumble under Sheriff’s weight, some members, including Fayose, decided to remove him.

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Ekiti state Governor, Ayodele Fayose.

  Sheriff was “removed” on May 21 during the party’s national convention in Rivers State, but he refused to relinquish power and is currently running a faction of his own.

The PDP now has an angered Sheriff on its hands, and the very same wealth for which it greedily accepted him is being deployed against it. The party is like a dog that tried to swallow an oversized bone, but forgot that its throat was too small to accommodate it.

Sheriff, who was previously touted as the PDP’s saviour, has now become its worst enemy, and he just might be the one to deal the final death blow on the once vibrant party.