The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has since 1999 been winning landslide victories to continuously form the federal government of Nigeria. Although not much has been achieved by the party in terms of good governance and appreciable improvement in the living standards of the people, she has continued to chorus its song of ruling the nation for another century. if the prayers of Nigerians were about to be heard, 3 national parties decided in February 2013 to merge and form one mega party- the All Progressive Congress (APC) to present the most viable political opposition machinery in the country. Some analysts were beginning to imagine that a new political era where the ruling party, would constantly be placed in check had come. Unfortunately, with only 5 months to the 2015 general elections, the steam which the rather vibrant coalition of opposition parties brought to bear on the polity seems to be fading away by the day. The first major sign that the APC was probably not our expected political saviour occurred in June 2014 when its candidate and incumbent governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi lost the state gubernatorial elections to the almighty PDP. The nation is yet to fully comprehend that victory which according to analysts was against the run of play. However, those who argued that the loss was due to the resurgence of the PDP have a point more so as the party’s new chairman, Adamu Muazu had reportedly established a robust reconciliation initiative to bring its numerous aggrieved members together. Muazu’s posture may have helped but it is simplistic to give it all the credit. What many analysts appear to have lost sight of is the fundamental issue that in a developing nation like Nigeria where every politician is out for material gains only for the self, it is hard to find genuine opposition politicians. This fact was at play on Saturday, September 27, 2014 when a strange mega party emerged in Benin City, Edo State. It was the state governor himself, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole who drew attention to the new party which he called the mother of all parties in Nigeria. The occasion was the commissioning of a portion of the Benin-Ore road by President Goodluck Jonathan. The name of the political party according to the governor is the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The undiscerning may have assumed that the governor was just being patriotic and nothing more. It is naïve to so believe. It is true that decency and the principle of collaborative federalism may have influenced the presence of the governor at the event but again that is not all. Oshiomhole did not need to explain his presence at any function in his state involving the nation’s number one citizen but he did by insinuating that all Nigerian political parties are one and went on to commend what he described as the ‘painstaking’ effort by the PDP led federal government to do a marvelous job with the construction of the road. Could it be that the unhealthy rivalry between the state and the federal over who owns which road and who constructed particular projects in the state is coming to an end? Or is the public about to discover the truth as to whether it is the PDP that is wooing the governor or it is the latter that is begging to be admitted to the party? These questions should not imply that there is anything wrong in the opposition praising a good effort by the ruling party. That is good and balanced political posture that is issue-based. But coming from a leader of a political party which has always said and still says the PDP is clueless, the curious mind ought to be circumspect. Has there been a change of mind by the APC or is the Comrade at last warming his way to the PDP as the party alleged in the past? The earlier assumption is not likely because another foremost APC leader, General Muhammadu Buhari restated exactly 4 days after Oshiomhole’s commendation, that there is danger in allowing the PDP to continue to rule Nigeria. Buhari who was speaking at the inauguration of the 12,000-Seater Ekiti Parapo Square in Ado-Ekiti last Wednesday, appealed to the gathering to “please try and realise that Nigeria is in trouble” from the way the ruling party was carrying on Could Buhari and Oshiomhole be talking of the same PDP? If so, which of them is telling us the APC viewpoint or are both expressing individual personal opinions? From whatever angle one looks at the different versions of APC opinions, it is obvious that it is exceedingly difficult to rely on any assessment made by a Nigerian politician; rather, the circumstance, venue; crowd and motive of the speaker would matter a lot. Accordingly, Nigerians are free to believe that all politicians in their country are in the same political party with many branches. It is similarly in order for us to see the PDP as playing the role of the proverbial first son who is using his advantage of age, enormous wealth and heir apparent status to the fullest at the expense of the younger brothers led by the APC Otherwise why would Tom Ikimi one of the co-founders of the APC, decamp to the supposed clueless PDP? If Ikimi was merely a PDP mole in the APC as the party seems to have discovered only recently, then his departure should not give her sleepless nights; but then, why did Nuhu Ribadu another leader and Presidential candidate of one of the parties that formed the APC also move to the PDP? How many moles are still comfortably in hiding in the APC closet and how soon would they all depart to let us know what remains of our much touted political saviour? What about the weighty allegation by Ikimi that some APC leaders are business partners of the PDP? Finally are the APC decampees taking “clues” to the PDP? Alas, there seems to be negligible hope for change in Nigeria.
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 20:22:05 +0000