DAILY TRUST
Last week, five members of the House of Representatives, consisting of four Labour Party (LP) and one Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members renounced their membership of the party that gave them the platform to contest to win their seats and defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in one fell swoop.
Then this week, two other members of the Labour Party from Plateau State also defected to the APC.
The defections which are being contested by the LP, have added to the woes of the opposition parties in Nigeria as it has further reduced their number in the parliament and threatens to stifle their voices.
Before last week’s defection, opposition parties had lost many of their leading members, including a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, who defected alongside a former senator and PDP gubernatorial candidate in Ebonyi State, Obinna Ogba and that of the Labour Party, Edward Nkwegu. Prior to that, the senator representing Imo-east senatorial district, Francis Ezenwa, also moved to the ruling party.
The opposition also lost former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha and former spokesperson to a PDP presidential candidate, Daniel Bwala.
The leading opposition parties in Nigeria which include, the PDP; LP; NNPP, with the exception of the SDP, are also having it hard keeping their houses in order with each experiencing different type of crises.
With what is happening, observers of political events say the opposition in Nigeria may be recording one of its worst outings with its near absence on the polity and inability to put a united front to hold the government of the day to account.
Many posit that the opposition parties are not doing enough despite the general feeling of discontentment.
The situation appears worse at the legislature which is supposed to serve to check the excesses of the ruling party. Rather than the opposition moving against government policies, it is members of the ruling party that are seen to play such roles.
This is contrary to what is expected in a democracy where the opposition usually keeps the ruling party on its toes with keen monitoring of government policies and activities, clinical observations of events, constructive criticisms and offer of alternative ideas.
On inauguration of the current administration, the APC had 63 senators; while PDP had 34; LP, 5; NNPP; 2; SDP, 2 and APGA,1.
At the House of Representatives, 181 opposition lawmakers won seats into the 10th House with 117 seats for the PDP; LP, 35; NNPP, 19; APGA,5; SDP, 2; African Democratic Congress, ADC, 2; and Young Progressive Party, YPP, 1.
Despite the relatively high number of legislators, the voice of the opposition is hardly felt at the two chambers of the National Assembly.
Added to that, most of the opposition parties are embroiled in international crisis.
Some have attributed this to lack of ideologies and fear of the ruling party while others are of the opinion that the opposition parties may have been infiltrated by the ruling party and have been deliberately destabilised to ensure they do not form formidable fronts against it.
It is also alleged that the ruling party might be behind the crises in the opposition parties in order to keep them divided so as not threaten its chances in 2027.
Many recall how the APC kept the ruling party on its toes when it was formed, as its leaders organised protests, scrutinised and criticised almost every action of the government of the day and sustained its campaigns for change until it swept the PDP away from the presidency.
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