APC:Opressors or Progressives?

Opposition political parties world over always have this holier than thou posture. They claim to have the magic wand that could suddenly turn around their economies for good; they pose as if the ruling party has a habit of putting square pegs in round holes, making themselves look like the masters of the art of governance. They portray the party in power as one without focus, lacking in direction and insensitive to the plight of the masses .More often than not, they constantly engage in destructive criticisms against the government of the day.

In Nigeria, the APC is an example of the above. They claim to be out to rescue the nation yet their body language has shown that they are desperate to capture power by every possible means no matter the cost and in order to achieve this, they have resorted to abusing and castigating the PDP, the federal government and Mr. President. To them, the PDP does not only lack internal democracy but is also responsible for the hardship suffered by Nigerians.

One will expect that the party practices all it preaches, by being the benchmark of democratic norms. Instead, ahead of the forthcoming elections, the APC has continued to practice, glorify, and exhibit undemocratic tendencies even in handling internal party issues to the surprise of many, including its members; meting out several acts of injustice. Should this type of party be voted into power? My answer is in the negative.

Not long ago, 5 PDP governors defected to the APC. This was after the ACN, CPC and ANPP had merged as APC. Upon the defection of this governors, the APC hurriedly made them leaders in their respective states thereby pushing aside the authentic leaders of the party .One would have expected a truly democratic party to explore ways of harmonizing the position of the original leaders of the party and the defected governors in order to have a no victor no vanquish scenario, but that was not the case.

Former governor Ibrahim Shekarau of Kano state, his Sokoto State counterpart Attahiru Bafarawa and Dele Belgore (SAN) to mention a few had spent their time and resources  forming and building the APC only to be back stabbed by their party as a result of personal interest, greed and wickedness. Should a man be forced to vacate his house for a stranger? If the answer is in the negative, then it goes to show the kind of leadership the APC intends to offer Nigerians if elected to power and Nigerians must reject them now.

As a result of the injustice, these individuals defected to the PDP recognizing it as the only true Nigerian political party with no ethnic or religious coloration; ever ready to accommodate the oppressed .Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau in defecting to the PDP gave his reason as the injustice he suffered in the hands of the APC. He said ’’the injustice shown to me and my supporters coupled with the neglect by APC at the national level are some of the reasons we had to defect to the PDP. Former governor of Sokoto State Bafarawa also joined the PDP. He was formally welcomed into the party at an occasion in Sokoto attended by President Jonathan. On his defection, Bafarawa said ’’when my people saw that there is injustice in the APC, they made up their mind that we should leave and join the PDP’’. Dele Belgore, ACN’s governorship candidate in 2011 who recently defected to the PDP also had this to say, ’the owner of a home should not be displaced to give a stranger a sense of friendship, and to many, the soul of the party. Our people do not believe that people are made for a platform; rather they believe that platforms are made for people. No positive change is possible where we are to co-exist with the same elements that the people of Kwara want to dislodge. ’Speaking further he said’ ’to our supporters and political independent, APC has let us down. We have therefore decided not to be part of an arrangement that put us in the same ship driven by oppressors.’’

The point I have been driving at is this; a party that cannot get the trust and confidence of its members should definitely not be entrusted with power. The reason is not far fetched, the same way it abandoned its members, is same way the masses will be dumped. This goes to confirm the generally accepted view that the APC is ideologically bankrupt therefore cannot be trusted. Nigerians know more than joining a ship that is bound to sail to the middle of the ocean and dump them there in the mist of the storm. The APC has time and time again displayed to the public that all it wants is to get power at all cost. A party that willfully deserts its members should not be given the destiny of millions of Nigerians to keep. Assuming you happen to be the victim of such callous treatment how will you feel or react? Will you smile and happily embrace such a gang of desperate opportunist or do what every reasonable electorate would; which is to reject this group. The APC is simply a den of oppressors masquerading as progressives and as such, it will never be a reliable alternative to the PDP considering its actions and body language. PDP remains the answer. Nigerians please be wise.