When President Thabo Mbeki told Africa to define itself, there is no doubt he is asking for total reformation of Africa political system. I will not be committing political heretic when I say that Nigeria political parties are nothing but proto-nationalistic groups and nobody dare call me “sellout” or sue me for slander for Senator Albert Beveridge said it all "a party can live only by growing [for] intolerance of ideas brings its death.
When President Thabo Mbeki told Africa to define itself, there is no doubt he is asking for total reformation of Africa political system. I will not be committing political heretic when I say that Nigeria political parties are nothing but proto-nationalistic groups and nobody dare call me “sellout” or sue me for slander for Senator Albert Beveridge said it all "a party can live only by growing [for] intolerance of ideas brings its death.
An organization that depends upon reproduction only for its votes, son taking the place of the father, is not a political party, but a Chinese tong; not citizens brought together by thought and conscience, but an Indian tribe held together by blood and prejudice”. Sons, daughters, wives, and cronies taking the place of their father, husband and Godfathers is that not what we are seeing in the political parties.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content1'); });
Is anybody surprised that Nigeria lacks a strong opposition. What happened to the notion that private interest must not be put in opposition to public good? The notion to act for the unity of the country for posterity and obedience to the will of God has suddenly been removed from the manifestos of the opposition parties. Bainbridge Colby was right that “an intelligent and conscientious opposition is a part of loyalty to a country”. Suddenly the likes of Enaharo, Awolowo, Azikiwe, Balewa that are willing to commit political martyrdom to ensure that the ruling party delivers the dividends of democracy have disappeared from the opposition party register, their names replaced with charlatans, ethnic chauvinists and political prostitutes. Political parties have now become business ventures, people wake up and register political parties waiting for losers in People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to migrate and if the candidate is lucky to win election will cross carpet back to PDP after swearing in. PDP have become insurance to winning elections no surprise it turned to “nest of killers”. To make matter worst imposition of candidates has become a norm in the opposition party, no more tolerance of ideas or views. It is either my way or you are out.
Political parties are no longer formed on ideologies but rather for individual control because politicians cannot tolerate opposite views. But Einstein told us that “great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds”. It is no longer the”people have spoken! But “I have spoken” and it’s final. But I must warn the oppositions that they either define themselves or risk been thrown into political guillotine. For when the Prime Minister of Canada said “First of all, I can't forget my first responsibility - which is to be the Leader of the Opposition and that's to provide an alternative government” he knew the impact a good opposition political party will make to governance. No doubt the ruling PDP will continue to deny Nigerians the dividends of democracy due to absence of no strong opposition. Election is around the corner and it seems the oppositions are still sleeping. They are waiting for the election to be over and the media will be awash with cries of rigging. Yes cries of rigging are now the language of the oppositions. In an election year that the people of Nigeria are calling for a change it is so bad that the oppositions cannot read the handwriting on the wall. The opposition cannot measure the heartbeat of Nigeria who by all intents and purpose wants to send PDP parking from Aso Rock.
In 2008, America was so disgusted with the Republican Party and willing to send them into political wilderness. The Democrats utilized the opportunity and made history by electing the first black president. However in Nigeria the oppositions cannot put personal ambition aside to form a strong alliance and throw PDP into political abyss. So let nobody be surprised if PDP win a landslide in 2011 election and then the opposition as usual will shout rigging and beseech our law courts with petition hoping for a repeat of the miracle in Edo, Ekiti, Osun and Anambra. It is already happening with the likes of Dele Momodu already relying on miracle as Mr Momodu mentioned in his column “Finally, we have a God who never fails. The God of Goodluck Jonathan, Rotimi Amaechi, Adams Oshiomhole and Olusegun Mimiko has not retired. The miracle continues”. Well Mr Momodu God will not come from heaven and make you Nigerian President. If you want to be our president you have to work for it.
The last time that the opposition really made a mark in Nigeria politics was in 1993 elections, when the National Republican Convention (NRC) competed against Social Democratic Party (SDP) that was highly favored to win the election. But after 1993, the opposition was cast into political wilderness. 63 registered political parties!!!! Yes that is the number of political parties registered in Nigeria. I have researched political parties across advanced democracies and they all have only 2 strong national political parties (America-democrats/republicans, Canada-Liberal/Conservative, UK-Labor/Conservative, and Germany-Social democrats/Christian democrats). The question is can any of this 63 political parties have the resources or means to take on PDP? Readers will agree with me that the answer is NO. So why is it that these proto-nationalistic groups cannot merge or form a strong alliance to give their party a national coloration? History has shown that right from the first republic the oppositions have always formed a strong alliance. The opposition should know that greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes, but by the opposition he or she has overcome to reach his goals.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content2'); });
A brief analysis of this opposition parties; All Nigeria People Party (ANPP) was the official opposition in the 4th republic but after the 2003 elections their leaders mortgaged the party to PDP. Even before then ANPP was seen as a sectional party with stronghold only in the core north dominated by conservative Muslim Northerners. Unfortunately the party failed to form the type of alliance that Sir Ahmadu Bello Northern People’s Congress (NPC) did with Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe's National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) that enabled them to form Nigeria's first indigenous federal government which led to independence from Britain. In the last two elections (2003 and 2007) the party fielded Major General Muhammed Buhari as their candidate. But Buhari though liked by Nigerians for his strong stand against corruption and his achievements as the chairman of Petroleum Technology Trust Fund (PTDF) is unable to win election for ANPP; he is still a “foreigner” in the Southern part of Nigeria. Nigeria Christians still see him as a religious extremist with Islamist label. Even in the north it is believed that Buhari is only popular among the “almajiris” as he is unable to win the northern conservative elites. Meanwhile Buhari having failed to win election for two consecutive times and knowing the opposition building up against him from flying the party’s presidential flag broke up with the party and formed the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). The recent wiki leak cable also portrayed Buhari as ethnic zealot that the northern elites were banking on to take over from President Jonathan in the event of Yar’Adua. ANPP still have not learnt from the past. The party has failed to neither break away from its sectional outlook nor nominate candidates that can break ethnic barriers to win election for them. Recently Ibrahim Shekarau (unknown in Southern Nigeria) the Kano state governor was nominated as their Presidential flagbearer. Can he deliver for ANPP? Time will tell. The media is reporting that ANPP is planning an alliance with ACN, we keep our fingers crossed as we watch the outcome.
