By Elempe Dele
The Edo State Legacy PDP members and Dignity are now Siamese twins, inseparable.
Dignity means so much to the conscious human right from childhood. Dignity is documented in so many social studies, cultures civilizations and political charters. And it was further insacted boldly in the document for the enthroned peace after the 2nd World War – the Declaration of the Universal Human Right.
Dignity captures the essence of self worth – it animates the human spirit. Dignity, is another word for self-regarding and self worth.
We can hardly think of an individual outside the membership of a socialized group such as a political party, professional body, alma mata…and it is within this types of unions the the human attribute called dignity is most meaningfully explained. Man is a product of social interaction within these types of groups, and the true meaning of Dignity is easily manifested through the relationship of one man to another in a family, community and political relationships.
And it is this issue of Dignity and resistance against subjugation and dominance that led to this protracted crisis in Edo State PDP. The definitive argument is that the governor didn’t join PDP as a one ready for equal membership of the union, but as one with intention to seize, grab, take or snatch power by force. No doubt, the crisis owes so much to the intended devaluation and reduction of the Dignity of the Legacy PDP members by the governor’s encampment.
However, the impressive output of numerous members of the Party nearly of which emphasized that their Dignity as party members is fundamental to them, its their defining attribute and that they will never allow themselves to become subjects, second class members or subordinates.
What the Governor and his camp wished to achieve before they were resisted was to rob members of the Legacy PDP of their social property that is called Dignity by taking away the structure of the Party. We heard then, even till now, how their agents say they ‘bought’ the Party. And this has brought about unending irrationality and anomy.
Yes, the intention was to build an abstract wall within the party that will turn the old members into prisoners in glorified small camps in LGAs and Wards, as a gesture of disrespect in a party the old members were supposed to form equal partnership. The several court cases are ways of the Legacy PDP members to break out from the walling in planned by the new members even when some have tried genuine diplomatic means to break the deadlock. However, the new members, until now, have never been ready to meet any demand of equity. And the Legacy PDP would never compromise its quest for Dignity, no matter what it leads to. We are without funds or government powers compared to the new but will never sacrifice that inherent entitlement, Dignity.
Yes, we are compelled to make peace as equal partners of consent, not as static ‘structure’ under observation and control. What we sort and ask for is for the restless camp of the governor to accord us with self respect. The Legacy PDP members are not impotent therefore cannot humiliated. The reduction of our collective self worth as a condition for acceptance into the government and the idea of arbitrary control by them is laughable.
We didn’t and will never accept encounters that will denigrate our existence and membership of a Party we sustained for years, not even this period of hope for peace. We shall repudiate, renounce and reject all forms informal agreements that will negotiate away our rights. Yes, the attempt to humiliate has hardened us into resolve never to abandon that inestimable possession called Dignity.
It is sad that you can see posters being peddled even while we are in a peace process by the Republic of the Disillusioned claiming they won primary elections. The social media recruits into an army have abandoned all hopes of fairplay, justice and equity, they have resolved into self-help in spite of valid court orders.
But for us, we are committed to the all consuming pursuit of dignity even when they had previously repudiated all former negotiated agreements of equal dealing.
We wish to use the scaffolding that holds civilized coexistence together even when they have become efficient in depicting the annulment of morality and justice and fairplay. No group dare succumb to the arrogation of power over the lives of others of the same political party. As for us, we aspire to all inclusive PDP where everyone is treated equally and given equal opportunity to aspire and excel be you new or old.
The reality of these all is within the compass of reparation, recompensation and restitution. That is, those who have been cheated must enjoy restitution and those who have been humiliated are restored to dignity. Yes, the dispersal of the crisis in PDP rest on ‘just’ solution within the Party. We have said it severally, it can’t be disputed. We must be committed to the equalizing principle of justice and ensure the ideological intention to disposses some members is fundamentally abandoned.
The door of dialogue cannot be closed against the possibility of reducing the intensity of hostility within the Party, we must explore all forms of negotiations that are based on equity, justice and fairplay with the sacrosanctity of the PDP Constitution in mind.