They have been browbeaten. Occasionally, they punch the air and make some noise in a feeble attempt to show that they are still alive. But the truth is that the opposition are in disarray in Nigeria.
Last month, the Governor of Delta State, Mr. Sheriff Oborevwori; his predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa; and the entire leadership and stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). They said their action was in the best interest and common good of their people and that there was need for the state to connect to Abuja.
Many other opposition politicians have defected to the APC. Some are putting finishing touches to their plans to defect. Even some PDP governors and stalwarts have sympathy for the APC. Pastor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has pledged support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election. I won’t be surprised if the suspended governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, joins the APC on his return from suspension.
It is not that the ruling party is doing anything wonderful. Rather, it has inflicted utter misery on Nigerians. Not even in the civil war years did Nigerians (perhaps with the exception of Biafrans) pass through the level of economic hardship they are experiencing today.
The naira has lost serious value. You may think you have money until you enter market to buy things. You will come out wondering if anybody has stolen your money. Many Nigerians cannot afford a Tokunbo car anymore. Even the price of Nigerian-used car is way out of the reach of an average Nigerian. Changing any damaged part of the car costs three times what it used to cost some two years ago. The average cost of a car battery now is N80,000. Some go for as high as N120,000 or more. About two years ago, it was between N30,000 and N40,000.
I drove down to the East last Easter. I filled my car’s fuel tank with over N70,000. By the time I got to Asaba, the Delta State capital, I decided to refill my tank. That cost me over N50,000. This means fuel for a return trip to the East from Lagos, including running around for about a week in the East, will cost one close to N300,000. Some people spend more than this. Before Tinubu came to power in May 2023, one could fill one’s tank with less than N10,000.
The most annoying thing is that some parts of the roads are terrible. The Asaba end of the Asaba-Onitsha Road is in a very bad shape. Most times, this causes serious gridlock in Asaba. Though it is a federal road, nothing stops the governor of that state from repairing it in the interest of his people and travellers. Now that the state has connected to Abuja, let’s see if the road will be fixed soon.
These politicians know what they are doing. They squander the resources of their states and run to the ruling party to escape harassment and prosecution. As former National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, put it in 2019, once you join the APC, your sins are forgiven.
Ifeanyi Okowa is the immediate past governor of Delta State. He wasted a lot of money in his failed bid to become the vice-president of Nigeria under the PDP. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested him in November 2024 for allegedly defrauding his state to the tune of N1.3 trillion. He was also alleged to have used N40 billion of his state funds to acquire properties in Abuja and Asaba as well as 8 per cent equity stake in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas. Okowa, who was later released on bail, denied the allegations. He described them as politically motivated. Now that he is in the APC, let’s see how this case will end up.
What frightens some of these so-called opposition politicians is that democracy as we know it in Nigeria today is government of one man, by one man and for one man. Just as this one man captured Lagos when he was governor, he has almost succeeded in capturing Nigeria.
Under President Bola Tinubu’s watch, the major institutions of the state have been weakened. The independence of the legislature and the judiciary has been eroded. The judiciary used to be the last hope of the aggrieved. Not anymore. In Nigeria today, if you have a minor quarrel with someone, you are jokingly asked to “go to court” – a euphemism for the injustice being dispensed in the courts today.
The 2023 presidential election provides enough evidence. The manipulation of the election was such that millions of Nigerians who trooped out to vote were technically disenfranchised. Some lined up for hours at their polling stations, but the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials were nowhere to be found. Some of them came late without election materials. And those who struggled and managed to vote waited to be sure their votes counted. Suddenly, they heard that technical glitches have gripped INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal. As Nigerians were wondering what was going on, the umpire announced results in the wee hours of March 1, 2023. Aggrieved parties were asked to go to court. What transpired in the courts left much to be desired.
Similar things happened in some states where the power grabbers have interest in. Hitherto, the PDP was the ruling party in Edo State. The last governorship election in that state produced some magical votes for the APC. The PDP went to court and lost. The National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, boasted in September 2024 that they would replicate the Edo template in Ondo, Anambra and other states in the South-East in future elections.
This is why I don’t blame the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, in his current romance with the APC. Anambra is an All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) state. But during Tinubu’s visit to the state on Thursday, May 8, 2025, Soludo noted that APGA had adopted Tinubu as the party’s presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 general election. A number of people criticized him for this. But he did what a smart politician would do to avoid the ‘Edo template’.
Anambra governorship election comes up in November this year. Mr. Nicholas Ukachukwu is the candidate of the APC. Ordinarily, he has no chance against Soludo. But he and his party are probably banking on the federal might and Tinubu magic to win Anambra. This is what Soludo has tried to deflate. But whether Anambra voters will vote for APC in the 2027 presidential election remains a matter of conjecture.
Invariably, Nigeria needs redemption from the cabal holding it to ransom. There have been talks about forming a coalition of political parties against the APC. For the coalition to work, somebody like former vice-president Atiku Abubakar must bury his ambition to be President. He should surrender to the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, who has the brightest chance of defeating the incumbent in the 2027 general election.
It is good that a prominent economist and political activist, Professor Pat Utomi, has formed what he called Big Tent Coalition Shadow Government. It is made up of opposition members from various opposition parties. Utomi said the shadow government would function as a credible opposition force. It would highlight the failures of the present government and offer ideas for better governance. In some democracies like the United Kingdom, this sort of practice prevails.
But here, the Federal Government and the ruling party are not comfortable with it. Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said shadow government was an aberration in a federal system of government. He forgets that the APC came to power via a strong opposition; and that every government needs a virile opposition to thrive.
I miss the years when students took the lead in the struggle to enthrone good governance in the country. In May 1989, students led nationwide protests against the economic hardship brought about by Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) instituted by the then military President, Ibrahim Babangida. The protests, which continued until June that year, aimed at forcing the government to retreat. Today, our student voices have been drowned.
It is not as if Tinubu didn’t give us a hint of what has befallen us. After his Chatham House engagement in London in December 2022, he was seen in a video telling his party chieftains that “political power is not going to be served in a restaurant. They don’t serve it a la carte. At all cost, fight for it, grab it and run with it.” He has achieved his aim and will likely do the same thing in 2027.
Let’s take consolation in the fact that nothing lasts forever. Many emperors and dictators have come and gone. In life, there are sad and happy moments. You may be on top of the world today. Tomorrow, you may find yourself down the ladder. Today, Nigerians have been imprisoned by power grab, hardship, and bad governance. But like every other situation in life, this cup will also pass away.
Re: Tinubu, declare emergency on insecurity
Casmir, the challenging issues of insecurity are getting more worrisome than ever before. How many more lives have to be lost or endangered before the Tinubu govt would deem it right to declare a state of emergency on insecurity? Nigeria is no doubt under a siege! Some foreigners have invaded the country and they are working in cahoots with some locals to bring Nigeria to her knees.
When criminals in various forms & shapes begin to have a field day in a country, it’s because they have spotted a ‘weakness’ in the security architecture of that country. They have seen that the C-in-C ‘commands nothing’. How can troops fight when their welfare is not at the optimum best. When the biblical David killed Goliath, it was because Goliath defiled the god of the armies of Israel who David held in high esteem.
Great wealth, marriage to the king’s daughter and exemption of his family from tax payments were extra sources of motivations that spurred David into action. It is time to engage this battle head on and win it once and for all.
–Mike, Mushin, Lagos,
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