In a democracy, the opposition is the platform to raise awareness among the people over specific issues of national importance and to raise levels of political consciousness among them. It must constantly provide credible and objective alternatives to government programmes and policies and not just criticizing for the sake of being heard or bringing the government down. The opposition serves as the watchdog of the system and in some cases, it would proceed to form a shadow cabinet to exercise vigil over the performance of the government.
But what do we now have with PDP as the opposition party? Empty noise all over, rendering discordant tunes of political disarray, which in turn has turned the APC into a monster of sorts.
The PDP dwells mostly in utter frivolities and cannot even drive and muster viable opposition, of critically engaging government agencies and parastatals on glaring inefficiencies and wastages. It is not gathering any political intelligence, for mass action and it is not familiar with or even engaging labour and civil society groups, nor partnering with the all powerful Lagos-Ibadan axis of the media. Labour has declared one or two strikes in the life of this regime without any whimper from the PDP, university teachers have been on strike for weeks now without a single collaborative action from the PDP and individual activists and analysts have become soft targets of the ruthless APC regime without any form of solidarity from the PDP. Is that an opposition party? Your guess is as good as mine!
What is the value of an opposition that has no single bite at all? Of what use is an opposition that does not even understand its own vital role in democracy? If the government is all too powerful to crush the opposition, the latter should be potent enough to cause a stir, either in the parliament, in the courts or on the streets, against the government and force it to adjust or exit, through mass movement and agitation. How can you effectively play the role of opposition in the luxury of your offices and mansions, and expect to be taken seriously? There will be no democratic warfare at all? And yet you want to wrestle power?
The ruling APC has the Buhari Support Organisation, the Buhari Media Center, the Buhari Campaign Organisation, etc, all well established and effectively manned by tested and experienced practitioners. In this world of social media, how can an opposition party be lacking in robust media engagements, beyond the comical and theatrical appearances of its spokespersons? Close to a major election year, there are no viable platforms of mass engagements, there are no major scoops from the PDP, to tackle a ruling government that is riddled with scandals upon scandals. Just exactly how did APC wrestle power from the PDP, in 2015? Has the PDP forgotten Alhaji Lai Mohammed in such a short time? Or even Mallam Nasir El-Rufai? It has gotten so bad that the PDP cannot even uphold its own constitution, proffering the lame excuse of loss of power as the reason for the backward proposal for it to jettison zoning. If while in the opposition a political party is so treacherous to abandon its own constitution, what will it do with the Nigerian Constitution if entrusted with power?
Let the owners and handlers of the PDP wake up from their tiring slumber and take up the task of credible and viable opposition. That is what democracy is all about. We are now sick and tired of the same narrative from the ruling party. Let us hear the other side, and imbibe the golden words of Plato that:
“The punishment of wise men who refuse to take part in the affairs of the government, is to live under the government of the unwise men.” Let the PDP hear this loud and clear, that opposition does not start and end with losing or winning elections. Let the game begin, unless the PDP is still paying for its sins of the past.
Concluded
Adegboruwa is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
