By Daniel Abia

A socio-political group in the Niger Delta region, South-South Reawakening Group (SSRG), has called on opposition political parties to wriggle out of the current leadership impasse as proof that they are ready for the 2027 general elections.

The group noted that settling the ongoing leadership crises in the opposition parties without casting aspersions on the ruling party would portray their readiness to take on the incumbent when elections kick off next February.

Speaking on the recent crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress, ADC, the convener of the group, Joseph Ambakaderimo, said holding a series of Press conferences and apportioning blame will not appeal to the electorate, adding that solving every intractable internal problem was of the essence because “time is not on their side”.

Ambakaderimo warned that the lackadaisical attitude of the opposition, which thinks that elections are like taking a walk in the park, may cause them to lose the 2027 elections if things are not urgently put right, stating that the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, “will not sit idle and get trounced in the elections”.

According to him, those shouting ‘one-party state’ today were sometimes guilty of the same thing they accuse the ruling party of. “There was a time a certain President said the elections at that time were “a do or die” affair. Many of the opposition today were in the same party as the President then.

“In all of the allegations of intrusion by the ruling Party, the ability of the ADC to pick itself up will endear the party to Nigerians, not finding who to blame. Not following the due process of law in itself is a threat to democracy”.

He noted that the ADC leaders brought this problem upon themselves, and it seems they haven’t yet learned by insisting that they will proceed with their congresses”, adding that, “if they do, this will give INEC the justification to sanction the party”.

Ambakaderimo said that INEC continues to register Political Parties, and that the claim that Nigeria is drifting toward a one-party state does not hold water. “This rhetoric is misplaced because as at today, we have twenty-two registered political parties. So, where is the one-party state?

The SSRG convener alleged that the opposition has not made a clear case for Nigerians to believe in them and vote for their candidates in the coming elections. “What do these persons congregating intend to do differently from what the All Progressive Congress (APC) is doing? What better alternatives are they selling to the Nigerian people?

“So far, there are no clear-cut alternatives in terms of new policy formulation and  implementation strategies, no alternative on how to increase revenue for government expenditure, no new agriculture policy, education, housing ,the issue of climate change, energy transition and a host of others aimed at benefiting Nigerians”, he touted.

To ensure a strong and enduring democracy thrives, he called on Nigeria’s opposition political parties to urgently resolve their internal squabbles before the next elections.