by Ife Adebayo

The three major parties involved in this merger are parties that have shown over time that they campaign on issues; parties that have not shied away from presidential debates; parties that have clearly stated their plans for the electorate.

In my Y! Politico article on January 9^th 2013, I wrote that “Opposition politics is Nigeria’s only hope”. Few weeks after, the All Progressives Congress (APC) was birthed. The All Progressives Congress is a new mega-party being formed by Nigeria’s three biggest opposition parties, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and other parties. Finally we are at the verge of creating a party that has at its heart the development of the nation.

The formation of the APC comes at a time Kenya is preparing for its presidential elections. Similar to Nigeria is Kenya’s inclination towards supporting political parties based on ethnic affiliations, after the December 2007 presidential elections in Kenya more than 1,000 people were killed and more than 600,000 displaced in political violence mainly based on ethnic divisions.

In Kenya, 80 per cent of the unemployed are youth between the ages of 15 and 34, very similar to Nigeria’s high youth unemployment rate, the Kenyan candidates are very aware of this and have this issue on the top of their promises in their manifestos, education is also an important factor with almost all the candidates promising free primary and secondary education if elected. One candidate, Raila Odinga is promising increased funding for youth entrepreneurs, while Uhuru Kenyatta is also promising detailed youth employment programs.

What we have in Kenya is an election with eight presidential candidates but with polls showing strong following for two major candidates Raila Odinga and Uhuru Kenyatta. These candidates are campaigning based on the issues, the issues that matter to the populace, the issues of job creation, issues of education, and issues of the economy. The Kenyan people have grown from the last electoral violence. Following the 2007 elections NGOs like the Friends Church Peace Teams (FCPT) have been involved in voter education and done numerous Alternative to Violence (AVP) workshops and civic education seminars, they’ve taken the time between the last election and now to educate their populace, to prepare the people for an opportunity to elect a government of their choice, for them to make their choices at the polling booths and not with knives and cutlasses.

To many Nigerians, 2015 is 2 years away, but like I’ve been saying since last year, 2015 is already upon us. The formation of the All Progressives Congress couldn’t have come at a better time. The coming together of politicians without any pre-set conditions except that they want to form a party to rescue Nigerians from the pity called the Peoples Democratic Party. The three major parties involved in this merger are parties that have shown over time that they campaign on issues; parties that have not shied away from presidential debates; parties that have clearly stated their plans for the electorate.

The Action Congress of Nigeria is a party that has shown Nigerians what good governance is all about, the tales are all over the states governed by ACN governors. The Congress for Progressive Change is famous for being the party of the masses in the north. The party of the voiceless. The All Progressive Grand Alliance is a household name in Igbo land, a party that has continued to provide an enabling environment for Igbos to maintain a strong economic nerve in the eastern part of the country. Putting these parties and other parties in the alliance together to forge a common front is the best thing that can happen to Nigeria’s democracy.

I won’t end this without giving a word for the youth. Enough of the complaining, enough of the tears, now is the time to come together to build a formidable opposition, now is the time to be ready to be a part of the change we all so dearly seek. Now is the time to be a part and parcel of the All Progressives Congress. This is one party where you can find a voice, where you can find a space, a party that will eventually speak for all Nigerians. I want to encourage us all to keep our ears to the ground and get registered to be a part of this change process once all necessary INEC registration have been done.

Let us come together and work towards a better Nigeria. 2015 is here already, stand up and be the change you want to see.

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Ife Adebayo is an IT Consultant with work experience in Germany, United Kingdom and Nigeria. He currently runs his own IT firm in Lagos, Nigeria. He is an ardent believer in the Nigerian project and encourages all Nigerians to become actively involved in making Nigeria a better place.

Ife is a registered member of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Epe Local Government, Lagos State. He was an active member of the UK branch of the party, holding the post of Youth Leader for the year 2010/2011.

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.