Since the emergence of the All Progressive Congress, APC as
the ruling party at the peak echelon following the defeat of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP’s candidate and incumbent President then, Dr. Goodluck
Jonathan, the rate of exodus from PDP which ruled Nigeria for consecutive
sixteen years calls for ascetic reflections.
PDP, which was formed in 1998 by a group of eminent citizens won
all the presidential elections until the previous, thereby ruled Nigeria from
1999 to 2015. During its reign, oppositions determinedly waxed strong
particularly in its first administration led by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo whose
administration was chiefly characterized by dictatorial tendencies,
illiberality and other democratic anomalies.
Nonetheless, the opposition
refused to be sidelined or decimated amidst ugly situations. As a matter of
fact, the more dictatorial the government seemed to be, the more energetic and
dogged the opposition appeared, thereby saved the nation from drifting into a
mono party system.
Apparently, the development which was consistent with
democratic norms all over the world resourcefully enabled the PDP governments
to record few achievements the Party could tangibly lay hands on today. At the
heat of it, Lagos State Government then, under the leadership of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu
of Alliance for Democracy, AD which led the opposition suffered greatly. As a
show of superiority, the PDP-led Federal Government arbitrarily withheld the
Local Government Areas statutory allocations despite court order thereby almost
crippled the state. Despite the colossal oppression, the oppositions were resolutely
unmoved, dogged and undaunted.
Suffice to say that our democracy today albeit still far
behind its apt position has survived following enormous sacrifices by some
citizens. Democracy as the government of the people, for the people and by the
people progresses meritoriously where oppositions exist conspicuously. However,
opposition is never absolute. A healthy opposition must be constructive and goal-driven
unlike the present scenario where disgruntled elements that diverted and
misappropriated public funds would tactically gang up against the government
with all manner of accusations to thwart probes and indictments.
Since the present APC government took up the mantle of office
on May 29’ 2015, defections so far recorded involving prominent names in the polity
have been incredible. Indeed, the volume of defections into the ruling
APC-governments both at the federal and state levels leaves much to be desired
particularly considering the defectors. In several occasions, reasons for
defection have continuously been pegged to ‘teamwork’ with the present
administration to move the nation forward but clearly, it is ‘if you cannot
beat them, you join them’ mentality.
From the astonishing revelations on the arms procurement fund
arbitrarily distributed to political friends and associates by the former
National security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki points to the fact that all the most
of the old names that hitherto held the governance of the nation to ransom
should be politically phased out. The disclosure which indicted Chief Olu Falae,
Chief Jim Nwobodo and others as beneficiaries of the public fund up to the tune
of N100million each allocated for arms procurement for support on Goodluck
Jonathan re-election’s bid was disgusting. It clearly shows that political
revolution is eminent if they refused to leave the polity. Obviously, it is an
insult to the sensibilities of Nigerian youths who would helplessly be
stationed under the sun both during campaigns and at the polling units; some
even lost their lives earnestly seeking for a good government. Unknown to them,
the deceitful elderly ones that they should look up to for directions have
quietly mortgaged their future with political settlements. This now explains
the reasons why some ‘big’ names could on air strongly campaign for the
re-election of PDP’s Jonathan despite the fact that over the six years spent in
office, nothing on ground to show, and above all, no sense of direction. Sadly,
the previous government preferred to use the nation’s resources that should be
for the provision of social amenities to buy over few self-centered individuals
to stand on its side while the perpetuation of wickedness against the citizenry
continues. If the recalcitrant beneficiaries put up claims that they didn’t
know the source of the money they received for doing nothing, they should be
able to tell Nigerians where they rationally assumed the money were indiscriminately
coming from knowing that Dasuki is not from Bill Gates lineage.
By
and large, the quantum of defection points irrevocably to lack of political
ideologies and consequently, capable of migrating the nation into a one party
state. Who takes the blame; APC, of course cannot be apportioned any form of
blame but the unprincipled members of PDP who rather than form a healthy and
desirable opposition to enable the government deliver, they cheaply opt to
defection giving all manner of flimsy excuses. Splendidly, the APC National
Chairman, Chief John Oyegun recently distanced the party from the allegation of
its intention to encourage a one party state adding that APC-led administration will always continue to encourage constructive
opposition that will keep the government on its toes in discharging its
responsibilities.
“We have absolutely no intention to pressurize
any group or any nation towards a one-party state. It is not in our interest so
to do because we need a vibrant opposition. We need an opposition that will
contribute constructively to national discourse that will make us sit up and
deliver to the people what we promised”, he remarkably said.
It is therefore eminent at this juncture to
enjoin political actors and defectors to conceive ideologies and identities rather
than seeing politics as anything goes.
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