People’s Interests Have Overtaken The Interest of PDP – Ciroma

Former Women Affairs Minister Hajia Maryam Inna Ciroma has chastised PDP leaders of the modern era for prioritising personal interests at the expense of the party and democracy. 

At a press conference and Diaspora Grassroots Engagement Parley on Tuesday in Abuja, the Directorate of Diaspora And Foreign Missions of PDP Rescue Mission International, hosted Ciroma, who was previously the PDP’s National Woman Leader.

She expressed her particular displeasure with PDP’s drift from its founders’ principles. In her view, the PDP was founded to advance inclusive democracy as a foundation for swift national development. 

However, the current administration has renounced this goal in favour of a system that feeds into greed and selfishness. The former minister further charged that members of Nigeria’s elite class, especially those in positions of political authority, were undermining the structures of their respective parties by prioritising their own self-interest over those of the groups.

She said, “The basis for the formation of PDP has crashed because when the PDP was formed, it was it was called Peoples Democratic Party.

“The people that started the party were very passionate about democracy. “They stood and fought the military to ensure that Nigeria returns to democracy.

“Unfortunately, as it is now, there is no democracy, not even in Nigeria as a whole. All our political parties are not democratic.

“So, Nigerians especially the elites, will have to stand up and look at this issue of democracy in Nigeria. You can see that in some countries they hold democracy seriously as if it is their religion.

“Go to America, as far as they are concerned, democracy is Number one. But here in Nigeria we have thrown democracy away.

“We are not talking of fairness, we are not talking of justice. Our party, when it was formed, it was with the belief that Nigeria needs a united a party.

“That’s why our symbol is umbrella. People’s interest have overtaken the interest of the party and the interest of Nigeria.