The political parties are not left out. In states where any of them currently forms the government, everything possible is being done to ensure power is not relinquished to the opposition.
For the All Progressive Congress (APC) the story is the same.
The outcome of the Ekiti gubernatorial elections and the ousting of Governor Muritala Nyako in Adamawa State, did nothing more than deplete its rank and file.
But the party seems to have moved on from nursing the wounds of the losses, shifting focus on its biggest mission.
Times without number, the APC has expressed its readiness to upstage the Peoples Democratic (PDP) at the 2015 presidential election, and form the next government at the federal level.
Tough as the task seems, the party is full of confidence and optimistic of its chances and has not hesitated to tell those who care to listen that it is battle ready for the February 14, 2015 presidential poll.
Be that as it may, the current challenge before the APC, political observers posit, will be the ability of the party to put forward its strongest candidate to challenge the incumbent government.
Strange bed fellows?
When three political parties- Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), merged to form the APC in 2013, the PDP did not hesitate to say it was only a matter of time before the new marriage falls apart.
Despite this understandable pessimism, particularly because of the quarters from which it came, many Nigerians hailed the merger, expressing belief that it would provide an alternative and credible platform, in addition to giving the ruling party a run for its money.
However, to the PDP, the merger was only a flash in the pan and not likely to pose any major threats to its fortunes.
Former Chairman of the PDP, Bamanga Tukur had taunted the ideology on which the APC was formed, saying his party does not require any form of merger to win elections. Tukur went further to taunted the APC as a union of strange bed fellows.
Tukur's position came on the backdrop of the defection of five PDP governors to the APC, but insisted that they would return to the fold when the bubble in the opposition party bursts.
Over a year down the line, the merger is yet to be tested in a nationwide election, but unfolding events, so far, have shown that the APC still has some internal wranglings to iron. Unless this is done quickly too, many believe it could pose serious threats to its chances at the elections.
The nationwide state congresses of the APC did not help its fortunes. Rather than help the party strategise in states where it had a stronghold, the outcome of most of the congresses tore the group along political ideologies of its various legacy parties.
Though none of the governors who defected (Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers; Tanko
Al Makura of Nasarawa; Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara; Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano; Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto; and Murtala Nyako of Adamawa,) have returned, as predicted several members, hitherto in the APC have returned to where they once belonged, while some aggrieved members have also found solace in the PDP.
Recently, the former Governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau and the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu ditched the APC for the PDP. Few weeks later, a founding member of the APC merger, Chief Tom Ikimi followed suit. Ribadu was CAN's presidential candidate in 2011.
Ikimi, who was hoping to emerge as Chairman of the party summed up his reason for dumping the party in his letter titled, "APC, My Reflections" when he wrote in his letter: "I am at the stage of currently critically re-examining the two dominant political parties in our country, which are the APC and the PDP, in both of which I have had close working knowledge.
"I have not ignored the other political parties but in the light of the foregoing I must now search to really ascertain where indeed my true political friends exist. I need to be, at this time of my life, where I have friends who share a common vision with me and where my freedom, respect, honour and dignity would be guaranteed".
Much as the APC said it was not losing sleep over his decision, the scenario, yet again, painted a clear picture that all was certainly not well within the nation's main opposition party.
Internal democracy
One major tantrum the PDP has continued to throw at the APC is the allegation that it lacks internal democracy. This notion seems to have derived its roots from the days of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the exploits of the party's National Leader and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, especially in its journey to controlling five of the six south west states.
Tinubu was said to have imposed candidates against the wish of the people, damning the opinion and thoughts of party members with impunity.
The notion generally held in several quarters is that he has the final say on who gets what and when. Hence, it is not surprising that reports making the rounds regarding his being the brain behind the call for General Muhammadu Buhari to emerge as the APC presidential flag bearer has just refused to go away.
Despite the merger with other parties, this tag has continued to haunt the APC. With the 2015 general elections approaching, the party will be hoping to use the opportunity to confirm or refute such insinuations.
This, National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, believes, will provide the party an ample opportunity to prove its detractors wrong.
According to Mohammed, the party has committed itself to following the constitutional guidelines, and will conduct primaries for its presidential candidate to emerge.
Mohammed said the party presently has no master plan as regards who it intends to field for the presidential election, stressing that the constitution gives everybody the right to contest for any office in the land provided such person meets the constitutional requirement of the party and of the country.
"What the party intends to do is to show the world that internal democracy abounds in the party. We have not decided on any candidate and only our constitution and our guidelines will regulate the emergence of the candidate, whatever permutations is being done here and there, is of no relevance to the party.
