STRIKER: “There Is Such A Party”
THE catch phrase in the title is credited to the unforgettable Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov [Lenin], leader of the Great October Bolshevik revolution of 1917 in Russia. After the February Revolution in 1917, social and political chaos characterised the Russian society increasingly.
At the First All-Russia Congress of Soviets in June-July dominated by delegates of the Socialist Revolutionaries (285 seats), Mensheviks (248 seats) and Bolsheviks (105 seats), the Chairman of the Petrograds Soviets, Irakli Tsereteli, posed the historical challenge of Russian politics in the question: can any delegate name a party that would risk taking power and accepting full responsibility for everything happening in Russia?
On the second day of Congress when it was Lenin’s turn to speak, he started boldly by saying “There Is!” There was only loud applause from the Bolsheviks and laughter from the rest of the hall. However, by October, the Bolshevik revolution and total takeover of power happened.
Fast forwards to Nigeria in 2025, the historical challenge to the social, economic and political crises of Nigeria would likely be posed today in such a question as: can any party confidently come out to say it will return Nigeria to a Genuine Federal Republic if given power at the centre in 2027?
Expectation of a firm positive answer from the All Progressives Congress (APC) was what made Nigerians, against all odds, vote out an incumbent government and party at the centre in 2015. After 4 years of “Change” plus 4 years of “Next Level” with APC’s Buhari, and now the ongoing 2nd of 4 years with APC National Leader that sold Buhari to Nigerians: now President – Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria is as far away from a genuine federal republic as it ever was and mired in unremitted insecurity challenges, sectional and sectarian extremisms and economic woes.
Having escaped from a party with a “stealing is not corruption” philosophy to where we are now with an imperial party and government, the question remains “which party can come out boldly to commit to the return of Nigeria to a true Federal Republic if given power at the centre in 2027?” If APC of all parties can renege and fail woefully on that promise, is there then such progressive party today? If not, what is to be done, considering that the ultimate solution to Nigeria’s multifaceted problems, without doubt, is a return to its original self – A Federal Republic of Nigeria?
This is the key question young people must ask themselves to arrive at “what is to be done” today ahead of 2 years’ time – then organise around their resolutions. They must realise and accept that a hundred more general elections in 800 years would never deliver anything good so long as we remain a fake and self-deceiving Federal Republic centrally hooked by the lazy, unpatriotic elites on control, sharing and mismanagement of “free” oil-rent money, without any sense of social responsibility. In the specific context of an almighty unitary, presidential system, what we need are politicians gathered in a fresh political party committed to the restructuring deal!
Accordingly, young people especially and progressive popular organisations at large should look beyond parties as presently constituted and composed; they should look beyond ethnic and religious divides in the readiness to mobilise behind an assemblage of politicians with a track record of commitment to TRUE FEDERALISM, voting only for such individuals for the state houses of assembly all the way to the President. Once all elections are done with by 2027, their task is to organise the mass pressure movement to ensure constitutional return to a TRUE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA “by all means necessary.”
On the basis of the current virus-ridden and wrong constitutional operating system, no quantum of good intention or “integrity” by any Governor or President can make him or her deliver sustainable democratic or development dividends. Not having any love or good intention for the people in the first place, and being slaves of foreign powers indeed, the warped operating unitary system is a readymade excuse for resounding failure; whereby they can only keep looking back after exit and contemptuously saying “I’ve done my best, Nigerians are more difficult to govern than cows.”
Once above is understood and accepted, next is organisation and action! Everything else is deceit and exercise in futility and a delay of the “judgement day” for Nigeria.
The opinions expressed in this publication are solely those of the author. It does not represent the editorial position or opinion of OSUN DEFENDER.
