As the next general election approaches, intending political office contenders across board are already in the mood with different strategies to guarantee them victory at the polls. While some are solidifying their political party base with aspirations to win the support of party colleagues, others are defecting to parties considered to offer greater chances of victory. Amidst, all these, the people of Nigeria are complaining of insecurity-induced hunger, unemployment, poor state of roads, high costs of living amongst others.
Meanwhile the political parties under whose platforms Nigerians’ desired leadership are supposed to emerge from are battling with discouraging challenges that are causing night mares to the nation’s electorate, especially lovers of democracy.
Since 2015, PDP and Labour Party have been acting as major opposition parties. The Labour Party joined in the role after its strong showing in the election that brought APC to power again in 2023.
However, while the APC is currently waxing stronger, with many strong politicians like the former governors and present ones defecting to it, the other parties are struggling to recover their bearing with a view to wrestling power from the ruling party.
The PDP’s plight is so pathetic that the party cannot presently present a conclusive list of its National Executive Council (NEC). The Labour Party does not fare better. And this makes the fate intending to contest the elections under them to be hanging in the balance. To make matters worse, the Federal Capital Territory minister, Chief Nyesom Wike who presently acts more on the side of President Tinubu’s APC appears to be having a grip on a segment of the country’s political class..
In the case of the Labour Party, four factions are currently laying claims to its leadership. These are each, led by Julius Abure, Lasisi Apapa, Nenadi Usman and Joe Ajaero. With this Scenario, it becomes difficult to predict the possibility of having replacement for Mr. Peter Obi who has once again defected to another party, the ADC which is now a coalition of big wigs in Nigerian politics.
Quite unfortunately also is the fact that the ADC which has been acting as a rallying point for coalition proponents such as Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr. Peter Obi are still battling with the issue of who becomes the parties presidential candidate at the 2027 polls. This is without fortifying its leadership structure first of all to ensure cohesion among members. As if this is not enough, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, also a strong voice in the coalition movement recently lost his own son to the APC while Obi’s former running mate, Dr. Datti has refused to join him in ADC. These are no good omen for a group with intention to offer alternative to APC.
A strong politician in Delta state, Dr. Festus Okubo, sometime ago described the coalition against Tinubu as a coalition to hell. He averred that the people behind it are being spiritually put together for corporate humiliation in line with the natural justice system invisibly in operation on earth.
On the whole, even if President Tinubu is indirectly being positioned to win again by the tattered political parties, it behooves all of them to do all they can to ensure that the 2027 presidential election turns out, at least, to be an interesting one with their strong showings.
Nigerians are generally watching out for leaders that can turn around the country’s fortune for better while equally offering robust democracy as they are in other climes and not merely to ‘drive away’ the president.
