The APC and the misguided notion of being the opposition BY BORONO BASSEY

 

When the news broke on the 6th day of February, last year, that four political Parties – the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the All Nigeria Peoples Party, (ANPP), the Congress for Progressive Change, (CPC) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) had finally signed the documents that signals their collective consent to come together to form a single political party that is now called the All Progressive Congress, APC, a lot of Nigerians were thrown into mixed feelings.

For some Nigerians, the merger had meant that a there is now in existence, a party that is strong enough to not only keep the government of the day under leash, as it were, but also has what it takes to slug it out with the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) in any election held in the country.

There were also some Nigerians, who had written the merger off as an inconsequential exercise with the insistence that the APC is a party that is dead on arrival. To these set of people, the argument driving this submission was the fact that quite a number of those the holding reins of the party had hitherto had their hands in the deck on the ship that transported Nigeria to this land of near despondency that we are in at the moment.

As it is expected of those who venture into new causes, I was under the impression that the All Progressive congress had sat down to define in clear cut terms what their party will represent, before the formal signing of the document legalizing their merger, or better still, sit back to formulate this ideology which will drive their actions shortly after the merger.

Awkwardly, having closely followed the actions and inactions of the party throughout this short period it has existed, I am strongly persuaded that the party may either not have a clear cut ideology guiding its conduct or has clearly decided not to adhere to the provisions of their ideology.  To my greatest surprise, it appears that the APC instead of immediately folding its sleeves to get into the enormous task of being the opposition in the true sense of the word shortly after the merger had decided however, to not just jump into the pool of ecstasy in apparent celebration of the marriage of the four parties that morphed into the APC, but also derived orgasmic contentment from the ephemeral victory of the merger.

To put things in the right perspective for the All progressive Congress and its members, the real and most  apt description of an opposition party is that party that QUESTIONS THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DAY and  HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE TO THE PUBLIC. It is that party whose job requirements include, but not limited to challenging the OBNOXIOUS policies of the government and proposing a BETTER POLICY where appropriate. A good opposition party by putting the spotlight on issues or negative policies by the government of the day as it affect the welfare of the electorates, has the power to cause the government to stay dedicated to its avowed pledge to bettering the lives of those that voted it into power. Most importantly, being in the opposition is not just about opposing the government.  There are occasions when the opposition has to agree with the government, especially if the policy proposed by the government is soundly based and is perceived as that which will have far-reaching benefit for the masses.

Sadly, it appears that the All Progressive Congress had, in place of formulating a sound ideology that guide its actions, and drive the party, conceived a narrow meaning of the term “opposition”.  To the APC, being in the opposition comes with a special and strong impulsive drive that forces one to criticize every single act of the government, even if the motives behind such actions will benefit the masses. The adopted motto seems to be “See nothing good and say nothing good”. Consequently, each passing day, instead of engaging in actions that will help in portraying them as the change agents they want the public to see them as, the party has been busy churning out scathing press release about almost every action and inaction of the present administration. 

Pathetically, the Peoples Democratic party has joined in this mudslinging campaign. These days, the two parties seem to  constantly be on the lookout for anything that will form the thrust of their next Press statement or media interview aimed at discrediting the actions or inactions of one another. Talk about a new pastime! 

I must be frank enough to put it out to the All Progressive Congress that what will lead to their complete undoing as an opposition party will be the continuous inexistence of a firm political ideology not just to drive the party, but also guide the conducts of its members. The APC’s formulation of a sound political ideology would have achieved a lot for the party. 

It would have been the compass guiding the actions and inactions of Governors in the states governed by members of the APC. A sound political ideology as formulated by the party would have morphed into a small voice in the head of Governor Fashola of Lagos state, constantly prodding him to promptly resolve the hike in fees which culminated into a scandal at the Lagos State University. It would opened the eyes of the Osun state Governor Rauf Aregbesola who is seeking a second term, to the fact that not settling the entitlements of civil servants for months, and only rushing to pay when it dawned on him that he could suffer the same fate that befell  his colleague  and fellow member of the party in Ekiti, Governor Fayemi, when the whistle for the polls is blown, would pitch the party against the electorates. 

This ideology would have hung up as a shining banner before the members of the party during the recent convention of the APC that the infighting which left some members of the party aggrieved would be antithetical to the proposition of being the better option it is trying to portray itself as being in the minds of the electorates.

Expectedly, there is the temptation for one to conclude that since there is no compass meant to guide the party and its members, the party resorts to holding on to the machinery of tossing out castigating statements alone as their only weapon in their seeming elusive battle to wrest power from the Peoples Democratic Party. The All Progressive Congress should wake up to the realization that  this approach was not what gave the main opposition party in India – the Bharatiya Janata Party , BJP the landslide victory it recorded against the Congress Party in the last general elections, defeating the Indian National Congress which controlled India’s government for nearly all of its postcolonial history. 

Analyses by some political pundits have indicated that instead of banking on the slim possibility of  gaining public acceptance by staying dedicated to the task of disparaging the actions and policies of the government of the day alone, the party did not only match its actions with its carefully crafted ideology, but also put its best foot forward by fielding a pro-business and economy politician, Naendra Modi, as its candidate. The BJP, through the pursuit of well thought out actions was able cashed in on the dwindling popularity of the outgone Prime Minister Manmohan Singh whose government had been plagued by corruption scandals and a poor economy.

The big question is: Do we need a vibrant opposition party in Nigeria? The answer is a resounding “Yes!” Does the APC fit into the mould of the opposition party we need? Not by any means, at least for now! The leadership of the party should come to understand that constantly throwing mud at the direction of the PDP will only portray the PDP as the unduly persecuted victim, thereby eliciting public sympathy which will translate into massive support for the party. 

They should also come to terms with the fact that people have come to learn to comfortably endure the familiar “evil” than settling for an unknown probable “evil”   I must be quick to add that if the party continues with the seeming aimlessness it has continued to portray by its actions, it is sure to have a very dismal outing in the 2015 general elections.