- Written by Lawrence Olaoye
Pointing out that the nation’s
political firmament is getting more sophisticated and that people are
beginning to demand good governance in return for their votes is stating
the obvious. The outcome of the Edo state governorship election, where
the incumbent Action Congress of Nigeria governor, Comrade Adams
Oshiomhole, roundly defeated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s
candidate, Major General Charles Airhiavbere, speaks volumes on the
general perception of the PDP.
Similarly, feelers from Ondo state where
the PDP has fielded its former National Legal Adviser, Olusola Oke, as
its candidate in the governorship polls scheduled to hold in the next
three months are not really in favour of the party. This is because
majority of the voters in the state would rather want the continuation
of what they call ‘good governance’ than have the status quo return to
the state, analysts have said.
The political sophistication and the
uncommon awareness among the people across the country must obviously be
a source of concern to the ruling party. President Goodluck Jonathan at
the recent National Executive Council (NEC) of the party held in Abuja
expressed frustration at the dwindling electoral fortunes of the party
following the loss of Edo to the opposition when he blamed the failure
of his party to win most elections in the country on unresolved internal
crises in most states of the federation.
Obviously speaking against the
background of the party’s loss of Edo state governorship election to the
opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Jonathan said PDP members
are the ones voting the opposition into offices in states where it lost
elections. To stem the spate of losses to the opposition, the President
said the party would have to formally adopt the amended constitution of
the party in order to make all its recommended organs work in order to
reduce friction and tension within the PDP.
But he noted that the present republic
would have collapsed but for the existence of the PDP which he said was
being criticized for its robustness. According to him, the PDP provides
the necessary political pedestal that stabilizes the nation’s polity.
He said “We believe that if we do not
have a party as robust as the PDP, probably, the republic would have
collapsed. This is because we witnessed what happened in the first
republic. Because we witnessed what happened in the first republic and
we know the circumstances that led to the collapse of the first
republic, second republic.
“We know what is happening in other
African countries. If the ruling party over intimidates and over
imposes, using the weight of the Federal Government and the citizens’
revolts, it weakens the political system and creates confusion and
instability.
“But the PDP, even though we control the
Federal Government, we operate a system that even the opposition, even
fly higher than us. They abuse us more, but we allow it. And it is the
PDP that is handling the affairs of the country; that is stabilizing the
democracy in the country.”
Equally expressing frustration with the
PDP, a governorship aspirant under the platform of the party in Adamawa
state, Dr. Umar Ardo has said that the PDP National Executive Council
(NEC) held recently has failed to address the real challenges facing the
party. Ardo said the party’s leadership left out the issue of justice
and reconciliation of members only to dwell on frivolities.
According to him, the National Chairman
of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur has failed in his first outing by
losing Edo state to the opposition in the recently conducted
governorship polls in the state.
The much brandished robustness of the
party, political watchers observed, may soon be punctured if the PDP to
adjust its ways by ensuring internal democracy, justice, discipline and
good governance. The most potent threat to PDP stranglehold on the
nation’s politics is the ongoing moves by the major opposition parties
to form an alliance that may have a lethal effect on the party’s
influence.
Already, the Action Congress of Nigeria
(ACN) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) have gone far in
their alliance talks. The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) has also
indicated interest in joining the alliance with a view to giving the
ruling party a run for its money by 2015. Senator Ayoade Adeseun (ACN,
Oyo) while commenting on the political situation in the country said the
PDP will not find it easy retaining the Presidency by 2015.
According to him, “The alliance
negotiations have gone far and people are tired of the PDP government;
they desire change and this is the change that we intend to provide by
2015. This PDP government is directionless, clueless; our people are
hungry and they are being daily impoverished. Surely we can’t continue
like this, we need a change.”
Adeseun disclosed that barring
unforeseen political circumstances, the plan by the ACN/CPC parley is to
present Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd.) as the Presidential candidate of
the union while Senator Ahmed Tinubu would become his running mate. The
Senator said all arrangements for the merger scheduled to be consummated
by the end of this year have been made.
Optimistic that the opposition would win
the 2015 Presidential election, Adeseun said President Jonathan has
rubbished the image of the PDP by destroying institutions in the
country. He added that the President has refused to implement the budget
passed by the National Assembly thereby plunging the nation into the
abyss of under-development. He said the nation is facing the challenge
of insecurity and unemployment today because the President has refused
to release funds to the ministry, departments and agencies (MDAs) for
capital budgets thereby causing misery among the populace.
Political scientists who took time to
study political developments in the country have pointed out that there
are indications that the ruling party would find 2015 tough should the
ACN/CPC/ANPP merger work. Basing their observation on the outcome of the
Edo governorship election, they posit that the PDP style may fail it by
2015. According to them, the politics of god-fatherism failed the party
in Edo and it would continue to fail until the party realizes that good
governance is the key to winning elections.
Segun Adewale, a political commentator
in his analysis of Edo election said “There was no way the PDP would
have won election in Edo and even in the South Westerns states. This is
because the party failed to deliver the dividends of democracy when in
control. For instance Lucky Igbinedion’s tenure was a disaster for the
party in the state. His tenure was characterized by corruption and he
was even convicted. How then do you think people would turn around and
trade certainty for uncertainties?
“Don’t forget, the same leaders who
foisted Igbinedion with his poor performances on the state for eight
unbroken years were the same people still sponsoring this Airhiavbere.
Commenting on the effect of the merger
of the opposition on the ruling PDP at the 2015 general elections,
Adewale said “The same scenario that you find in Edo may play out at the
national level. This is because the PDP government is seriously
under-performing. The basic role of the government at all levels is to
provide security and an enabling environment for the people to go about
their normal businesses. But what do you find? Insecurity everywhere!
“If the merger talks between the three
major opposition parties succeed, I see a situation whereby the PDP
would find it difficult to retain the presidency and some states of the
federation. Every body seems to be tired of the government that has
failed to deliver on its promises,” he said.
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