30th May 2024

In the aftermath of the 2023 general elections, and inauguration of the President Bola Tinubu’s administration on May 29, 2023, expectations were high that the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) will provide an effective opposition for the country.
However, one year after, the question is how well has the PDP done in discharging its role as the major opposition party in the country? In the last one year, the PDP has been consistent in blaming the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the challenges bedevilling the country.
For instance, the PDP in a recent statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, dismissed the policies of the government as anti-people.
Ologunagba had noted that “APC is insensitive to the fact that because of its policies, more than 104 million citizens have sunk deeper into poverty; Nigerians can no longer afford their daily meals with families now going to bed on empty stomach as poverty rate soars to over 46%.
“Since President Tinubu took office on May 29, 2023, no fewer than 5000 Nigerians have been killed by terrorists apparently emboldened by the laidback attitude and body language of Mr. President who has failed to show seriousness on issues of security or empathy to victims either by words or action.”
However, pundits say beyond the statement, the PDP has offered little hope as an opposition party, especially in offering alternatives and galvanizing its members in the parliament to oppose government policies. Not a few say that the opposition party has largely been distracted by its internal crises, which has made it impossible for the opposition party to actually play its role effectively.
Recall that prior to the last general election, the nomination of former vice president, Atiku Abubakar and former Delta governor, Ifeanyi Okowa as presidential and vice presidential candidate respectively, had created a division in the PDP. Consequently, the group of five governors consisting of former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike; his counterparts in Benue, Samuel Ortom; Enugu, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; Abia, Okezie Ikpeazu and incumbent governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, alongside their supporters, broke rank with the opposition party to form the G-5.
One year after the inauguration of the Tinubu administration, the division in the party still persists. The sack of former Senate President, Iyorchia Ayu as chairman of the party and the politics of his replacement has continued to deepen the gulf within the PDP.
Presently, Atiku and Wike loyalists are still at dagger drawn over the control of party machinery, ahead of the 2027 general election. Pundits say the inability of the party leaders to close rank, has continued to militate against its ability to discharge its role as an opposition party effectively.
A former PDP presidential aspirant, Cosmos Ndukwe, in a recent interview with Daily Sun, captured development in the opposition party thus: “they, PDP leaders are arguing over who should be the national chairman and who would not be. The camp that will produce the national chairman and the camp that will not produce the national chairman; the camp that will produce the secretary and if the secretary that left to contest in Imo State should stay or would not”.
A public affairs analyst, Mr Jide Ojo, told Daily Sun that the PDP has underperformed as an opposition party, to the delight of the ruling APC.
Ojo said “It is for us to say that PDP has been distracted as an opposition party. It is beleaguered with a leadership crisis. Don’t forget that Dr Iyorchia Ayu mid-wifed PDP through the 2023 election. But today, he has been shoved aside. And in his place, Ambassador Damagum has been appointed in acting capacity. PDP has not been able to hold a convention to replace Ayu.
“Even the recent NEC meeting that was held is still the various interest that were poised for war. The Atiku camp, the Wike camp, those who want Damagum to go, those who want Damagum to stay. So, these have been much of a distraction. Remember there was even a time the issue of national secretary of PDP was contentious.
“By and large, I will say PDP has underperformed as an opposition. It is of interest to APC that the more PDP is distracted, the more they will get away with non-performance in governance.”
The convener, National Political Equity Movement, a Civil Society Organization(CSO), Ambassador Chibuzor Okereke, told Daily Sun, that the PDP apart from issuing press statements has not been strategic in its approach to opposition politics. Okereke said this is especially as the PDP has not been able to offer the citizen a clear alternative to the policies of the present administration.
According to him, “PDP has not been strategic in its roles or positioned itself as an alternative. People could say APC made this decision. If it were to be PDP, it would have been this, so in the next round of election, we need to try this. “So it is from that standpoint of alternative government and not only from criticism of policies. You have to use the opposition platform to gain voters confidence and then prepare for the next one.”
He added that, “there is a grumbling across the party line down to the ward level. If you want to be a political party that offers opposition, you need to deal with internal democracy. You can’t be divided amongst you and be able to offer comprehensive and robust opposition that gives the citizen alternative policy.
“But whether the leaders of the PDP are ready to sacrifice personal interest or ego remains to be seen.”
A top official of the PDP, who pleaded anonymity said that apart from the usual press statement by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, criticising the policies and programmes of the President Tinubu administration, the opposition party has failed in its duties in the last one year.
According to him, “Democracy thrives on effective and strategic opposition. Apart from the action of the national publicity secretary, who has tried as much as possible to engage the ruling party, the opposition is almost absent, in the last one year. The PDP has not been alive to its responsibilities.
“The failure of the executive is attributed to the inability of the lawmakers, especially the legislators to put them on their toes. The opposition is completely cold and is perceived more or less as an appendage of the ruling party.”
Besides, Daily Sun gathered that there is also lack of synergy between the PDP and members of the National Assembly. The disconnect, which is attributable to the schisms in the opposition party, has its roots in the emergence of the leadership of the minority caucuses in the two chambers of the National Assembly.
Inside sources say owing to the 2023 election crisis in the opposition party, the PDP leadership had little or no say in the emergence of both the Senate and House of Representatives minority caucuses. The implication is that most of the lawmakers do not feel obligated to the PDP or its leadership.
Recall that prior to the inauguration of the National Assembly, the PDP NWC had made futile attempts to galvanize the members on the choice of presiding officers, as well as the leadership of minority caucuses. The failure of that venture has made it very difficult for the party to synergize with its members in the parliament.
SOURCE:THE SUN