Editor’s note: For 16 years, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was at the realm of the Nigerian political terrain. The party produced three presidents with one of them, Olusegun Obasanjo spending eight years in power. While the party’s performance was far from impressive, its position as an opposition party has been horrendous.
2015 is likely going to painted in black in the diary of the PDP as the party lost the position of the presidency to its main opposition, the All Progressives Congress (APC). The rain of defeat also spread to the gubernatorial and House of Assembly where the APC won most of the seats. While the APC deserves commendation for successfully wrestling power away from the PDP, the latter needs to visit the board room and find out what went wrong in a bid to right the wrong. Unfortunately, nothing points to the fact that the party is doing that.
It is understandable that after occupying the position of power for 16 years, the PDP is still struggling to make a statement as an opposition party. The party’s bid to mount a comeback in the country’s political terrain requires it to be successful as an opposition party. Sadly, that has not been done. Instead, the party is left to still continue to battle internal crises that is shifting its focus. If PDP fails to be successful as an opposition party and project a credible front, the party is likely going to find itself at the backstage in the 2019 general elections.
The success of the APC did not begin at the point the party won majority of the positions in the 2015 general elections but a product of serious work that was put into being an opposition party.
Here are some factors that are affecting the PDP’s success as an opposition party
One of the reasons for the strength and success of the APC was the presence of strong personalities who were not only committed to the party but carried it proudly. One of those persons was Bola Tinubu who represented the party strongly and strived to make it a strong opposition party. One of the advantages of such eminent political figures is that they have a dedicated followership and are very influential.
The PDP can be credited with introducing the strong political personality but sadly, they all seem to either have retired to the position of elder statesmanship or decamped to another party. The exit of Obasanjo, though ridiculed by the party actually affected the followership of the party in the south west. The recent dumping of the party by former Senate president, Ken Nnamani also signifies the exit of strong political figures from the party. Former president, Goodluck Jonathan is more of a national figure than a political representation leaving the party with few people capable of influencing the political strength of the party. The party needs to either win back some of its lost political warriors or elevate some of its members to that position.
As an opposition party, the PDP needs to be doing a lot to not only retain its existing members but try to win back more supporters. Unfortunately, more persons are leaving party for various reasons. While it is understandable that fair-weather supporters of the party would leave after the party lost its position at the top, the trend should have simmered down after six months. Whatever it is that the party is doing wrong needs to be addressed as more and more supporters are still decamping to the APC. This is not good for an opposition party that is seriously considering winning back the top baton in the next elections.
Without mincing words, the PDP has become synonymous with corruption in Nigeria. The name of the PDP in Nigerian idiomatic lingo is used to mean something that is crookedly done or tampered with and is therefore not credible. This perception has not changed even as an opposition party as top members of the party are either on the radar of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission or are facing corruption charges. This is not good for the image of a party that claims to give power to the people. Nigerians now understand the dangerous effect of corruption and how it affects the life of the common man badly. A party that aims to be at the top must not only shy away from corrupt practise but must not give any inclination that it supports the menace. The PDP has a duty to convince Nigerians that the party does not embrace corruption not only in words and published statements but in deeds.
In a bid to rebuild the party, the PDP must project a good image to Nigerians. This goes beyond propaganda statements as Nigerians are getting information quickly and it will not do to come up with lies even when it is glaring. The PDP has however been failing badly in this direction. The publicity secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh is still battling the EFCC in court over the N400 million he received from the office of the former national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki. The party needs to work on the image it projects to Nigerians and not continue to be on the defensive side. There is the need to come out clean to Nigerians especially this period as an opposition party and engage on a repackaging process.
One of the ways the APC was able to wrestle power from the PDP and win followership was the constructive manner of criticism the party engaged in. This is because the party understood that communication with Nigerians in a clear way was necessary. The former governor of Lagos state, Babatunde Fashola was known for the clear objective criticism he used in pointing out the flaws of the PDP while at the same time showing how things could be done well with the way he was governing Lagos. The likes of Governor Ayo Fayose and Femi Fani Kayode are notorious not for their criticism but blind attacks that fail to win anybody to the party. Their method of insulting the president and the ruling party is only amusing to Nigerians who are getting more intelligent with the information age to be carried away by crude criticism.
If the PDP is serious about returning to the top of the Nigerian political landscape, it must better itself as an opposition so as to be considered a serious party by Nigerians.
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