THE ROLE OF OPPOSITION

WOLE OSINUPEBI argues that the Opposition parties are a let down

Democracies require an active opposition in order to be useful. After elections, a winner emerges and the other parties have a duty to keep the winning party and its candidate on their toes. In Nigeria,  the Labour Party did well in Lagos State in the presidential election and shook the All Progressives Congress (APC) so much they had to throw in that the unsustainable ethnic card for the gubernatorial elections. A sordid deed that continues to haunt them till today.

The LP went to court and rather than dispute the election results they questioned the legitimacy of APC’s presidential candidate. While the matter in court was on legitimacy, the word on the street was that the elections were rigged.

As the court case was going on, cracks began to appear in the party. We heard that their chairman was not supposed to be their chairman. In addition the party treasurer alleged that the chairman played with party funds. To top all these, LP members in the National Assembly decided to accept the N160 million bulletproof SUV’s the assembly members had allocated to themselves. It would appear such luxuries were anathema to LP given the ascetic posturing of their leader. But the same leader later announced to the nation that the cars were entitlements due to the positions held by members of the National Assembly.

In other words, the apparent party ideology had nothing to do with real life. It would have been such a powerful political statement if LP National Assembly members had rejected the vehicles and used their personal cars.

LP’s main support group, Obidients, refused to understand political expediency. Any voice that appeared to be against their hero and leader was beaten down violently and noisily. Wole Soyinka who has an international profile and humanitarian track record was mercilessly attacked. But words are Soyinka’s forte.

Back to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The PDP painfully let us down by betraying their own strategy. The presidential candidate for this season was meant to be from the South-east. Mr. Peter Obi would have fit this slot very well. Nyesom Wike also wanted the slot. But they fielded Atiku Abubakar, and in the process reduced the number of their possible voters. True, we’re quite religious and believe in magic and soothsayers. Perhaps they had been told by seers that demographics and covenants would be held aside this time. Unfortunately, the futurologists were wrong.

The elections are over and the winner has formed a government. We expect the opposition to begin its job of keeping the government on the straight and narrow path. It is also expected that they begin to create alliances and open discussions on the alternative paths government policy should tread. What’s a credible alternative to oil, given that fossil fuel revenue is on the decline? Nations like Saudi Arabia, even though they are the world’s largest oil producer are investing seriously in tourism. What is the solution to 20 million children out-of-school? Has it occurred to our leaders that there may be no Nigeria if out-of-school children burst into the streets? How about the exchange rate crisis? Or the massive emigration of young, well-trained Nigerians. If credible suggestions by opposition leaders are adopted by the incumbents it would be of benefit to all. If Nigeria tips over. opposition figures shouldn’t imagine they will gain ascendancy. This is simply because they’re cut from the same cloth as their adversaries and indistinguishable from them. Whoever does the tipping over will claim the spoils. It is therefore of interest to every politician that this boat, Nigeria, never falls over the precipice.

We see LP’s Obi travelling to every location where there’s a disaster or death. It’s good to empathise, but is there any political advantage in these movements? It’s obvious that no vote will come to him directly from some of those places except he enters into alliances with their prime movers. What time does he have to make plans and strategise when he’s everywhere every day? Photo ops don’t count at elections. Some visits simply have no electoral value. Certain visits simply signal political vacuousity.

It would appear to a casual observer that a large majority of the opposition to the incumbent is through rumours and anecdotes. Stories are published every day of some profligacy or other misdeeds. On scrutiny most are found to be untrue. Some happened long ago and are no longer relevant. Many are fictional. And of course some are facts. It’s fine to harry ones opponents and give them grief at every turn. The down side of this tactic is that the impact on the public diminishes with each account that is found to be untrue.

Some people believe our democracy will evolve and stabilise after some time. I believe this as well but I don’t think we have time. Our rapid population growth and the fast information transmission through the Internet are two indices that have made Nigeria more prone to political unrest.

What can the opposition do differently in order to ensure they win? One, they must form alliances that cut across the regions of the country. The plan to win cannot be based on ethnicity alone. Two, they need to have ideological coherence. The leader cannot claim frugality and minimalism when leaders at a lower level are going in the opposite direction. Three, opposition leaders must develop positions on topical national issues, even if they have to hire consultants to synthesise these viewpoints. Finally, supporters should not be empowered to make virulent public statements that have the ability to further corrode their party position. Statements, visits and all public interactions must constantly push the stated ideology of the party.

Why should we be interested in a strong and virile opposition? We can only derive the full advantage of democracy when the incumbents know they can be replaced. People-centred policies and action will be the outcome when the ruling party is fully conscious that there is a resourceful and focused party on the other side.

There is a concern that elections in Nigeria are won through rigging. No doubt, rigging happens. But we also know that it is extremely difficult to overwhelm parties that have strong supporters at a polling booth. It is also challenging especially in this era to have blanket rigging all over the country. This simply means our opposition parties need to develop card carrying, dues paying supporters all over the country, and also map out winning strategies well before the elections. It’s hard work, but digital technology makes it easier and faster. At the very least they should work at giving those in power a very close run and also work at ensuring that Nigeria is not tipped into the abyss of insurrection and conflict. Overall, the parties outside government houses must work smarter and harder.

Osinupebi writes from Lagos