THINKING ALOUD... With MUKA POPOOLA Have you noticed how we celebrate inanities in Lagos PDP?

We celebrate inanities a lot in the Lagos PDP. I don't know if I'm the only one who is seeing this.

Our members usually roll out the drums when someone from the Lagos PDP is listed in as little as being a member of one phony committee during congresses or primaries in another state? You see the Whatsapp platforms literally go on fire. Have you ever noticed that?

Why won't we elevate trivialities to the proud status of an achievement? When there's no concrete accomplishment ever recorded as a party. We don't have major election wins to celebrate.

Recently, I read where some of our members were all over the Whatsapp platforms congratulating certain leaders in their local government. What about it? For just being appointed to serve in the committee that is currently screening aspirants at our state secretariat for the forthcoming local council elections. So funny, so laughable.

Even National this, national that; Zonal this, zonal that. Or the BOT. I've been at a loss how do they really impact the party in the state positively. I have not seen. All such diaspora officers rarely connect with the development of the party statewide, except when they want to cause trouble in one local government or the other. But someone can wake me up if I've been slumbering.

For purposes of simple illustration, let's deal with this.

No one from the Lagos PDP had ever glamourised the position of a zonal officer as much as Hon. Rahman Owokoniran who just returned as SW Secretary. He was like the defacto SW Chairman, seen all over the South West than the substantive holders of the office. He was more visible in the popular media, talking more than even the publicity secretary of the zone.

Maybe as fate would have it, Hon. Owokoniran had to work with three Chairmen for different reasons, two of whom were unfortunately bogged down by health challenges. Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja got elevated to the higher position of Deputy National Chairman. Soji Adagunodo died, and so, Hon. Owokoniran assumed his place as the unofficial SW Chairman until much later when a replacement was found in the person of Barrister Kamardeen Ajisafe.

So, except for the razzmatazz, how has being in such out-of-state positions helped the growth of Lagos PDP I'm yet to see practically.

There are only two times you will feel the presence of the diaspora leaders in your Ward or local government. During congresses, they use their corruptive influence to manipulate the process and impose on the party some idle members who run outside of their local governments to curry favour from them as party exco. Or to help steal party tickets for some lame aspirants who want to be candidates at the primaries. We see it happen every time.

In the two instances, the roles such diaspora officers play, more than often, create bigger confusion and chaos in the party at the grassroots than help in fostering the growth of the party.

Most times, the diaspora leaders who jump from their local government to determine what happens in some other local governments sow the seed of discord among members, which ultimately destroys the much needed unity, peaceful collaboration and cohesion for them to work together for the success of the party at elections.

It's really not about Hon. Owokoniran or any particular diaspora officer, it is the general experience we've had with them. 

What I see is that our poor situation in the Lagos PDP has made us place too much premium on things that are clearly of misplaced values. 

If you didn't know, that little Ward Chairman that we generally treat with irreverence and less important, I believe, does more positive work, more progressive work, to keep the party alive than even some big titular chiefs who merely gallivant all over the place....*ONLY FOR SELF AGGRANDISEMENT.*

Wish you a wonderful time on this day.

*© MUKA POPOOLA*

*Senior member, Agege PDP*