2 years after: Ruling APC, opposition parties getting weaker
There is a consensus from across the divide that opposition parties in Nigeria were much stronger around 2014 and early 2015 than they are now. The resentment against the then most powerful ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which held forte since the
PDP’s hegemony as the largest political party in Africa was broken following the “legendary amalgamation” of some opposition parties in the build up to the 2015 elections.
It was indeed a watershed in Nigeria’s history when the All Progressives Congress (APC) was formed on 6th February, 2013 and got registered as a political party on 31 July, a development that changed the narrative ahead of the general elections.
Prominent political parties literally sacrificed their pride, let go their licenses with INEC and jettisoned sectional hegemony and came together to form the APC. They included the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) - and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
The APC gathered additional strenght when in November 2013, five serving governors from the governing PDP defected joined it and collectively worked for the defeat of the PDP after 16 years in power.
However, while the APC took over the crown of ruling party, the change of guard did not obviously translate into having an equally powerful political party like what obtained on the return of democracy in 1999. Conversely, pundits believe that the opposition parties, including the PDP fell short of the ideal.
APC struggling to walk as a ruling party
Now two years in power, analysts believe the APC has not yet met the expectations of Nigerians due to endless power tussle among its founders, the failure to quickly compensate members who worked for the epoch-making victory in 2015, and the persistent challenges of funding.
Powerful forces within the party that came from the merger are still struggling over the soul of the APC, even as the contending force from the then PDP (now ex-governors but serving ministers) are equally trying to assert their dominance, making it difficult for the ruling party to live up to its name.
The ceaseless struggle for power particularly at state and federal levels, it was gathered, led to the delay in the conduct of the mid-term convention.
Party leaders had last week said they would take the case to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo. The APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, who admitted that various blocs were still struggling for power, relevance and interests, had in an exclusive interview with Daily Trust, recently, downplayed its effects on party administration.
“What happened with the APC has never been attempted in
this nation. And it works. But that does not mean that the different powerful groups that coalesced into the APC have given up their individual interests and pursuits,” he said.
“What is important is that while the struggle is going on, everybody is gradually finding his proper place within the party,” he added.
The slow pace in the effort to appoint party members into the board of federal ministries, departments, and agencies has created lack of confidence in the party leadership which plays little role in these appointments. Many members were said to be angry that some PDP appointees are still in government to the detriment of the APC members who worked for the party’s victory.
Odigie-Oyegun, in his reaction to this issue, said though people are murmuring, the appointments would be made very soon and assured that “unrepentant” PDP members must be flushed out.
Funding for the ruling APC is said to have been aggravated by apparent disunity and internal strife among the party’s leading figures. Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State last Wednesday said the financial challenge facing the party had received “serious” attention and is left to be seen if what he said will come to fruition.
PDP yet to come to terms with new reality
Handlers of the PDP, especially those who thought it will retain leadership at the centre for 60 years are yet to come to terms with reality after they were forced to abruptly exit the corridors of power in 2015.
The humiliating defeat sparked off grave consequences to the party’s survival as tongues have continued to wag over ýits protracted leadership ruckus.
With the exit of a former governor of Bauchi State, Ahmadu Adamu Muazu, Senators Ali Modu Sheriff and Ahmed Makarfi have locked horns and remained dogged over the party’s chairmanship with each of them claiming legitimacy.
The consequence of this has been series of litigation, mass defection of prominent party leaders and chieftains to the ruling APC, PDP’s defeat in Ondo and Edo States governorship elections and a skilled image.
Analysts say the prolonged crisis in the party is a result of past mistakes perpetrated by party leaders, including the jettisoning of the zoning formula before the 2015 general elections, disregard for party constitution, imposition of candidates, lack of internal democracy and outright impunity.
Party bigwigs including former President Goodluck Jonathan, Sheriff, Makarfi, the PDP chairman of Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jibrin believe that one of the reasons for the party’s current state is hunger for 2019 presidential ticket.
Jonathan had at the PDP Stakeholders’ meeting held at the Yar’adua Centre, Abuja, recently said, “It is high time we buried the hatchet, suppress our ego and prepare to make sacrifices in the interest of our party and indeed the country.”
Analysts say even if the crisis is finally resolved at the Supreme Court, the PDP will have to contend with the challenge of persuading prominent members who dumped the party to return in order for it to make significant impact in 2019.
It is also believed that another challenge would be on who picks the 2019 presidential ticket of the party.
At a time the remaining leaders of the PDP have continued to blame the APC for its woes, many of those speaking are facing trial over corrupt acts allegedly perpetrated when the party was in power.
Critics say with these developments, the PDP has been thrown off-balance and failed to provide a credible and virile opposition to some of the policies and programmes of government that seems not to be working.
Worst, party stakeholders have lost hope for genuine reconciliation within the party as the peace move being brokered by former President Jonathan and Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State have all crumbled.
All eyes and hope are now on the Supreme Court which has decided to hear the appeal brought before it by Makarfi challenging Sheriff ’s victory at the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt division. Wither the banana parties Since the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari, analysts believe the little left of lesser prominent parties has further nosedived.
This is despite the protracted crisis bedeviling both the ruling APC and the PDP, which ought to have been playing the leading opposition role.
For instance, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the Labour Party (LP), Accord Party (AP), the National Conscience Party (NCP) and the United Progressives Party (UPP) have all glaringly failed to live up to expectation, either individually or collectively, as the opposition voice to put the APC on its toes.
What is being witnessed today is defection by bigwigs of the opposition parties.
Many Nigerians see mass movement of opposition party members to the APC as part of measures to escape criminal probes are aimed at the termination of ongoing trials; and also for their economic boost.
The APGA, with its base in the South East, was seen as the third leg of the tripod of party politics in Nigeria.
The party has, however, witnessed multi-faceted crisis since the days of Chief Victor Umeh’s national chairmanship.
Also, Umeh’s successor, Chief Victor Oye, was in 2016 rattled by internal rebellion led by the National Vice Chairman (South East), Ozo Nwabueze Okafor, alongside some members of the National Working Committee (NWC) and suspended Oye and two other officers- including the Deputy National Chairman (North), Alhaji Abubakar Adamu and the Deputy National Chairman (South), Uchenna Okogbuo.
They were accused of gross misconducts which included the alleged giving out of the party’s tickets to non-APGA members without recourse to the constitutional provisions on applying for waiver through the NWC in violation of Article 24 (8) (a) (b); running the party without an approved budget and suspension of the Edo State exco without approval or ratification by the NWC, outside seven other offences.
Chief Oye however survived the ambush after the intervention of Governor Willie Obiano, who is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party and some other South East leaders.
The party is also upbeat in retaining Anambra where it has held sway as the ruling party the forthcoming, but time will tell because both the APC and PDP are not taking it lightly.
“Opposition politics demands deep thinking to succeed,” said the National Chairman of United Peoples Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie. “It is not a tea party and does not hold attraction to these political parties whose main aim is to grab easy money,” he said.
Another party with little showing was the Labour Party (LP) whose lone National Assembly member, Senator Ovie OmoAgege defected to the APC.
While a former governor Olusegun Mimiko’s defection halted Labour Party’s reign in Ondo State, its effort to make impact in Ebonyi State also fizzled out when former governor Martin Elechi lowered his political activities after the governorship election.