PDP is ancient history, says Pat Utomi, backs new political alliance

Renowned political economist and former presidential candidate, Professor Pat Utomi, has described the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as “ancient history”, arguing that the new political alliance signals a positive shift towards collaborative politics.

Prof Utomi made this known during a Saturday morning interview on The Discourse with Jimmy Disu on Nigeria Info monitored by Breakingng.com.

The political economist provided a wide-ranging analysis of the shifting political terrain and expressed concerns over the psychological well-being of Nigeria’s political elite.

READ ALSO: DSS seeks court order to restrict Pat Utomi from public advocacy for shadow government

Lenting his voice to the growing wave of political realignments shaking the Nigerian political landscape, including the mass exodus of key figures from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), he said, “What the alliance does is signal, very importantly, that at least Nigerian politicians are willing to work together and sink personnel, or whatever, for a greater good,” he said.

“And I think that’s an important signal.”When pressed on whether former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is willing to forgo his presidential ambition for younger contenders like Peter Obi, Utomi struck a cautious but hopeful tone.

“In Kenya, people kept saying this until Ford happened,” he noted, referencing Kenya’s Forum for the Restoration of Democracy.

“Let’s give all these a chance, but I think that this is one step. I see other layers, because I still believe we must build.”

Utomi emphasized that leadership decisions should be rooted in principle, not personality. He urged Nigerians—especially the youth—to take the driver’s seat in determining the country’s future.

“They become cult of personalities. Let’s go to principles,” he said. “The average or median age of Nigeria is, what, 19. I think that we should be pulling those between the ages of 18 and 30 and asking them who they would like to see. That’s what should make the difference—not who do you like, or who looks good.”

Perhaps most striking was Professor Utomi’s stark commentary on the psychological state of Nigeria’s political leaders. When asked if some of them might be experiencing mental health challenges, his response was both alarming and thought-provoking.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever taken out time to think quietly about what appears to be the mental challenge with some of our public officers. No, no, no, no. It’s worrying. People see it as a joke. It’s not a joke. Yeah, it’s an imbalance,” he said.He pointed to a broader mental health crisis in the country, exacerbated by socio-economic pressures that are often overlooked.

“First of all, there’s a general significant mental health problem in Nigeria. The stresses and all of that have been taken for granted, but there’s a huge mental health problem in Nigeria.”

The former presidential hopeful also lamented the normalisation of erratic leadership behaviour, warning that the line between satire and reality has dangerously blurred.

“One of the things that making light of things has left us with is that when our jokes of yesterday begin to be reality today, we think maybe it’s still a joke. But it’s not a joke at all.”

Drawing from an old analogy he once made, Utomi said: “Many years ago I once said that somehow Nigeria resembles an asylum for the insane, where the inmates took over and began to treat the psychiatrists.”

Despite his criticism and disillusionment with the current state of governance, Utomi insisted that he remains optimistic about Nigeria’s future.”Bottom line, having said all of this, I still have a lot of faith, a lot of hope, that Nigeria will rise again.”

He revealed that during his extensive travels, especially in the United States where he has lived for the past two years, he has encountered an unsettling trend among the diaspora.

“One phenomenon that is so, so troubling, wasn’t there three years ago, is that people say to you, ‘We’re giving up on Nigeria. We’re writing off Nigeria.’”