Reading through the newspapers and social media in the past two weeks, I found myself thinking about how nothing much seems to have changed in the conduct of the affairs of the political class and no lesson seems learnt from past occurrences. That self-inflicted crises plague the two major political parties in Nigeria – the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party – is worrisome.
The system though not perfect or resilient enough to stop the emergence of a strong man – feudal lord, a role the south-south Governor desires, is good enough to check the excesses of any individual. This system has momentarily given the party some respite leading to a resolution to hold an early national convention in October 2021, but the root of mutual suspicion runs deep.
His second hypothesis is that Congress for progressive change elements in APC attempt to subsume other groups that came together to form APC, take control of the party and position themselves for 2023 because the Buhari personae will exit the stage. He believes that this is a genuine pursuit of enlightened self-interest.
A pertinent question arises: why is there an emergence of strongmen or feudal lords in our political parties that ought to be bastions and symbols of democracy? The answer to this question relies on funding – he who pays the piper calls the tune. The method of funding parties is at the heart of it all. Wealthy and influential individuals and interest groups finance the party and not members. It is only natural that the individuals will impose their ideas and interest on the parties.
The second question is: Why can’t the parties organise themselves to give Nigerians hope to translate our country’s potential to tangible relatable results? This question presents a chicken and an egg situation. Between the country and the parties, which one should demonstrate the capacity of being organised for the national interest? The truth is that the political parties reflect the dominant political environment in the country.