Before I begin this piece, let me sound a caveat that my thoughts herein are not an endorsement of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, that defeated the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2015 presidential election after 16 years of mis)rule. If anything, the jury is still out on the APC. Neither is this piece in support of any other political party seeking to lead Nigeria in the future.
As a citizen, I strongly believe that our country has come to a stage of nationhood where ordinary citizens must drive the political process. Nigerians must seize the political narrative from politicians because government exists for the people. Any person or political party seeking to lead our country must first earn the trust of the people and ultimately work for the common good. Anything short of this must be unacceptable to Nigerians henceforth. Never again should Nigerians accept the arrogance and impunity that passed for governance under the PDP for 16 years.
As a Nigerian, I have watched with anger how our leaders ran the affairs of the country. Democracy became a metaphor for impunity and misrule that, in frustration, Nigerians even longed for the return of military rule. If what had passed as governance had happened in other climes, a party like the PDP that held sway at the federal level would have been forced out of power by voters.
Alas, in Nigeria, where the votes do not count, our leaders get away with blue murder and even justify impunity. Not even in any African country are leaders so unresponsive to the yearnings of the citizens. What had passed for leadership under the PDP had been a travesty. Unfortunately, Nigerians themselves were complicit in foisting a reign of impunity on themselves. With the fallout of the 2015 elections, let’s just hope Nigerians appreciate the role of participatory citizenship in holding leaders accountable through their votes.
To allow the travesty of the last 16 years happen again could spell disaster for our country. As we struggle to shake off the disappointment of the past, Nigerians must avoid the mistakes of the past years. Citizenship is crucial to holding our leaders accountable. Nigerians must be vigilant to ensure that the oppressors of yesterday do not emerge to be become the champions of the masses today. As we have seen with the APC, many of the politicians who were part of the rot that the PDP inflicted on Nigerians are defecting to the ruling party. They have transformed to become the champion of the change mantra of the ruling APC. Except for a few politicians whose antecedents truly speak to their patriotism, many of the politicians who defected to the APC did not do out of love of nation or the common good. The opportunistic politicians only abandoned the PDP’s sinking ship for the APC.
With these defecting politicians, nothing has changed really. For them, the APC change is just a mantra. That is why for Nigerians, it is not yet time to celebrate. It is not yet time to rejoice at the fall of the PDP and its band of ravenous politicians. Many of them are still defecting to the APC to continue the business as usual of the last 16 years. That is why Nigerians must be watchful. They cannot afford to let down their guard thinking that the PDP had been defeated. Despite the promise of change, the APC must not be allowed to continue the business-as-usual way of doing things that defined governance under the PDP.
Nigerians cannot afford to watch the APC derail from the path of self-professed change it promised Nigerians. The country cannot afford the luxury of another wasted years. But I am happy Nigerians have become more critical of their leaders than they had been. But we must separate genuine critics from rabble rousers. It is for this reason that I do not consider the PDP as a credible alternative opposition party. A party that foisted hardship of 16 years cannot be the voice of Nigerians.
Indeed, I cringe at the thought of a PDP-controlled Federal Government. The thought of reliving the last 16 years should fill Nigerians with dread. Hopefully, Nigerians will not tolerate from the APC what it tolerated from the PDP. Never should Nigerians allow any political party take them for a ride the way the PDP had done.
An alternative to the APC must come from the Nigerian people. The citizens must take this country back from politicians. No party or group holds exclusive right to the country. That is why technocrats and professionals and Nigerians from all walks of life must coalesce under a more acceptable political platform and push credible candidates forward to challenge and rescue the country from greedy politicians.
PUNCH
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