2027: Opposition’s quest for brand new platform

From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja

In the calculations of many pundits forward of the 2027 presidential election, it is just the emergence of a brand new political power that may present the specified magic wand the opposition events wanted to wrest energy from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

 

 

 

 

Several political commentators have equally steered that the willingness of the opposition heavyweights to break down their constructions into one, robust, and united political alliance can be the potent weapon to destabilise the APC-led authorities from consolidating its strongholds on the presidency past 2027.

The clamour for the emergence of the brand new political alignment is clearly not new within the political trajectory of Nigeria democratic experiment, particularly because the ruling occasion, the APC, rode to energy by way of the wave of a merger by many main political events.

Curiously, the ruling occasion is alleged to be fuelling and sponsoring the limitless management crises rocking virtually all of the opposition political events in its willpower to weaken them from producing formidable candidates to battle the presidential contest with the ruling occasion.

Although many APC chieftains had exonerated the ruling occasion from any complicity and involvement in fomenting hassle among the many leaderships of the opposition events, solely only a few politically uncovered Nigerians would nonetheless, imagine that APC is harmless.

Interestingly, the extra the ruling occasion tried to wriggle out of the allegations, situations of a number of elected political workplace holders defecting from the opposition events and flocking into the APC, totally on flimsy causes of crises of their events compelling their choice, have a tendency to substantiate the allegations that APC is on a mission to “destabilise, cripple and drastically reduce the strengths of any opposition party from posing any form of threat” throughout the 2027 presidential election.

But, dismissing the allegations of sponsoring crises within the opposition, the occasion’s National Welfare Secretary, Donatus Nwankpa, advised Daily Sun that there was no iota of fact within the declare, insisting that he should be able to know if there may be such factor.

Asked concerning the involvement of APC within the crises rocking the opposition events, Nwankpa fumed: “Yes after all I can stake my neck. Why I can, is that because the National Welfare Secretary of APC, I’ve not been given funds to sponsor something regarding the crises within the opposition. That is ranging from the recognized to the unknown.

“I’ve not personally researched to determine whether or not there may be such sponsorship, and it has not come to my data both. I’m solely talking from the standpoint of sincerity. I’ve not been anyplace that cash was shared to gasoline the crises within the opposition occasion. I’ve not additionally been the place it has been mentioned.

“The problem of political parties in Nigeria is the ego of who is to be on the driver’s seat and who will surrender for the other to be in the front. When two are riding on an uncontrollable empirical personal ego, don’t expect an escapee approach by giving them the credit,” he added.

However, regardless of his claims, some chieftains of the opposition events nonetheless imagine that APC will not be solely economical with the reality but in addition responsible as charged within the allegations of sponsoring the crises to weaken different events.

For the National Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Chief Peter Ameh, he stated “the APC is doing a lot to balkanise multi-party system. There have been such accusations from all different events and from what they do. Otherwise, why are all of the members of Labour Party (LP) on the National Assembly defecting to the APC, even these from Plateau which is a PDP governing State?

“It is to indicate that APC should have promised to present them as a lot because the ruling occasion. They intimidate them with State-controlled energy and authority, particularly as there are not free and truthful elections. Many individuals won’t have taken the guarantees made to them, if there have been no such promise.

“Promises like giving them national cover with the apparatus of state operation, which doesn’t work when there is a free and fair election,” he claimed.

However, from Ameh to the previous APC National Vice Chairman, North West, Salihu Mohammed Lukman, amongst others, all appear to be in sync in proposing that the nation wants a viable political power to whittle down the dominance of the APC.

Weighing in on the proposal and confirming a potential political power within the offing, Ameh famous: “I know that the opposition, with the kind of ongoing internal arrangements, will get it right, and 2027 will be more different. We will have a more robust opposition than what we had in 2023.”

