Need for strong PDP opposition to APC-led Benue govt

[Michael Atovigba]

Of what use would a one-party state be to Benue? Its better to have
some strong opposition party that always threatens the chances of the
ruling party at next polls. This would compel the incumbent to sit up
in delivering electoral promises.
The APC won last governorship polls in Benue State but could not form
a simple majority in the state house of assembly: the PDP has the
simple majority and would probably produce the speaker if they are
cohesive. The PDP may lose out and not be able to produce the speaker
if they are not together or weak or mediocre. If they are weak or
mediocre, some of the PDPs at the house will take a few wads and sell
off their birthright at parliament.
But there is a need for the PDP to assume party discipline and work
together and take leadership of parliament and constitute checks and
balances with oversight functions to compel the Ortom-Abounu led govt
starting May 25, 2015.
We need not just a vibrant but reasonable opposition to the APC state
govt which will raise issues of development, appropriation, security,
job creation, education, farming, etc which are needed to be in place
for everyone to benefit from.
So far, there is in place some wishy-washy Dr Agbo led state PDP which
seems to be more or less vegetable and could not win last state
governorship despite being incumbent. The Agbo-led PDP could not read
the March 28 presidential poll results in order to turn the tables at
the April 11 governorship poll. So, instead of narrowing an initial
70,000 votes gap to have their candidate Prince Tarzoor winning, the
PDP shrank further down to one hundred thousand odd votes gap thus
losing the governorship in shame. An insensitive Dr Agbo is still
hanging there instead of resigning since he has failed to deliver his
party at the polls.
If the PDP had sat at a around table and analyzed the presidential
results they would have found out that they won in 14 LGAs while APC
won in 9 LGAs, and it was only in total number of votes cast that the
APC had won with the 70,000 gap. In that case it would have been the
issue of SWOT - e.g. where they had strength they should have worked
harder for more voters to turn out at gov polls. Instead they shied
away and did not even go campaigning in the last two weeks to
governorship polls.
The APC went into grassroots campaigns shortly after presidential
polls for house to house mopping up, and increased the difference to
100,000 plus. Yet PDP has more members than APC at parliament in Benue
State.
The April 11 state poll has turned PDP into mere paper tiger status
before the APC. Events now following indicate that PDP members are now
even feeling like grasshoppers before APC members. At the state
parliament which will be inaugurated next week, for instance, the APC
is planning to produce the speaker while PDP is divided. One PDP
speaker-ship aspirant is said to be campaigning for APC counterparts
to make him speaker so that after that he make decamp to APC and enjoy
the Tambuwal syndrone!
This is a shame to a party that is already going down. If PDP had
competent leadership it should have since brought its
legislators-elect together so that they may not sell their votes to
APC in selecting the speaker. The PDP need not disappear and let only
APC be the party in Benue State. Doing that would turn the APC govt
into a set of dictators and non-performers since there will be no
apparent competition for power and no checks and balances,
We need at least two strong parties competing for power in Benue State
every four years after an election. The opposition party should always
be in the media and the floor of the assembly constructively
criticizing the ruling party's policies and projects execution. An
uncompromising opposition party led parliament will do, so that the
executive arm of govt may sit up. This helps the society better.
Yet here is a PDP some of whose governorship aspirants have decamped
shortly after their defeat at the polls owing to chicken-heartedness
and nostalgia for stomach infrastructure!
If the trend should linger and PDP turn vegetable in Benue State, then
the APC govt could afford to run a wishy-washy govt and yet remain in
power for a very long time. This will make Benue an even more
unenviable miserable state.
Dr Garshagu MV Atovigba
Doctor of Mathematics Education
Benue state University, Makurdi Nigeria