They say Nigerian politicians are an interesting lot, that they never cease to amuse as they cofound, never marathoners but ever living for the present and casting the future in the hands of uncertainty, with their “when we get there, we will cross the bridge” attitude to even very critical issues that border on their existential realities.
Interestingly, the President Elect His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu seems to be of different stock, and it is a big surprise to see that the opposition of today seem to be so opportunistic, rather than to endure the discomfort of the moment and stand by what they believe, if they indeed believe anything, they go for short termism.
This letter has indeed been triggered by the two reasons, first the reported 4 hour meeting between Presidential Candidate of the NNPP at the last election, Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso said to have held in France about two days ago with the President-Elect.
The second justification for this letter is the seeming lack of preparedness of the opposition parties and their National Assembly members-elect to be who they were voted to be with regard to taking a position on the leadership of the 10th National Assembly leadership both Senate and the House Of Representatives.
These twin realities have further showed that a good number of members of the political class could be selfish, opportunistic and self-serving and treat the electorates as bloody dispensables, expendable and dispensable tools in their hands.
EMERGING PROPOSAL OF GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL UNITY
While the concept of Government of National Unity may be desirable in its positive essence, but a few things must be said, how far did Government of National Unity of President Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999-2003 take Alliance for Democracy and ANPP?
Indeed the government of national unity was the death knell of these foremost opposition parties that also took the person of Bola Ige away from the progressive fold, ripped it through the middle, and ultimately the party did not recover from it, neither did the Great Cicero of Esa-Oke.
Alhaji Mahmud, the then chairman of the ANPP was sucked into the government of national unity and also never recovered till death, same for the party.
Interestingly, the President-Elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is one of the ardent critics of government of national unity all through his days as opposition leader, he rejected it under Obasanjo, he dismissed it during President Yar Adua and despised it during President Jonathan.
So today why are the opposition parties fawning and falling over to please the ruling party in less than 3 months after general elections?
The Nigerian political class take Nigerians for granted a lot. Being in opposition party does not suggest that you are a hater of the ruling party, it just means you have a different route to the same destination of a better society, and you chose that route, sold it to Nigerians and some Nigerians agreed with you and voted you to represent them, and now ahead of inauguration, you dismissed the perceived judgement of the Nigerians who agreed with your position, you find it easy to jump into bed with the ones they rejected at the polls and you most obscenely begin to cavort them like a cheap hag or whore! Telling the people that they are stupid!
Imagine how these innocent Nigerians will be feeling to see the members of NNPP in Kano State for instance, who did everything to fight against Governor Ganduje and his candidates, preferring to go with Kwankwaso only today to see the so-called leader of Kwankwasiya movement in the warm embrace of the same people they rejected.
No wonder, today people are quick to say all politicians are the same, that Nigerian politicians lack ideology, has that not been given credence now?
Imagine the regular people on the streets of Kano who fought and some lost their lives, livelihoods and limbs fighting for the Kwankwasiya movement? So what did they fight for after all? When their leader is the first to get into dalliance with the party they rejected at the polls? Where is the people in all of these? Shameful indeed!
Why must our politics be typified by crass opportunistic spirit, reduced real issues to political appointments and pecuniary benefits for individuals, just to gratify the indulgences and sensibilities of a few who masquerade as leaders, when indeed they are just cheap traders with what the people hold dear, their mandate.
When I saw the silly release of some members of the opposition parties particularly at the House of Representatives that they have endorsed the “anointed” candidate of the ruling APC party Hon. Tajudeen Abass for Speaker of the 10th Assembly House of Representatives, I felt like throwing up, asking myself if these people could ever show that they have their spine in place to carry their weight.
In only two months even before innauguration, members of NNPP, PDP, Labour, SDP, and worse of them all the so called “leading opposition” the PDP falling over themselves to endorse the candidate of the ruling party for Speaker and Senate President, particularly in the House of Representatives where over 240 members elect are purely new and barely have been to the gates of the National Assembly.
So what manner of members of opposition parties are these? If Nigerians see no difference or expect no difference, do these guys realise that they won’t vote for different parties, particularly the so called ELUP People!
