The gradual slide to a one-party state looms large following the inability of opposition parties to cover themselves in glory while the country continues to slide under the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

To be fair to the APC, there is no deliberate attempt to grow into a standing lone tree in the jungle.

The other parties are running out of ideas on how to confront the party in power and continue to wallow in unending controversies.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was in power for 16 years until the APC swept them away with its broom in 2015.

However, that broom, which appeared some nine years ago, has been unable to sweep the polity clean.

The nation grapples with endless borrowing, hike in pump price of petroleum products and a stagnant economy.

While Nigeria continues to go under which should be a weapon for the opposition, the PDP continues to press the self-destruct button.

A supposedly staunch PDP member, Nyesom Wike, is in the APC controlled government as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister and in what sounds logically absurd, he controls both parties in his home state of River.

However, Wike may not be the only reason for PDP’s woes. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar led the way when he emerged as the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections.

At the time Atiku surfaced, the chairman of the party was Iyorchia Ayu. Wike felt betrayed that the North produced the presidential candidate and at the same time held on to the chairmanship of the party.

It was even worse that Ifeanyi Okowa, who as governor of Delta State led other Southern governors to announce that the presidential ticket would not go to the North, ended up as Atiku’s running mate.

The Labour Party came out strong when Peter Obi sensed he would lose the PDP ticket and moved away. The ‘Obedients’ offered something new, away from bread and butter machinations.

After tantalising voters, many party supporters blamed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for denying them the keys to Aso Rock. The story today is not sweet.

The party has been factionalised and balkanised. The division began with Lamidi Apapa who declared himself chairman, in place of Julius Abure.

Then came National Treasurer, Oluchi Opara, with damning allegations against Abure. Obi and the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, waded in as concerned stakeholders claiming that Abure’s tenure had expired.

There is every reason to believe that party politics has not delivered the country from the claws of maladministration

They set up a 29-member Caretaker Committee headed by former Finance minister, Nenadi Usman. However, the battle is still not over.

The New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) is also troubled. There is a factional Chairman, Agbor Major, who does not believe in Rabiu Kwankwaso as ‘El Supremo’.

The Party’s Secretary, Oginni Olaposi, dragged Kwankwaso to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alleging misappropriation of party funds.

All these distractions are happening at a time inflation has sent many to suicide classes. More cases of suicide may come in the near future but the opposition parties do not seem to care.

Their eyes are on themselves instead of the APC-led Federal Government. States governed by the PDP are receiving less attention from their governors, chasing the shadows of Wike, the Frankenstein entity created by Atiku and Ayu.

Seven governors, Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Duoye Diri (Bayelsa), Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta) and Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom) are frontally against the FCT minister.

PDP’s National Chairman, Iliya Damagum, believed to be close to Wike, has vowed to stay put even when the seven anti-Wike governors are bent on shoving him aside.

He has the backing of the quartet of Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau) and Agbu Kefas (Taraba).

Governors Peter Mba and Dauda Lawal of Enugu and Zamfara states respectively are on the fence. Members of the opposition are best placed to fight the wrongs of the ruling party.

In the eyes of APC, the Labour Union sounds like the Labour Party, with charges of treason dangling on protesters or perceived unionists.

The clampdown on all forms of body movements directed against Aso Villa has left the masses crying for redemption through a virile opposition.

There are indications that the only party that can oppose the APC is the party in power.

In 1922, Herbert Macaulay and some of his friends, Egerton Shyngle, Adeniyi Jones and Karimu Kotun, floated the first political party in the country, the Nigeria National Democratic Power.

A year later, Governor Hugh Clifford, was not convinced of the capability of Nigerians to rule themselves.

This is 2025, 103 years later. There is every reason to believe that party politics has not delivered the country from the claws of maladministration.

The difference between those in the ruling party and the opposition is like six and half a dozen.

The sooner the fractured opposition can unite and form a formidable counter balance to the ruling party the better for the nation’s democracy.

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