Most politicking in the Nigerian polity are triggered by events; for instance, during the first republic, feud between Awolowo and Akintola in the south-west, Tivs unrest in the middle-belt, oppression of the opposition, especially NEPU members in the north-west and the continuous disagreement at the centre between the federal government and the opposition led by Awolowo, all these connived, led to the collapsed of the first republic. The wide-spread rigging and manipulations in conduct of the election which characterized the 1983  elections, where the NPN claimed, one ‘Man’ have won elections everywhere- overheated the political system, thus, when the military step-in, they received a big   welcome from the masses.

   After the 2003 general  elections, happenings in the PDP to some extent is dictating the political direction of Nigeria; and one unique thing is , it is not the PDP as political party that is dictating the political tones of the country but rather the intriguing political scheming by president Olusegun Obasanjo, where  political vendetta and blackmail  against his  vice is a ‘main’ agenda  on the president’s table, particularly after the failure of the president to secure an illegitimate term in office, and it is a known  fact that  Atiku served as a relying point to democrats who stood firm and defeated the plot , and Atiku have  chooses  simplistic and  diplomatic engagement. The consequence of Obasanjo’s actions is the substantial political realignment Nigeria is experiencing and the current unprecedented proliferation of political parties and the quest for options and alternatives to help heal the worn inflicted on Nigeria’s democracy

When in 1998, genuine democrats decided to confront the military and to peacefully lead them out of politics; a mega grouping –the famous G34 led the way; the then PDP, though not a complete mega party, but little bit a likeness of one, was use to appeal to ordinary Nigerians, hence the party secured most of the votes during the 1999 election, but today it is a different thing all together, the PDP have lost her foundation and most of her  founding members, and interestingly,  most of the  new PDP members are in the party because of  the fear of the powers that be, or the benefit associated with being in a party that controls the center.

 Just like the way the military was ease-out from political governance in 1999; politicians are now working on a Mega party with the  believe that, it would, with ease, checkmate and constitutionally  chase the PDP out of governance. Taking into reflection the antecedences of the PDP, the party started as the desired vehicle that would take Nigerians to the Promised Land, but the party gradually turnout to be a mystification      of-a-sort; though, president Obasanjo’s             not-well-thought third term ambition coupled with battalion of place hunters who took advantage of the situation, are the propellers of the current PDP quandaries.

   Though there are contemplation that diverse ideologies do not knit together in Nigerian politics, and mega political setting sometimes turnout to be an intricate arrangement to do with; but the truth is, the smaller parties springing in the polity nowadays; cannot in any way challenge the PDP, or offer Nigerians a dependable, reliable and maintainable  alternative, therefore mega –party is a necessary thing -so to speak; that true democrats have to rely upon to give the PDP a genuine challenge in the 2007 elections, and a sure way to  bring back  democracy back to it feet.  

 Mega political party connotes a collection of diverse and probably strange ideologies, can the conservatives and the progressives , or the leftists and the rightists work in concord, in the current Nigerian politics where every political bigwig  want to take the driver’s seat? This is the greatest challenge the Action Congress (AC), has to content with, and fashioned a cushion to it; if the AC is to truly checkmate the undemocratic posture of the bigheaded PDP.  Does the AC have any prospect of dislodging the PDP? Can a truly political alliance be achieved now considering the little time frame to 2007 election? considering the triumph achieved by democrats in 1998, in promptly coming together to democratically challenge the military, and receiving wide-spread national acceptance, the present time frame to 2007 elections is good enough for the AC to consolidate the alliance and make a huge impact on the polity, another advantage that the AC can benefit from, is, Nigeria’s democracy is being inflicted  with unnecessary injury by president Obasanjo, and Nigerians are  looking for a way-out, because  Nigerians are a kind of people that never believe in  one-man-rule.  The constant blackmailing of every potential presidential contender by president Obasanjo would be a motivating force to the AC, because it will heighten   the prospect of boosting   the  membership of the alliance, Daily trust of Tuesday 5^th September, 2006 reported, Ambassador Yahya Kwande saying: “we have (in the AC) people from all over the places; we have people from AD, APGA and even the members of the authentic PDP” this sound good for a nation facing a challenge of a president that is unnecessary overheating the  political system. There are reports pointing to the direction that, the AC is a fusion of ACD, AD, APGA, Action People Congress Party, Afenifere, and PPA, Solomon Lar faction of the PDP and diverse tribal and sectional movement and scores of interest groups.

With the sticky and catch-22 situation the PDP is in, and the seeming perpetual  state of oscillation the ANPP found itself especially in the politics of the centre; the absent of a true, big, reliable and nationally acceptable opposition party, the uncertainty in the polity and president Obasanjo has  surrounded his leadership style with  creation of trepidations in the minds of the public,  brazen blackmailing of perceived political opponents , political  vendetta, the Action Congress (AC) appears to be an equivalent of G34, and the current situation is a resemblance  of 1998; Action Congress   can make an impact especially if the party can present a presidential candidate with proven democratic records, someone that is  secular, detribalized  and with established     nation-wide political tentacle, whose chances of  clinching the presidency is a step by.

Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Jimeta, Nigeria

zaymohd@yahoo.com