Why Nigerian opposition political parties ,CSOs are comatose

During the recent second quarterly consultative meeting with chairmen and secretaries of registered political parties, the chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof. Mahmood Yakubu disclosed that the commission had received 32 applications from various groups for registration as political parties.But it need be asked: if more groups are angling to register as new political parties ahead of 2019 polls, how have the older ones fared since 1999? Have they lived up to expectations?

There were three major parties in 1999: Alliance for Democracy (AD) with firm grip of the Southwest ; Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) holding sway in the Southeast, South-south and some parts of North and the All Peoples Party (APP) with strong presence in the Northwest and Northeast regions.

Before the 2003 general elections, during which defections were elevated to new heights, three more political parties, National Democratic Party (NDP) All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA) and United Nigerian Peoples Party (UNPP) were registered.Again, ahead of the 2007 polls, many parties were registered but today, many Nigerian voters cannot remember the names and logos of those parties.

Since 1999, apart from the PDP, APP and may be APGA and LP at the state level, other political parties have only served as parachutes for a soft-landing of sorts for majority of the aspirants that lost out in the major parties’ primaries.

If by omission or commission such aspirants emerged victorious in the polls on the parties’ platform, they hardly remained loyal without defection. Before the 2015 general elections, there were 29 registered political parties, out of which only a few , notably, All Progressives Congress (APC), which was the major opposition party, the ruling PDP, APGA and Labour Party made any impact.

It will also be recalled that before the polls, the APC and civil society organisations were active and critical of the PDP-led government’s policies. Their roles as democracy watchdogs were not questionable, as they put the PDP-led government of President Goodluck Jonathan on its toes.But since after the elections in which the PDP lost the presidency, ,the opposition and civil society organisations seem to have fallen asleep, leaving the ruling APC to almost literally ride rough-shod across the political landscape.

Speaking to The Guardian on the seeming silence of the opposition, a former national chairman of the PDP who pleaded anonymity said the PDP never envisaged losing the presidency.He said: “PDP has been in disarray after it lost the 2015 elections. Party members, especially the governors are not sincere and ready to finance the party.

That is why the party is gasping for breath now. Immediately after the PDP lost the elections, most of our unprincipled members quickly defected to the APC for survival and relevance. We have never been in the opposition before, so it will take time for us to learn the ropes.“ But we will overcome the challenges we are facing now. May be after the forthcoming convention, the party will begin to bounce back to reckoning.”

On the inactivity of civil society organizations, the former PDP helmsman said: “Members of the civil society organisations are facing financial challenges now just like other Nigerians. Besides, theses organisations are not getting foreign grants like before.”But a member of a civil society organisation, Constructive Policy Forum, Adaba Ali told The Guardian it was not true .

“Members of the civil society groups are informed. We have our facts and we understand the present economic challenges facing the country. We are giving the government the benefit of the doubt.”On the allegation that their members have been compromised, Ali asked:  “ Who compromised us, APC-led government or what? It is not true.”

But the national publicity secretary of Afenifere, Mr Yinka Odumakin told The Guardian there is no opposition party in the country today.He said some members of the PDP that were supposed to play the role of opposition are facing alleged corruption charges.“Majority of the PDP members have been beaten to submission by the anti-graft agencies. They cannot raise their voices or criticise the ruling All Progressives Congress. The government is determined to cripple opposition with its selective anti-corruption fight.

“For civil society organisations, the role they were compromised during the last elections. The APC-led government has their members’ dossiers, so it will be difficult for most of them to confront or criticise government now. But that is a very bad omen for the country’s democracy” Odumakin said. To lawyer and chieftain of APGA Chief Maxi Okwu, Nigerian opposition parties are in a coma due to a number of factors.

He said: “Opposition politics and the first generation civil society organisations were Lagos and southwest based. The change of government that occurred on May 29 last year was made possible by the political forces in the Southwest that had traditionally been in the opposition.

“The main chunk of the civil society elements had been friendly, to this political platform, and felt entitled to ownership of this government. Unfortunately, the government has become a total disappointment and has left most of these groups in a quandary.I believe that as soon as the shock wears off along with the increasingly insipid and non-performing government, the progressive elements and pro-active civil society organisations would recover their soul and mission.”

On the seeming silence of the political parties since after the elections, the APGA chieftain said with the exception of few, most of the others are mere briefcase associations, actually glorified NGOs masquerading as political parties. “The APC is hell bent on running PDP into the ground by terrorising any vocal member with anti-graft prosecution. This would be most unfortunate and may obliterate the major gain of May 2015, of alternation in power at the centre by two major parties. This is a cardinal ingredient of a viable multi-party democracy.

“I believe that PDP may survive, and there are also desperate elements in the APC, a party hurriedly cobbled together solely to defeat Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP in 2015. The cracks at the seams of this coat of many colours are becoming obvious by the day. “It is now for the second small group of parties like APGA, Labour, Accord and maybe PPA, either alone or in combination to fill the gap. But would they? Time shall tell,” Okwu said.

In his own remarks, the presidential candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP) in 2015 polls, Martin Onovo, an engineer, told The Guardian it was not true that opposition parties have been comatose since after the last general elections.“The role of opposition parties is to present alternative policy positions to those of the ruling party .

“Opposition party can be adversarial or collaborative. The National Conscience Party has chosen to be collaborative.“During the 2015 general elections, we presented the best candidates.“We supported and participated in the NLC-led protests against the fuel price hike and published our alternative policy position. We disagreed with the lopsided and parochial appointments of the ruling party and insisted on the rule of law. We condemned the 2016 budget proposal since January and called it a ‘Budget of Ruination.’ Today, we have been proved right.”

In the same vein, national chairman of United Peoples Party UPP, Chief Chekwas Okorie said his party has been very active and engaging.“After the polls, we visited Muhammadu Buhari and suggested three policies for him-declare state of emergence in power sector; kick-start anti-corrupt fight gears towards recovering all the recoverables and electoral reforms to include electronic voting.

“We wrote memo to the National Assembly on the need to amend the laws to include electronic voting and others. We have criticised the government’s lopsided appointments and the state of the economy.”

On why most political parties and civil society organizations are in coma since after the last general elections, Okorie said :“Opposition politics demands deep thinking to succeed. It is not a tea party and does not hold attraction to these political parties whose main aim is to grab easy money.”

A Lagos-based lawyer and public affairs commentator, Mr. Simon Abuta said that Nigerian political parties lack vibrancy, direction and clear-cut ideology.“Party politics in Nigeria is not about service. It has been turned to pure business since 1999. That is why everybody is rushing into it and registering parties as if they are registering phone Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards.Is there any difference between APC and the PDP members?
“So nothing has changed since after 2015 polls. The only thing is that because of the current economic challenges, there is no money to keep them busy,” Abuta said.