Gradually the political temperature is heating up as the country stealthily slide into authoritarian one party state with spectre of the Orwellian “Big Brother” hovering menacingly. This is not the path to follow, certainly not the route to greatness, Nigerians must resist it.
Nothing exemplifies the above haunting spectre than the recent wave of defections by prominent opposition figures including Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s dramatic switch from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
If left unchecked, it has the threatening potential to reshape Nigeria’s political landscape. But perhaps more significantly, it is creating a dangerous silence within the National Assembly, where a robust opposition is critical to sustaining democracy.
It is sad and a haunting reminder of the Abacha era of the “five fingers of leprous hands” of parties endorsing the dictator Abacha for president.
What was once a ray of hope of a dynamic and robust politics anchored on a contest of ideas between the ruling and opposition parties is fast turning into a one-sided affair. With every high-profile defection, the voice of dissent is fading, and the legislature risks becoming a mere rubber stamp for executive actions.
Although the Presidency has dismissed reports of those insinuating that the country’s democracy has been compromised on account of this one party state claims and labelled such groups as alarmists.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, took on the opposition on Sunday, insisting that his principal, Bola Tinubu, is not plotting a single-party state as has been speculated.
Inspite of the presidency’s submission most Nigerians, including NATIONAL WAVES is much miffed over the gale of defections to the ruling party following Governor Oborevwori’s move and the earlier defection of Senator Ned Nwoko from the PDP to the APC, the opposition, which has suffered steep numerical losses in the Senate, is set to go even lower. The APC, it’s not clear has 65 seats, in comparison to the PDP’s 33. The Labour Party holds just five seats, while the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) have two and one seats respectively.
The New Nigeria Peoples Party lost one senator to a recent defection to the APC. Two Senate seats remain vacant.
Going by our political precedent, that lawmakers tend to follow the lead of their governors. They depend majorly on their endorsement to secure their party’s tickets to rerun elections for another term in the legislature. It therefore can be concluded that in the coming weeks and days, more senators and members of the House of Representatives will be filing up behind their principals as members of the ruling APC, thereby increasing its numbers and tightening its grip on the foremost democratic institution and decision-making body in the country.
These numbers matter. With a strengthened majority, the APC is now in a position to push through executive bills, constitutional amendments, and key legislative priorities with minimal resistance or scrutiny. The traditional checks and balances that a vibrant opposition provides are being eroded, potentially leaving critical national issues unquestioned.
Already there have been incidents where proposed laws and amendments were passed based on party sentiments, only to be rescinded because they were not scrutinized properly and run through the proper legislative mill. Oversight functions have also dwindled, with more emphasis on covering up for the inadequacies of the government in power rather than exposing them for accountability.
The remaining opposition must rejig and resist the move to throw the country into one party state. This is our stand
