Opposition To The Rumoured 3rd Term: Assumption Of “One Party” State?

By

Emeka  Oraetoka

oramekllis@lycos.com

 

Since the outbreak of this imaginary opposition to President Olusegun Obasanjo’s rumoured ambition to have the Constitution amended to afford him 3rd term in office, one assumption is fast creeping into our body polity- that Nigeria is now a one party state.

 

As at last count, about Thirty Three [33], parties are in Nigeria today. It follows therefore, that we are still operating multi-party democracy in the country. In a multi-party democracy such as ours, it may amount to thought process apprehension for anybody to insist t hat president Olushegun Obasanjo wants to remain in office for the 3rd term on a straight line basis. Even if the constitution is amended to enable Obasanjo and other performing office holders to have a fresh shot at their various offices, it does not amount to automatic 3rd term for them, for the obvious reason that ours is a multi-party democracy.

 

The argument from opponent of 3rd term for Obasanjo and other office holders is that once the Constitution is amended to allow current incumbents to contest, they will rig the elections in their favour, as was done in 2003 general elections. It is the belief of these opponents that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) massively rigged 2003 gen eral elections. This position has been countered by PDP itself. The view of PDP and other right thinking Nigerians is that every party won elections in their various strongholds. The only exception to this rule was in the Southwest, where Alliance for Democracy [AD], expectedly lost to PDP. Right thinking Nigerians knew AD entered into unworkable agreement with PDP probably because of tribal interest, and paid dearly for it. The result of their curious arrangement as it were backfired when the masses of Southwest realized the intention of the promoters of AD, and decided to back People Democratic Party (PDP) all the way.

 

According to political experts, in isolated cases where the rul ing party and it closest rival, ANPP exchange victories, were as a result of obvious problems. For instance in Kano State, ANPP wrestled power from PDP because of power struggle in the ruling party. Similarly in Kwara State, ANPP lost to PDP for the obvious fact that the Godfather of Kwara State politics, Chief Olushola Saraki, left ANPP for PDP. The parties retained their other sates. The question now is: who rigged 2003 elections? Alternatively, which Party or parties rigged 2003 elections, and in which zones. Although, if ANPP accused PDP of riggings, that should be understandable as ANPP is an opposition party.

 

On the issue of tenure of the President in the proposed amendments, opponents of 3rd term are of the view that the three terms of four [4] years each is just a way of extending Obasanjo’s tenure in office. Opponents of this view point to the mischievous manner in which the duo of Alhaji Abubakar Rimi and Engineer Barnabas Gemade, entered into the presidential race, in defiance of party order, that presidency remains in the south till 2007; as reason behind Tenure Alteration and Zoning. It may be recalled that the incident, nearly set PDP on fire of which the consequences would have been disastrous for Nigeria. To avoid this scenario [Rimi/Gemade political transgression] therefore, Zoning and Tenure modification becomes Constitutionally imperative. Though this writer is an apostle of geo-political zoning of the office of the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria, on a Five [5] or Six [6] years single term.

 

It has been reasoned that Nigerians are in general agreement that the amendments of current Constitution is long overdue. It is believed that opposition to 3rd term is just an attempt by those enjoying the current order, to stop an event which time has come. 3rd term opposition is just a secret wish of the reactionary forces in the country that PDP is liquidated. Political pundits are of the view that 3rd term opposition is just a ploy to give the dog a bad name in order to hang it.

 

< DIV class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Analysts are however full of praises for the opponent of 3rd term for turning the sentiment of Nigerian press in their favour. They are however, full of knocks for the same press for being used cheaply in this regard. For instance, they are of the view that even if President Obasanjo want 3rd term, according to his body language as they alleged, it can only be possible if PDP gives him ticket and he goes ahead and win. What of the other 32 political parties, will they fold their hands and observe? If he is unpopular in Nigeria as being claimed by the press, at least from the fallout of the public hearings, PDP runs the risk of losing to any political party with the right candidate, should he be fielded after Constitution amendments. The calculation here according to pundits is, as the press has made Nigerians to believe that the recent public hearing on Constitution amendments was a monumental failure because the current constitutional status quo is preferred; it means PDP and Obasanjo are now unpopular. What right thinking Nigerians expected from the press is to lead other Nigerians to abandon PDP for alternative platform, from the existing political parties, in accordance with the principle of multi-party democracy. Unless of course, Nigerians have agreed in principle that ours should be a One Party State, there is simply no basis for the hypocritical cry against the proposed 3rd term.

 

Emeka  Oraetoka

Information Management Consultant.

Wrote inform Garki-Abuja.

e-mail:oramekllis@lycos.com