The Executive Director of Development SPECS Academy, Professor Okey Ikechukwu has said that the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP), must act fast and provide candidates if they want to participate in the coming 2027 elections.
He said this in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, where he discussed the future of the PDP and opposition politics in Nigeria.
“They don’t have time for political games, but they have enough time if they want to take part in the next elections. And the way forward is simple. There are rules of engagement. If you’re going to contest, you produce your candidate, etc.”, he said.
Speaking on FCT Minister, Wike’s stance that PDP will not provide a presidential candidate in the coming elections, Prof. Ikechukwu noted that PDP has shown serious internal weaknesses over the years.
“There’s nothing surprising in that. Already, the PDP showed it’s not a serious party during the last elections to have Nyesom Wike completely bury it in Port Harcourt. And after the election, Wike was not suspended. Since after that, which is going into three years now”, he said.
He added that PDP will participate in the next election, but it is not prepared to genuinely contest, noting that the party lacks national presence, strategy and organisation.
“The PDP will participate in the next election, but it will not contest. A contest means preparedness and ability with the possibility of winning because you’re doing the right thing. They’re dealing with a strategist, somebody who outsmarted all of them before he became president without national resources. Now he has national resources. Now they’re gulping up the parties. Of course, that could create problems for them. And the PDP is pretending it’s an opposition. When, in fact, all the steps it’s taking in the name of opposition, with all due respect, can be described as scandalous. There’s no internal cohesion. There’s no mobilization outside what you hear about big men talking. Where is the PDP outside Abuja and outside the quarrels about the big men who want positions? That’s the challenge”, he explained.
Prof. Ikechukwu further argued that Nigeria’s opposition often relies on superficial actions, like press releases or protests, without real strategy or concrete plans.
“You see, in power politics, you don’t get delusional. You look at the variables on the table. You look at the operating environment. That’s what those who call themselves opposition should realize. That’s what the ‘Obidients’ and the rest of them should realize. It’s not about whether you’re popular. Strategic preparedness, strategic engagement, understanding of what needs to be done to get power.
“Now, on the question of whether there’s opposition: what you’re calling the opposition is losing all its members to the governing party. That’s number one. So in terms of numbers, it doesn’t have people to oppose—with whom to oppose anybody. Number two, and most critically: what is the form of opposition we’ve seen in the last two or three years? Press releases attacking the APC. That’s opposition? You have no counter-arguments, you have no detailed presentations”, he criticised.
Emphasising the importance of the judiciary to democracy, Prof. Ikechukwu noted that democracy depends on respecting institutions and the legal system, even if the public disagrees with some decisions.
“Well, in any modern polity, you cannot abandon the judiciary. But you may question some of its decisions, but certainly not all of them. Now, it is possible to question the judicial process. You can question the integrity of outcomes. But people carry it so far as to suggest that the judiciary is unnecessary. It is not unnecessary. So, for me, the issue on the table is that you can’t abolish the judiciary, but in looking at the outcomes, you see that in many cases, or at least in some cases, there’s concern about the integrity of the outcome. But the actual alternative I see, the real solution, is for people to vote and guard their votes”, he said.
Speaking on the influx of politicians into APC, he said the party will face internal conflicts and challenges in maintaining cohesion, noting that this could make lasting one-party dominance unlikely.
“I don’t know about a one-party state because when you’re speaking of a state, even where there is only one party governing, there is intra-party friction. That’s what the APC will still have to deal with. All this dancing about welcoming people. So, that is an issue. Implosion—total implosion? No. But infighting? Yes. And then what might yet become an issue on its own is: yes, are they decamping from ideological conviction? Is it true that some people that have questionable records in certain areas are getting cover for doing that? That’s a question that must be answered eventually”, he concluded.
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