Also, in his advocacy for a brand new political power, Lukman, a former APC National Working Committee (NWC) member, not too long ago wrote; “As Nigerians, we should rise to this problem and make the defeat of APC and President Tinubu not solely potential in 2027 however most significantly assure the election of really democratic leaders, not emperors.

“The solely manner it could possibly be potential is that if as Nigerians, we will focus ourselves with producing a purposeful political occasion that may respect its personal guidelines. Certainly, such a purposeful political occasion have to be distinctively completely different from APC, PDP, LP, NNPP, and all the prevailing registered political events within the nation.

“But, there in lie the difficult challenge. How can such a party be produced and by who? Is it a new party, which will apply for registration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)? Will it be granted registration? If not, what are the options?” Lukman requested.

Arguing additional, he famous that; “the opposite associated query is whether or not such a celebration will likely be shaped by the identical politicians who have been related to APC and PDP, and in lots of respects, individuals who could possibly be adjudged to be answerable for getting Nigeria to this messy state of affairs.

“The unfortunate reality is that our political structures now only make it possible for politicians to present their negative sides, which is, largely because political competition is completely compromised,” he lamented.

Although the 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and different political figures could have, final 12 months, indicated curiosity and willingness to collaborate, with many considering that by now they’d be solidifying the preparations, their feedback within the current previous nonetheless confirmed that they have been solely merely doing the standard political rhetoric.

For instance, Kwankwaso, final 12 months, had hinted at the potential for serving as Obi’s vice presidential candidate within the forthcoming 2027 elections, just for him to recant not too long ago that he would don’t have anything to do with both Obi or Atiku.

He had stated: “I have no problem with deputising Peter Obi, but only if certain conditions are met. We are willing to engage in discussions, provided that trust is established.”

However, just a few days in the past, Kwankwaso surprisingly dominated out fully any prospect of collaboration and power-sharing cope with both Atiku or Obi, citing an absence of belief as the most important re4ason for his motion.

While dismissing what he described as growing speculations a couple of 2027 pact with Atiku and Obi, Kwankwaso stated “I acquired info from sources purporting that former Vice President Atiku and I’ve met. But what I do know is that no one contacted me and I’ve not spoken with Atiku.

“Also, I’ve not spoken with Peter Obi… The most annoying factor is that some individuals within the PDP advised a bunch of about 45 (Islamic) students that there’s a consensus that Atiku would rule for 4 years, Kwankwaso would subsequently rule for 4 years and Peter Obi, for eight years; this can be a lie, it isn’t true.

“This has infuriated me: why is it that elder statesmen in their 70s, 80s, will be spreading such lies to these scholars about something that has never existed? Such statements and deceits were part of things that made me and some other people to leave the party (PDP) and now they have destabilised the party,” he added.

Kwankwaso additional recalled that the determined and egocentric agenda of sure PDP leaders pressured him and Obi out of the occasion, stressing {that a} related situation is being re-enacted in a bid to govern sentiments and nook the help of the North.

Foreclosing the potential for any alliance, Kwankwaso stated “For me to just accept any alliance preparations, we now have to return to historical past; I perceive PDP in totality. I do know that they plan to acquire a celebration or be beating across the bush in different events, bringing us collectively to make northerners vote for them.

“But what we are asking them is: what have they done for the North before?’ These are the kinds of things that will come into play.”

Surprisingly, Kwankwaso will not be alone in his blunt refusal to be a part of the coalition, as Obi, had not too long ago dismissed any alleged merger offers with both the PDP, the NNPP or every other occasion.

Speaking at a press convention not too long ago, Obi stated: “No to the issue of merger, everybody who means well should come together to get the country to work. Let us build this country. None of us is going to be here forever. Those who did it yesterday are no longer here. The country is collapsing.”

With confirmations from the most important political actors foreclosing the potential for any merger forward of the 2027 presidential election, it is just time that may inform how these plotting to dislodge the APC will do it.

The publish 2027: Opposition’s quest for new platform appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.

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