Ahead of the 2027 general elections, Nigerians are having quite a hard time being Nigerians. Insecurity has worsened, as have poverty and the general quality of life. What Nigerians seem to be in agreement on is that the country’s many challenges are traceable to bad leadership and the ruling All Progressives Congress. Many Nigerians think that only a change in leadership can salvage the situation.
In 2015, as the Peoples Democratic Party threatened to run the country aground with a diabolical mix of corruption and dereliction, the APC was formed to force changes. It was a resounding success. More than ten years later, during which the APC has proven that it is cut from the same cloth as the PDP, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has been formed very much to do what the APC did in 2015. Is it a coalition of rabble-rousers or good leaders who are set to rain on the parade of bad governance in Nigeria?
The challenge Is with identification. Many Nigerians may not say it aloud, but they are largely tired of the hit-and-miss nature of politics in Nigeria. Many people who offer hope at the ballot box get into office and change overnight, forcing those who elected them to bite their fingers.From its inception, the ADC, like any new project, has faced teething problems. There have been challenges with the leadership as well as with the message. Is it opposition for the sake of opposition, or is there any novelty in the messaging and mission of the party?
As the PDP has shamefully and tragically led the collapse of the opposition in Nigeria, one man has improbably become the face of Nigerian opposition and the last hope of many Nigerians of this generation that their country may yet get better in their lifetime. The man is Peter Obi, the former Anambra State Governor, whose unassuming demeanor belies a steely character unparalleled in Nigerian politics.
Yet, for all that Nigerians want out of the APC’s reign of misery and mediocrity, there are many figures within the ADC that make Nigerians cringe inwardly. For all the ADC says about a mission to rescue Nigerians, many Nigerians believe that just as the leopard cannot change its spots, many of the rescuers can neither shed the baggage they carry nor stick to the straight and narrow.
For all that the ADC holds itself out to be, for all its shiny new parts, its postulations about a new path and pact with Nigerians, and its venomous denunciations of the ruling APC, Nigerians must hold the party to account right from its inception. In this wise, the ruling APC provides quite a cautionary tale.
In 2015, the APC, which was a coalition of serial losers and hopefuls, delivered an unprecedented sucker punch to the ruling PDP. It was a historic victory, which was a first on many fronts. Eleven years down the line, the party has proven even more insidious and insensitive than the party it replaced, proving conclusively that all that glitters is not gold.
Nigerians should tread with caution while dealing with the ADC, as many of its members come from the same circle of political hawks who have made enormous contributions towards ruining the future of the country.
Ike Willie-Nwobu is a Policy Practitioner and a social thinker and can be reached on Ikewilly9@gmail.com