So what is the noise about 74 ELUP, 75 OOBI, 76 kererenke if their representatives are in Abuja to do the bidding of APC, for a sickly amount of dollars?
Do these guys recognise that being in opposition does not mean you are against Nigeria or Nigerians? Rather it means an opportunity to be different, to be all that the ruling party is not. They should remind themselves how ACN, CPC behaved as opposition parties. Memories should not fail them.
Well sometimes, these parties and their leaders are overrated! How many of them have had induction for their members? Where they were well acquainted with the ideals, ideology of their parties as opposition parties. Well that is if it exists or the position of their parties and how they are expected to discharge their duties as opposition in the National/State Assembly?
They have won elections and allowed their members to stray into the embrace of the ruling party who are ever waiting to seal their fate, tie them and have them on guillotine.
It is a shame that these guys do not realise that friction is essential to movement! Even an elementary science students in SS2 knows this. If democracy must thrive, vibrant opposition is a sine qua non.
Up until today, so what has the ruling party done to secure the confidence of opposition parties and members so soon enough to be fawning and falling over the candidates of the ruling party for Speakership that they barely know, simply offering themselves most cheaply for the ruling party’s bait because of sickly.
looking dollars, while they in turn offer their souls on the altar of personal expectations and hang the fate of those who voted for a change through them. They “gamed” the people simplicita.
If the other opposition parties and members can be excused for lack of institutional memories, that cannot be thought of or said about the People’s Democratic Party and her members?
One wonders where the memories of these leaders of the PDP disappeared to exactly? It is a shame indeed, and a dereliction of the highest order. No wonder they are fast losing relevance in the minds of Nigerians.
Instead of taking this advantage to be on a rebound and earn the confidence of Nigerians again, they are lame duck, sitting idly by in their Wadata office, tight lipped and watching their members stray into the embrace of the ruling party with utmost shamelessness like whores.
If the new members elect of the Peoples Democratic Party do not have a sense of history, one would expect that the leadership of the Party will have enough of age on their sides as individuals and entity to recall the role the President-Elect played as the Generalissimo of opposition parties, particularly the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to frustrate the PDP’s anointed candidate for Speaker in 2011, i.e. Honourable Mulikat Akande Adeola earlier positioned to be Speaker, but that was not to be, when President-Elect Bola Tinubu led a coalition of parties including Congress of Progressive Change (CPC) to truncate the plans of the then ruling party PDP.
All those intrigues that essentially led to the emergence of Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (PDP) in spite of the ruling party should let today’s PDP and other opposition parties wake up from their shameless slumber at the expense of the expectations of Nigerians.
The emergence of Speaker Tambuwal gave Nigerians a most effective and efficient 7th Assembly House of Representatives reputed to be one of the best in the history of the lower chamber.
Needless to say Tambuwal eventually ended in the big belly of the big whale i.e. the ruling party, I am sure all those PDP members-elect and other opposition members fawning over to align with the ruling party do not realise that the ruling party in another four years will not be there for them when they seek to renew their mandate to return to the House in 2027.
The return fatality that this will lead to in 2027 will be unimaginable, their party that took them to the National Assembly will become so badly weakened by the ruling party, unable to win election and the ruling party will NEVER grant them ticket on that platform to contest as a reward for their cheap assimilation.
So this trading can only end in shame, ask all prostitutes when the day breaks how they feel.
So in enlightened self-interest and survival of their parties or their political careers, cavorting with anointed candidates of the ruling party is a LOSS- LOSS game in the short and long run!
The ruling party knows that, that is why they are putting tempting baits on traps for these greedy opportunists, self-serving opposition parties and their members.
It is gross dereliction, irresponsibility and betrayal of people’s sacred trust for opposition parties and their members to be in hot embrace as if under a spell without any tangible regard for the people’s interest as the basis.
The shortest route to infamy filled with regrets is the one where the sacred mandate of the people given in trust is flagrantly betrayed.
It is a rape of people’s trust.
-Odumosu wrote from Lagos
Email: catsandrats23@gmail.com
