In the parliamentary system of governance, the sense of an opposition party is strict in that it is not only well defined and clearly marked with certain sitting arrangements but also different in terms of ideology. In the presidential system however, the idea of an opposition is not as defined even where two parties have different ideologies.
In Nigeria where both parties of the ruling elite have no clearly distinguished ideologies, the idea of an ‘opposition party’ is not as clearly defined but our copycat journalism makes it appear that there must be a ‘ruling party’ and an ‘opposition party’.
Perhaps this is why the APC consistently opposed any move made by the PDP even if it was a position they themselves had taken at some point before. The PDP (which I support) must not give in to this dangerous mindset as it sets the stage for mindless opposition to government even when support is all that is required.
I do not speak for my party on this but I hope that the President-elect can expect maximum cooperation from us in the delicate art and science of nation-building for at least two years before we enter into another year preparatory for electoral year.
On many key societal issues where the two major parties in America do not have a defined position, members from both parties work across party lines to get things done and despite APC blocking many progressive moves merely for the sake of posturing, I hope that General Muhammadu Buhari can expect that leading PDP members in government will work with him.
As PDP members, we are first and foremost Nigerian citizens and patriots. Much as we may have lost the last election, Buhari needs to understand that thirteen million people cast their faith with PDP and a slim margin of two million votes made him the winner. To assume that support for his ideas is total will be a huge mistake. The buy-in of more people will be needed and these must be secured through his opening gambit as President.
I doubt if Nigerians have elected him to unnecessarily hound PDP leaders all in the name of probity rather than to get a job done. Where cases of corruption via misappropriation or embezzlement are established, by all means prosecute whoever the guilty person is, regardless of party but do not let this a distraction from the salient task of moving Nigeria forward.
APC never tired to tell us that Nigeria was on the brink of collapse under Goodluck Jonathan – there is no need to reiterate this again once Buhari is sworn-in in a couple of days – we would expect action. We would expect a delivery of the many promises made to us as Nigerians.
I have never tired of saying to people that I live and work in Nigeria and go through everything the average Nigerian goes through. Fuel or electricity is not readily available to me this time as a PDP member but I have come to believe that the wheels of development under a democracy sometimes require huge spells of patience from citizens.
APC has promised quick solutions and these are the things we expect…
That power outages would soon be things of the past as 40,000 MW are delivered before 2019. That our children going to schools across the federation will enjoy one free meal per day. That the unemployed will receive monthly allowances. That Corps members will continue to enjoy their “allawee” for an extra year after serving. Despite voting for the PDP, we expect Buhari and APC to keep their promise to generate jobs in Enugu where they promised to maximise the coal deposits for export and electricity.
I suspect that APC will not have the sixteen years of patience that the PDP enjoyed as the ordinary masses from 2019 will consider it 20 years of democratic governance not 16 years of PDP and 4 years of APC. It may not be long before the agitation for military rule starts if APC does not conduct itself according to the standard it constantly criticised PDP with. This is for the mutual survival of the political elite and this present democratic journey.
And Buhari can expect to be criticised.
APC maintained an ongoing campaign against Goodluck Jonathan for many years before the election and put him in a place where any other candidate would have defeated him easily. While I do not expect this to be an official policy of my party, I know that the ordinary masses are already used to this method now and someone will fill the gap to be left by the Lai Mohammeds of this country as they would now struggle to defend those things that they had hitherto condemned.
In criticism, Buhari must show restraint and let the people have their say.
On the removal of fuel subsidy, Buhari should be consistent with his 2012 position of opposition to it or with his campaign day position that fuel subsidy does not exist. If he deems it fit to remove it as Goodluck Jonathan did and has every other President from the time of Babangida to Jonathan except Yar’Adua tried to do, he must first make some critical cuts that will show the nation that he too is willing to give up some perceived presidential luxuries as sacrifice. This was my position with Goodluck Jonathan’s fuel subsidy removal: that having ridden into office with massive and popular votes, the next move is to make sacrifices for the people before demanding that they invest further in him by supporting the removal of fuel subsidy.
For the PDP, the task of rebuilding the party and winning the confidence of the people again is more important than playing opposition by criticising the APC government needlessly. APC is a party of critics that has entrenched a culture of criticism in the polity and so it will have enough critics in the next four years even among the many who voted for them. Rather than playing opposition therefore, the PDP would do well to give meaning to its slogan ‘Power (back) to the People’.
Demola Rewaju is a super blogger and a writer who manages Demola Rewaju Daily. He can be reached on twitter @demolarewaju
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the writer.
