The Politics of Opposition in Nigeria: Lessons and Challenges Beyond The 2015 General Elections

Abstract

The prevalence of a vibrant and strong opposition parties is profound in building an effective competitive politics. More than one and half decade of the country return to multiparty politics in 1999, People Democratic Party (PDP) has been in control of power, at least, at the national level, making the country almost a de-facto single party political system. This remains until when it was defeated in the 2015 general elections. The decomposition and recomposition of some opposition political parties, which have given rise to a strong opposition party and consequently defeat of the incumbent party for the first term, have brought a new trail in the history of the Nigerian political development. Thus, the emergence of APC in 2013 has made the politics of opposition vibrant since the inception of the present democratic dispensation. With the defeat of the PDP in the last general elections, there has been increasing culture of defection and switching from one political party to the other, particularly from the PDP - as an opposition party to the ruling party – APC. This situation has raised a serious concern about the place of ideology in Nigerian politics and dynamic of competitive multiparty politics. Thus, the inability of politicians to appreciate the fact that the existing of a strong opposition party is a key for effective competitive politics is informed by self centred interest. This is evidenced looking at the unending leadership tussle in PDP especially after it defeat in the 2015 general elections, in addition to the failure of APC to perform credibly. This article examines the dynamic of opposition politics in particular with the emergence of APC, first, as opposition and, then, as ruling party in Nigeria.