The spectacle of a debacle that happened at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national headquarters during the PDP Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting, which took place last week was a show of shame, and a culmination of the crises that have rocked the party for about 2 years, with no end in sight. The “roof-rofo” fisticuff which looked like a scene out of a 2nd grade Nollywood movie was both funny and annoying – what a paradox! This is especially so because the fracas happened at the national headquarters of the PDP during the meeting of what is considered the highest advisory and decision-making body of elders and leaders of the party. So, what should we expect at the state and/ or local government levels?
Many people do not know that I have political experience. As a bit of background about my political antecedents; I was a founding member of the All Peoples Party (APP) in 1998, and I was appointed as the first Information Analyst at the APP National Secretariat, working directly with the National Chairman and the National Secretary (within the National Working Committee). I worked with different Committees including Planning and Organising Committees, Mobilization Committees, National Convention Committee, the APP governorship elections Campaign team for late Engineer Magaji Abdullahi, the APP Governorship Candidate for Kano State in the 1999 Gubernatorial elections, etc. I was given level-1 confidentiality clearance and ran political assignments at the highest level. After the Presidential elections, In the second half of 1999, I followed some of my Principals, to switch affiliation to the PDP along with other party chieftains. In the PDP, I was also privileged to work at top levels with the likes of the late Ibrahim Aminu Saleh, and other party chieftains. One such instance was playing a key role in the emergence of Chief Audu Ogbe as the PDP National Chairman in 2001. Following that development, I became actively involved in partisan politics and undertaking national assignments. In 2005, midway into the second term of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, I decided to revert back fully to my professional career and stepped away from partisan politics.
Having been a member of an opposition political party, as well as the ruling party, I understand the mechanics and dynamics of politics and party administration. Since the time I left politics in 2005, interestingly, today, all our political mentors, leaders, and colleagues from 1998 to date are in all the political parties, APC, PDP, Labour Party or NNPP because the politicians have all spread out. And that tells you the kind of politics we have in Nigeria.
The politics of ideology in Nigeria is still a work in progress. With the way the opposition political leaders and their parties are unraveling, unless something disruptive is done on the part of the opposition, it is highly unlikely that they will make any significant impact in the 2027 elections, i.e. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will most likely have what they call in football, “ a walk over “- in 2027 – easy win. Because, to be honest, what is currently going on in the opposition political parties is a joke. I say with all sense of responsibility, that I am disappointed with the kind of leadership that is provided at the political party levels. I am disappointed with the kind of engagements that are happening across opposition political parties. Selfishness, parochialism, and the pretext of nationalism or patriotism are most times reflected in their actions. And I have said it many times, and with all due respect, that whether it is His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, His Excellency Peter Obi, or His Excellency Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso; all of whom I have profound respect for, cannot effectively lead a country if you cannot manage a political party. For instance, with the ongoing spectacle of a debacle in PDP some days ago, does PDP currently look like a political party that can upstage the APC at the federal or even at the State level? So, the truth is if these political leaders really mean well for Nigeria, then they should have a solid and robust strategy that will unify their political parties, and they should put their differences aside and focus on building internal democracy which will ensure them the unity of purpose and prepare them for the herculean task of winning a highly strategic incumbent, like President Tinubu.
According to former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the APC is enticing some opposition party leaders with money so that they could destabilize their parties. With profound respect, in my opinion, that allegation is laughable. If opposition political parties continue deceiving themselves by saying that it is the APC that is causing problems in their political parties, then that means that the opposition political leaders don’t have the capacity, political sagacity, political acumen, and fluidity to hold their party structures and hold their people together. I also expect that sometimes they should even do the politics of give and take. President Bola Ahmed had to step down his presidential ambition twice, for the long game – That is strategy! But every time Alhaji Atiku loses elections, then everything has to stop, or he will abandon the political party that gave him the ticket. Mr. Peter Obi is also beginning the move in that direction. We must understand our strengths and our weaknesses to effectively utilize opportunities, and ultimately achieve our strategic objectives.
We have a political colossus in the person of President Tinubu as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We can talk and wish him away. We can lament and complain. But unless they put their heads together, like it happened in 2015, as we may recall it was l the APC, i.e. President Bola Tinubu and his political allies that upstage an incumbent President; then all the opposition can organize, will be talk shops. They can only upstage the incumbent President if they put their personal sentiments aside and look at Nigeria as a project.
By the way, let me be clear, that I will not support power going back to the North in 2027. As Nigerians, we agreed to a north-south shift of power in the interest of unity, equity, and justice. Therefore, let us work with that template so that the opposition will start putting a robust strategy, going forward. I am saying this without prejudice to the constitutional right of citizens to aspire for any public office in Nigeria. Essentially, leadership recruitment in Nigeria should be based on character, content capacity, unity, equity, justice, and about what a candidate has to offer Nigeria. Only when opposition political leaders and opposition political parties come together, that there be hope for the opposition to even put the APC on their toes.
Accordingly, my humble “going forward” agenda-setting message to the opposition parties is; “Recognizing your reality is the beginning of success”. Real situational awareness is what guides successful strategic planning and execution in military warfare, business, and also politics. Toxic narratives, social media rantings, and cyberbullying will not lead to success. In essence, the opposition parties need to expand their vision, be more strategic, detailed, focused, determined, and resilient, and ultimately be united about selfish interests to succeed, because performance is measured by results and outcomes and not by events or activities.
One of the indications of how the opposition parties are faring is how the members of the opposition parties in the National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives) have completely disappeared from their political party structure, headquarters, or scheme of things. In the past few weeks Members of the opposition parties in the National Assembly in the Senate or House of Representatives are already decamping in droves to the APC. I expect some State Governors of the opposition will soon decamp to the APC.
A lot of members of the opposition parties in the National Assembly, no longer associate themselves with the Presidential candidates who should be the rallying point of their party. I expect to hear or see them deferring to those leaders with regard to critical issues of national interests, but that is not happening except in the case of the NNPP, in fairness to them. For those who won elections on the platform of the PDP, I cannot remember the time that I saw most of them in a photoshoot together, talk less of hearing them going to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar for advice or guidance. The same situation is the case of those who won on the tide of the Obedient movement, the photo shoots with Mr. Peter Obi are becoming less talk less of constructive engagement with the LP leader.
My parting words for the opposition political figures; United you stand, divided you fragment your votes and make it easy for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to coat into his second term the rhetorical question is, “Will our politicians ever rise above their selfish and parochial interested to actual do the needful?” Your answers are as good as mine.
