IS Chris Nwabueze Ngige stepping out for a political baptism? Ngige, who may not qualify as a former governor of Anambra State, does not cut the picture of an opposition politician. His many maneuvers tend to portray him as a wily politician.

However, in climes where opposition politics has taken roots, principle rather than convenience, is its  staying power. The opposition consistently stands for a cause; for an alternative vision and different way of doing things.

As Ngige goes to the Election Petition Tribunal to contest Peter  Obi’s victory in the February 6, 2010 governorship election, it could be argued that the action would one way or the other enrich our democracy. A judicial review of the election process which promises to sensitize the electoral body to better performance, speaks loudly about the benefit of opposition activism.

What arouses curiosity in the case of Ngige is whether he will have the patience and fortitude to go the long distance that meaningful opposition usually entails or this is a mere flash in the pan. His antecedents aside, the perceived aggressive mode of Ngige’s opposition hint at other political calculations at play.

The following questions are relevant to the discussion: Has Ngige’s membership of the Action Congress come to stay? If the AC governorship candidate exits from the party tomorrow, would he still have an abiding interest in the petition assuming such a move legally speaking, does not automatically translate to a loss of locus standi.

In the light of the fluctuating interests that have tended to characterise Nigerian politics, can it be disputed that other factors may intervene to compel Ngige to leave the AC and dump the case at the tribunal?

Who would have believed that after several abusive exchanges between his political movement and the PDP, that Atiku Abubakar would at the first opportunity, ditch the AC for the PDP?

Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, may not be your first choice of an orator but he  is often given to witty statements. During the pre-election debate in Awka, moderated by Reuben Abati and Okey Ikechukwu, Obi had observed that his main rivals in the contest were all PDP politicians.

At the wry remark, Ngige had frowned in disapproval, suggesting that his stakes in the AC was not of a transitory nature as Andy Uba’s membership of the Labour Party; Nicholas Ukachukwu’s Hope Democratic Party and Uche Ekwunife’s identification with the Progressive  Peoples Alliance, was perceived.

But in living this hour of political correctness before a packed audience, Ngige apparently forgot his recent romance with the PDP. In 2009, the same Ngige had responded to overtures from the Alex Ekwueme-led Reconciliation Committee towards returning to the PDP. What put paid to the deliberations was Ngige’s insistence that he should automatically get the PDP governorship ticket on re-uniting with the party. Does this bespeak an attitude of ideological politics? Certainly not.

At the climax of Peter Obi’s election petition in 2003, when the proceedings at the tribunal had begun to point towards an upset, Ngige had equally betrayed a sense of ‘freelance’ politicking.

He hurriedly struck a deal with Chekwas Okorie, the then national Chairman of APGA, who cut a pathetic picture as he announced APGA’s abandonment of the petition and presented Ngige with the party’s membership card, at a well publicised ceremony in Awka. An embattled Ngige had promised to consider the offer in due time.

Aside from the possibility of political realignment, some observers think there is a confrontational tone to Ngige’s activism that detracts from a proper opposition role.

Four months after the February 6, 2010 election, the defeated Action Congress candidate continues to drive through the streets of Anambra State with blaring siren.  The preoccupation with the trappings of power predates the political campaign period. Ngige has insisted on the use of siren  since his governorship was nullified in 2006.

Today, the controversial politician’s convoy is a sight to behold as he shuttles between his campaign office and the tribunal amidst defeaning siren. Every opportunity of rabble rousing along the way is seized with both hands.

The sense of defiance is unmistakable, reminding one of Ngige’s officious inspection of State Government projects as a private citizen in 2008.

Such pattern of misplaced activism sustains doubts whether Ngige appreciates the essence of opposition in a democracy.

Mr.  Nwokenife, a retired civil servant, Awka, Anambra State.