Nigeria’s major political opposition, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has called on President Buhari to resign. The spokesperson and a member of the party’s National Caretaker Committee, Dayo Adeyeye reportedly said that Buhari should quit office immediately. But before the President calls it quit, he has “…to return the country to how he met it,”

PDP’s claim that President Buhari has led Nigeria into recession, now heading towards depression states the obvious. Adeyeye argued that “in 2015 when the President came to power, a bag of rice was selling at N7,000, but now, it is above N20,000; a ‘mudu’ of beans was N150 then and now, it is N500; one US dollar was then trading for N197 but now it is over N400. Also, a litre of fuel was N87 but now is N145; cost of transportation and other services have skyrocketed.”

Recession is the new song in Nigeria, and truly, both the young and the old feel its effects. But Nigerians need the PDP to do more than call for the president to resign. Nigerians need the PDP to do the work to develop real opposition that can put this current government on its toes.

Taking Nigeria back to where it was in May 2015 is not acceptable
Adeyeye was correct about his evaluations of the current economic situation in the country, but saying Nigeria should return to where it was on the last day of the previous government is silly politics and wasted opportunity. President Buhari promised Nigerians heaven on earth, and he rode these promises to electoral victory. If PDP is smart, they will push him to account for his failure to meet his promises. It’s good political strategy. It’s good for our democracy, and it’s good for the nigerian people.

…and resignation is a journey of a thousand miles that won’t start
Perhaps in a saner country, reasons that are less weighty than this could have warranted the leader’s resignation, but definitely not in a country like Nigeria. President Buhari has in his cabinet, a Dalung, who has since proved to be someone with zero to offer in his current capacity as the Sports’ minister. After completely fumbling the Olympics he continues to parade himself in public with no consequence. If Buhari has refused calls for him to relieve a minister who has been performing below par, then Adeyeye and his party need to stop the fantasy of a presidential resignation.

…but they should focus on building a structured, viable opposition
More than a year after the All Progressives Congress (APC) gained federal power, the vacuum of a viable opposition is yet be filled. Of course, there are budding political parties hoping to play this role, but they lack the support and membership base that could make them much of a watchdog of the present government. This leaves the PDP as the strongest possible contender. But unfortunately, the present ‘structure’ in PDP is not any way near the specs of a viable opposition. Today, the PDP has no clear leadership. It has two ‘leaders’ claiming the chairmanship of the party. The crisis has reached state level, where state wings of the party also now have two factions.

Most recently, members of the PDP in Ondo state staged two different primary governorship elections. One was supervised by the Ahmed Markafi-led National Working Committee and the other by Ali Modu Sheriff. How can a political party afflicted by such huge internal divisions produce better leadership for the country?

Nigerians yearn for a reformed and formidable political opposition, an opposition that can put the present government on its toes, a party that can create a dynamic political environment that fosters debate that serves its citizens.

… because Nigeria’s democracy will win
Ultimately, in 2019, Nigerians will have another chance to choose their leaders. If PDP wishes to remain relevant, it has to start convincing Nigerians now. Buhari’s underperformance is not enough of a reason for Nigeria’s suffering citizens to settle for a crisis-ridden PDP. Criticizing the present government is not necessarily a waste of valuable energy as debate is vital to a functioning democracy but in PDP’s case, it would make a lot more sense to do so from a position of political strength and clarity.

Sunnymatey:
When shall we stop playing party politics and concentrate on the credibility of individual candidiates irrespective of his/her party. To me thats the only way forward.