By Henry Oduah

General Editor of Vanguard Newspapers, Jide Ajani, has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) gets its strength from the weakness of opposition political parties in the country.

Mr Ajani stated this during an appearance on Thursday on Nigeria Info’s Daily Digest with Jimi Disu.

Reviewing Vanguard’s lead story of January 21, 2025, headlined “Ahead 2027: Why opposition can’t upstage ruling party,” Ajani knocked the opposition for appearing to be unwilling to deal with their leadership issues despite their ambition of dislodging the APC government in 2027.

“The strength of the APC is derived from the weakness of the opposition. That’s the best way to put it,” the former Sunday Editor said. “Whatever weakness or dysfunctionality you see in the APC derives its strength and staying power from the shambolic nature of the opposition that we have. If the opposition is not strong, no matter the internal issues in APC it will not feel threatened that something is coming.”

Ajani said the PDP’s challenges are made even worse by President Bola Tinubu whom he described as a “determined politician.”

“What we are seeing (in the PDP) is not new. When Obasanjo was president of Nigeria as a PDP leader we saw what happened to the other parties until 2013/2014 when they got their acts together and bonded to wrestle power from the PDP. So long as we have what we have today in Aso Rock, a determined politician who knows what he wants and knows how to get it, just like Obasanjo, I don’t see how they will (upstage the APC).

“Even if he as an individual doesn’t engineer it, people who would want to be seen as doing his bidding or who want to be in his good books would go to any length.”

Ajani, a former Special Adviser on Media to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, noted that baring any last-minute changes voter turnout will drop in 2027 owing to the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the 2023 elections.

“If Nigerians are sure that when they mobilise their votes will count the way it should, things will begin to change,” he said, praising the Ghanaian electoral system that produced John Mahama, who was in the opposition, as president last December.

Explaining what he meant by “the masses do not count in the electoral process,” Ajani said: “There is a section of the masses that are still virtuous, principled and still mean well. In fact, but for the masses of Nigeria this country would have been long gone – the average cleaner, your messenger, office assistant, bus conductor, driver, artisans, mechanic.

“The informal sector of our economy thrives more and that is where the real struggle is. They are the ones actually keeping the country. Left to the politicians this country would have been sold and they would have collected their change and disappeared. When we say the masses don’t matter it is within the construct of the political system.”

Ajani concluded that if there are no consequences for flouting electoral laws, such behaviours would be encouraged.

Reacting on Facebook to the interview, Ajayi Olumuyiwa wrote: “Mr Jide Ajani is a blessing to Nigeria and journalism. A very dependable and reliable journalist. He best describes the opposition party (PDP) in Nigeria. ‘The chaotic nature of Pdp is the strength of Apc.”

On YouTube, @Ninenifea wrote: “You should have this man as your political analyst just like captain blade talks security. He’s a good political analyst.”