APC May Not Be Our Saviour, but…
Posted: 02/08/2013 by Abdullahi Aborode in Opinion, Politics

Yesterday 7th February, 2013 we got news of the successful merger of the opposition parties (ACN, ANPP, APGA and CPC) which has been ongoing for quite a time now pending INEC’s ratification. They came together to form the APC = All Progressives Congress. As expected, there will be supporters, skeptics and those who antagonize.

I have been waiting for this outcome for quite a long time, I believe it is the only realistic revolution we can have in Nigeria to effect change that won’t involve bloodshed (Well, minimal bloodshed). The reason for my belief is due to the poor condition and the sorry state the PDP led administration in the last 14 years has put Nigerians through. The APC as we know still parades PDP elements and those members who may have decamped for one reason or the other.

Our nascent democracy won’t survive in the hands of incompetent leaders for long, it will continue to cost us the future of our kids and the gradual death of the positive potentials our generation possesses. Now that we have another mega-party, I strongly believe it will keep the PDP on its toes. It will force them to act now in the interest of the general public or lose the next election. I am of the opinion that the PDP have taken Nigerians for granted so long because they haven’t faced a serious competition. Now that the APC is coming on board, they know they have an incredible competitor and they’ll do everything not to lose grip of power. That is if APC lives up to it’s billing.

Something is better than nothing! We can’t settle for just anything but we can’t also let that deter us from lighting the fire under PDP. The PDP’s grip on power needs to be loosened as soon as possible, for us to uphold our democracy and make it participatory. No party should be guaranteed a win as the case is presently. There is need to flash them the badge of “sit up or get out” and without a credible opposition or a good plan in place, we are just labouring in pain.

14 years is more than enough for a political party to build a strong foundation, it is enough to salvage certain ills in the society and it is enough time to convince the people that the movement is geared towards reasonable and beneficial one. The PDP led administration has failed in this respect, I urge us all to give the APC a try. Yes, I know leadership shouldn’t be a trial and error thing, but can we afford to dance to PDP’s horrible music over and over again?

This is the time for us to get down to work and do something. It is not the time for lazy or petty talks, surely no time to look for loopholes. It is the time to drill the APC and know what they have in stock for us. It is the time to let them know we will hold them accountable for everything promised. It is time for us to demand for their manifesto and study it. This is not the time to rubbish the party, this is not the time to be all pessimistic, and it is not the time to point fingers without providing realistic alternatives.

However, it is important to know that the APC are no saviours, we are the ultimate saviours because sovereignty lies in our hands, and it is time for us to decide which party we will support or join. We can only be hopeful that the APC brings the change we clamour for. Having great minds in both parties will be a huge plus for the country. It is high time Nigeria had two great parties and two great alternatives. That will do our nation a whole lot of good, no doubt.

The APC is still a work in progress and I’ll urge Nigerians not to ruin this opportunity with continuous and unnecessary skepticism. If you don’t support APC then you are in the hands of the PDP, there are NO saints in politics everywhere in the world. Morality without will to compromise is not a potent ingredient in politics, we need to understand this. Politics is a combination of the good and bad but the ‘bad’ must not overshadow the good. The outcome has to be positive, has the PDP given us this?

Democracy is all about viable alternatives, the APC could be that viable alternative which must be supported. It is time for us to be vigilant, it is time for us as a people to come together and ask for the very best from both parties. We still have 2 years to 2015, we can’t afford to wait till then before we act as citizens, let us put the heat on this current administration, the 2 years shouldn’t be a repeat of the wasted years.

We don’t have to necessarily join partisan politics to project progress. Some of us need to be on the look out to act as check for the actors, but being an ordinary critic without efficiently looking for ways to effect change is useless. Part of the efficient acts is educating the masses on need to vote and protect their votes. It is important to vote when the time comes and not say “They are all bad I’m not voting”.

The future of Nigeria is in our hands. Let’s give the APC a chance and for those keen on partisan politics, why not examine the manifesto of APC and see if you can align with it. Make haste before the bad eggs of PDP start decamping into the APC.

God Bless Nigeria!


By AAABORODE

Edited by Debo Adejugbe
http://aaaborode./2013/02/08/apc-may-not-be-our-saviour-but/

Simply brilliant and exactly what I have been saying to the perpetual pessimists and defeated skeptics who say the APC is full of decamping PDP politicians. As the author concludes, it is not simplistically about saints but blending good and bad to come up with a formula that delivers a win for the people. As long as the sum total of the APC remains good then they do the right thing spurning no one. The leaders of the APC, like Buhari and Tinubu, would have no business being in politics if they mount an Ivory tower to reject former PDP members.

Many, to include Buhari, Utomi, Oyegun et al, have come to realise It is all about doing things the Tinubu way if the PDP is to be defeated. I.e using everyone that adds numbers and specific strength to secure overall support, which delivers electoral victories, while saving the transformational positions for proven solutions providers and technocrats.

The refusal to pragmatically embrace this concept has always ruined the Buharis, Fawehinmis and Soyinkas of the world. I.e the misplaced notion that being good can alone appeal to Nigerians. Fawehinmi, sorry to say, proved that flatly wrong. Alas Buhari too has now realised pragmatically that good and bad must be blended but the 'titration' controlled so that good remains on top. Nothing else can work given the reality of Nigeria. Any coalition exclusively made up of saints , if that is even possible, will fail horribly. We should ask the Nigerians here demanding saints to tell us the support they gave Utomi and even Gani Fawehinmi during his foray into politics. "Morality without will to compromise is not a potent ingredient in politics". I will add also that it does not and cannot get results in the Nigeria of today where so much still depends on a populace that is anything but politically sophisticated.

The APC is still a work in progress and I’ll urge Nigerians not to ruin this opportunity with continuous and unnecessary skepticism. If you don’t support APC then you are in the hands of the PDP, there are NO saints in politics everywhere in the world. Morality without will to compromise is not a potent ingredient in politics, we need to understand this. Politics is a combination of the good and bad but the ‘bad’ must not overshadow the good. The outcome has to be positive, has the PDP given us this?

Democracy is all about viable alternatives, the APC could be that viable alternative which must be supported. It is time for us to be vigilant, it is time for us as a people to come together and ask for the very best from both parties. We still have 2 years to 2015, we can’t afford to wait till then before we act as citizens, let us put the heat on this current administration, the 2 years shouldn’t be a repeat of the wasted years.

words i concur

Exactly. I don't why these supporters of mediocrity are so angry and scared.

9icest: Exactly. I don't why these supporters of mediocrity are so angry and scared.

See how the author has intelligently dislocated their lame "they are all the same" argument which is just an excuse for inaction and/or a sad disguise for the real reason some are supporting GEJ and the PDP blindly.

Like you surmise, one can actually feel the very palpable anger and fear of some that this merger has materialised. They swore it will never see the light of day and that the same as last time would happen. Now they must move on to the next set of nit-picking and outlandishly false excuses.

As has been said many times, the "they are all the same" brigade need only look at the Tinubu model. For example, If anyone thinks lowly brawns did not help ACN win in Oyo then they are fooling themselves. The substantive point is that it is a top class technocrat, in the form of Ajimobi, who is head boy. If like replace like, then the SW will simply not be able to avoid development. It becomes a no-brainer template for development that can be adapted to Nigeria at the centre.

I have seen this happen live with Ghana over a 12 year association with the Country. They have their problems but quality leaders , since 2000, replacing quality leaders has ensured forward momentum is maintained. Overall, the reason the intelligentsia are excited about the merger has nothing to do with anyone naively thinking the new Party is a congregation of saints. What people are excited about is the realisation that the APC will raise the bar for Nigeria and knock out a very mediocre Party that has languished in a comfort zone, to the detriment of Nigeria's development, for far too long.