With the demise of ANPP, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) took over as the official opposition. Unfortunately ACN with most of the party apparatchik’s followers of Late Obafemi Awolowo who refer to themselves as Awoists, lack the sagacity and popular support of the late sage that led the First Republic opposition with his Action Group (AG). Awo’s AG is well known to be a left -leaning political party, but nobody can say if ACN is left or right leaning political party as the party is populated with all shades of characters. ACN which metamorphosed from Alliance Democracy (AD) is still considered a Yoruba party incapable of winning support in the North or even South East. ACN just concluded primaries were bedeviled of complaints of candidate’s imposition by party chieftains. Instead of the party chairman (Chief Bisi Akande) addressing these anti democratic practices, he generated more controversies for the party by defending candidate imposition as “the best thing for the party” and that whoever does not like it should quit. Akande even went further to insult us by comparing the leadership anti-democratic practice with British political party candidate selection. Well Chief Akande it is unfortunate that instead of using America that practice the same presidential system of government as Nigeria in your analogy, you decided to twist issues by using Britain that practice parliamentary system of government. Moreover being one of the founders of a party is not a license to give your wife or in-law automatic ticket to be the party flag bearer unless you want to rename the party “Tinubu family political party”. There are rumors that the party will merge with Congress of Progressive Change (CPC) or ANPP, whether that will see the light of the day is still a mirage. Recently Nuhu Ribadu was nominated by acclamation as the presidential candidate for ACN. Though Ribadu did a good job as the pioneer Executive Chairman of Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), his national acceptance is still in doubt. Ribadu still need to convince Nigerians that former president Obasanjo did not use him to silence oppositions. Time will tell if Ribadu can defeat an incumbent president running under a sectional party that has become a dumping ground for candidates unable to win election in PDP.
For other opposition political parties I still consider them more of proto-nationalist groups than a political party for I see no serious effort they are making to transform into a national political party. Even their regional abode is eluding them; APGA and PPA are still unable to win support in the South East. CPC is yet to court the Northern elites. Labour party is still waiting for the highest bidder to get the party presidential nomination. UNPP, PRP, PSP and others are basically out of contention for 2011 elections. It is time for opposition to show us that they are not acting for selfish motive or private bias. 2011 election is time for oppositions to show that they are following the dictates of intelligent conscience, for them not to be seen in the likes of PDP aristocrats, demagogues, eccentrics and callous politicians. The opposition needs to show us their manifestos detailing how they are going to correct the evils of the past 12 years that PDP imposed on us; Years of infrastructure decades, economic exile, political killings, police brutality, abject poverty and corruption.
Can the opposition present a presidential candidate that is willing to break with his party for national interest and the good of the common man, and not afraid of being labeled a party scavenger? Can they present senatorial candidates that are willing to make job creation laws and not afraid to vote for bills that will unite us as one country knowing that the ethnic bigots in his constituents will put their names in the dark list of apostates? What about oppositions selecting governorship candidates that will develop natural resources in their respective states to raise revenue for development of their states without waiting for the national cake to be shared in Abuja. State House of Assembly candidates that will be a check against the governor not the ones that will collude with the governor to deny the citizens the benefit of democracy. First ladies that will live within their husband’s means and keep their hands away from the treasury not the ones that will use the scarce resources available to setup Non-governmental organizations (NGO) that never change the plight of Nigerians with disabilities. With what I see and read on the media, we don’t have an opposition to accomplish this. May be in the absence of a strong opposition we will soon record the birth of the Tea Party movement.
But I remain optimistic hoping and believing that somehow a miracle will happen, that the innocent people that fought and died for Nigeria democracy did not die in vain. Hoping that the God we call upon during church and Jumat services will never forsake us. The ruling PDP should know that a government without opposition cannot be long secure. To my fellow Nigerians I leave you with these words from JFK “Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners, and necessity has made us allies. Those whom God has so joined together, let no man put asunder.” One Nigeria!
Ositadimma Ejelike lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia and has a blog Monday Maxim @ www.pearl7diamond.com. [email protected]
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });