Opposition political parties working for Tinubu’s second term — Lukman

Former Director General of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), Malam Salihu Lukman, has alleged that opposition political parties are working covertly for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second term victory in the 2027 poll.

Lukman, in a piece titled “Looming Danger of Docile Political Opposition,” remarked that the current care-free disposition of opposition parties could produce what he termed “the disastrous outcome” whereby Nigerians may be unable to change the government of President Tinubu in 2027.

Acknowledging that there are isolated ongoing discussions about what needs to be done by chieftains of opposition parties in the mould of Atiku Abubakar, Mr. Peter Obi, and Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, leaders of PDP, LP, and NNPP 2027, he said it is worrisome that those discussions have yet to graduate to structured political engagements on the platforms of any of the existing opposition political parties.

Lukman, who recently resigned his membership from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), claimed that none of the opposition parties, which ordinarily should be leading the opposition to President Asiwaju Tinubu’s government, are making any effort to recruit and unite opposition political leaders in the country.

Instead, he argued, all the leading opposition political parties are embroiled in some embarrassing internal crises, which have pitted leaders of the parties against each other.

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The Kaduna-born politician added that it is quite appalling that PDP leaders are antagonistic to Alh. Atiku Abubakar, Mr. Peter Obi is in the midst of a helpless survival leadership battle in LP, and Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is overseeing a directionless NNPP, whose roof is being torn apart by no other than its own so-called leaders.

He said the situation is worsened by the fact that all the other parties, including SDP and PRP, have adopted a monarchic behaviour, sitting in their comfort zones waiting for disgruntled and aggrieved opposition political leaders to come to them for some ‘royal’ covers.

Lamenting the situation, he noted: “Perhaps it could also be a case of waiting to harvest good political business through dealmaking in 2027, which is the standard political practice in Nigeria since the commencement of the current Fourth Republic.

“All these have contributed to emboldening President Asiwaju Tinubu and his APC. Insensitive and reckless decisions, which further worsen citizens’ conditions of living, are being taken on a daily basis.

“On a scale never imagined in the country, Nigerians across all divides are living in agony due to the harsh living reality created by avoidable circumstances from the reckless policy decisions of the government.

“And with hardly any sense of humility or remorse, President Asiwaju Tinubu and people in government audaciously continue to ask Nigerians to be patient while the government continues to indulge in some illogical luxurious public expenditure without recourse to due processes.

“Yet, all that opposition leaders could do is issue individual press statements. This is quite unacceptable.

“Part of the reality is that opposition political leaders in the country are stuck in old political ambitions and, to that extent, therefore, are only strategizing to manipulate their emergence as candidates for the election in 2027.

“This has become the singular determining factor for political consultations in the country. Consequently, there is almost zero trust among opposition political leaders, which has become a thick barrier to political consultations in the country.

“Despite the dangerous situation in the country, whereby Nigerians are not only hungry, resulting in malnutrition among millions of children, but also that many Nigerians are daily dying due to hunger and curable diseases, opposition political leaders continue to live in their comfort zones, unable to open lines of consultations, which should ideally produce the roadmap for political mobilisation towards 2027.

“It is almost as if our opposition political leaders and opposition political parties are not troubled by the realities facing Nigerians.

“The nonchalance and isolationist disposition of opposition political leaders in the country is quite disturbing. It is not enough to complain that President Asiwaju Tinubu is bad without a corresponding initiative to ensure that 2027 results in the defeat of APC at all levels.

“If APC is defeated in 2027, what is the guarantee that the new government emerging post-President Asiwaju Tinubu will not be worse? As Nigerians, we are witnesses to how governments at all levels progressively become worse.

“With all the confidence many of us had in former President Muhammadu Buhari, arguably his performance failed to meet public expectations, perhaps worse than former President Goodluck Jonathan. Certainly, President Asiwaju Tinubu is on track to becoming worse than former President Buhari.”