"We are not going to give anybody any preferential treatment; the party will adopt its guidelines which will be in consonance with the constitution and INEC regulation and anybody who so wishes will throw in his hat into the race.
"But there is no master plan, people should just wait and watch how we are going to conduct the primaries", the APC scribe said.
Buhari versus Atiku
As far as the 2015 election is concerned, APC's biggest headache will be how to perfect a structure that would ensure whoever emerges as candidate is accepted by all.
Keen observers of events within the APC agree that one thing it cannot afford at this moment is any situation that would divide rather than unite it.
Political analysts however predict that the ambition of former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and Kano State Governor- Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso, could split the party top-to-bottom. Both men are set to go head-to-head for the party's presidential ticket.
In an interview with Sunday Independent a fortnight ago, Bukar Abba, former governor of Yobe State, agrees that "if internal democracy is allowed to be practiced, these three people, along with I, for example are interested in joining the presidential race. If it is done with internal democracy and everything is done openly without any hidden agenda by anybody, we are going to have a presidential candidate, who by the Will of God, Insha Allah win the election and effect change for the first time in Nigeria, because in the history of this country, it has never been ruled by any Progressive. It has always been in the conservative party- be it in the Military or civilian. So, if we are able to gain that, we have our first government won by progressives, run by progressives for the benefit of all Nigerians."
For Buhari, this is perhaps going to be his last outing in an election contest. If he eventually declares his intention to run, it would be his fourth time having been involved in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 presidential elections, which he unfortunately lost.
What Buhari, however has going for him, is his appeal among the masses, particularly, those of northern extraction. Over the years, he has managed to cultivate for himself an impressive 'cult' followership among the peasants popularly known as the talakawas in the Northern parts of Nigeria.
In the 2011 elections, contesting under the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Buhari polled about 12 million votes to finish second behind President Goodluck Jonathan.
Ahead of the November 16 to 22 date set for the presidential primaries, there is a strong clamour among a section of the party, calling for Buhari to be given the ticket to fly the party's flag at the elections.
Atiku however thinks differently. The former Vice President believes that the party as presently constituted, cannot do without holding an elective party primary to choose its flag bearer for the presidential race.
Atiku feels that those leading the clamour for such might be coming from a background where such concessions are the norm, reminding all who cares to listen however that the composition of the APC, makes such move nearly impossible.
"There is nothing like automatic ticket and those people who are asking for automatic ticket might have been coming from a political background that did not know contest before.
"You know the APC is an amalgamation of a number of political parties that came together and merged their identities but the APC as currently constituted cannot escape an elective mode of primaries.
"There is no zoning, on what basis are you going to say it is automatic? There is no allocation as they do in the PDP, there is nothing like that so, on what basis?"
He is also quick to tell those clamouring for an outright ticket for Buhari not to be afraid of a political contest as it would further help to strengthen democracy.
Atiku was also quick to assure that if he lost out in a free and fair primary process, he would nonetheless collapse his political structure into that of the eventual candidate to ensure victory for the party.
Aside Buhari and Atiku, Kwankwaso and founder of Leadership Newspapers, Sam Nda-Isaiah also have their eyes fixed on the coveted ticket ahead of the perceived favourites.
Who carries the day?
National Chairman of the APC, John Oyegun is relishing the array of aspirants who will slug it out for the party's ticket.
He insists the party, against all criticisms, boasts of a conglomeration of men with experience, a situation he says, is enough proof that it has answers to Nigeria's problem, especially judging by the transformation witnessed in states under its control.
Expressing optimism of his party's chances, Oyegun said PDP has reached its zenith and no longer possessed the capability to implement policies and programmes that will uplift the lives of Nigerians.
In his words, "The APC is not at infancy stage. The APC brought together an agglomeration of experience deriving from the ACN, ANPP, CPC and APGA. The most visionary leader that APGA had is with us now. So the party was not born yesterday.
"We have put together the experiences of these great four parties and we are ready for the battle. We are ready. We are telling the people that the PDP has reached its zenith. It has reached its maximum,"
But it would take more than mere words from the APC to dislodge the PDP, come February 14, 2015. The PDP presently may have its own issues, but it still remains the party with the highest national spread in Nigeria, a factor it is set to capitalise on to disappoint its opponents yet again.
Barring any unforeseen circumstance, President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to emerge as Presidential candidate of the PDP, especially with his adoption by the PDP Governors, a major bloc of influential personalities who are in control of party structures within their states. In the wee-hours of Thursday also, the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) brightened the process of Jonathan emerging sole party's aspirant at the all-important poll.
The implication of this is that the APC knows who it is up against. What is left is for the party to regroup urgently and build a mass movement, if its intention is to present more than just an opposition in 2015.
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