Coalition, Alliance Merger, and government of national unity are not new lexicon in Nigeria political history. I have seen and met all of the above. At each point, they have squeezed power or maintained status quo out of the ruling government.
Dr. Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Adeniran Ogusanya, Prof. Isaya Audu used the Nigeria People’s Party( NPP) to an alliance with the National Party of Nigeria( NPN). NPP got a reasonable chunk of offices from the government of national unity in the Alliance. The Alliance four years later broke down. In 2014; Congress for Progressive Change( CPC), Action Congress of Nigeria( ACN), All Nigeria People’s Party( ANPP), A faction of APGA merged, to, form APC. The leaders that emerged were new. Mohammed Buhari, Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, El Rufai, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Rauf Aregbosela, Dr. Chris Ngige, Adams Oshiomole et al. These were new leaders on the national scene, so to speak. They carried the loaded vision of a new thing, new beginning, totally different manifesto of change.
This new coalition we are seeing in Nigeria, which has coalesced into the African Democratic Congress( ADC), has leaders we know very well. We have tested them. They have worked with us. They are not new. No, new energy except the one to replace a government. They are the perenial inconsistent Atiku Abubakar, effusive Malam El- Rufai, stingy and undemocratic Peter Obi, rural Rauf Aregbosila, elitist David Mark et al. Most of here Coalition leaders are impunity themselves. They introduced and emasculated the various legislature and different tier, harangued the judiciary, and despotically did not conduct local government elections in their various jurisdictions. These are geryntrocratic politicians who moves from party to party in search of power. Most unpalatable us that they have no ideals, principles, nor, ideologies. In power over the years, they unfold personal, bodily agenda’s that have no references to the parties they operate from or even constitutional postulations. I know most of these power hunters, and i am totally not impressed.
This coalition may win elections up to the presidential, but what will any of them do with it? None of them; Atiku, Amaechi, Peter Obi, Sule Lamido have honestly any new things to offer. Give them presidential power, and they will introduce wickedness as a policy of government. One of the coalition leaders said sometime ago that he can not sleep in a hotel suite of 200k naira. His reasons: too expenses. These are the kind of rural mentality and personal basket economy they intend to introduce into a big country like Nigeria.
Burst it! The Nigerian Electorate are a, people, who just dislike their leaders, especially in the South-East and South South. Performance to them is not a standard to acknowledge a good leader. Even if a visionary leader builds sky scrappers and gives to each family Nigeria, the electorate will disparage him and his policies. The Nigeria are endemically against in government in power. Perharps a fallout of colonialism. Therefore, though they know that the leaders of the coalition don’t have much or nothing to offer, the Nigerian will sheepishly through ballot or otherwise assist them to democratically, overthrow, the existing order.
If the leaders of the coalition were other sets of Nigerians with a new vista and untainted antecedents, i may think otherwise. But coalition of displaced persons, myopic, narrow- minded, undemocratic, and wickedness in politics in the name of policies, count, me out. Their sojourn in presidential power will just beget wickedness on Nigerians.
Prof. Batos Nwadike( Oyi of Igboland) is Chancellor of Leadership By Example League Internation( LELI) and writes from Abakiliki in Ebonyi state
