by Alexander O. Onukwue

At the last count, there are 45 parties registered with INEC, and 88 more awaiting approval.

Of this lot, 2019 will largely be contested between the predominant parties of the last general elections, the PDP and APC. Any third strong opposition, as Japheth Omojuwa has observed, will be a product of something from both parties.

With the formation of the APDA, that process looks to be in first gear. Despite the attention to the problems of the PDP, that the APC has its internal wrangling is no secret. The inability to convene a meeting of its Board of Trustees is a pointer that all is not entirely well in the home of the biggest political marriage in Nigeria’s history yet.

The current Abuja-London tensions in the country look to make the twenty months leading up to Elections in 2019 interesting. As is usually the case in Nigeria, some persons eventually become dissatisfied with the terms of a union, and in seeking options, will find suitors ready to take a chance on them.

For better or worse, party politics in this part of the world is directed by ethnic motivations. Politicians tend to align with those whose language sound familiar. The APDA is not yet formed enough to make a high-level guess of its ethnic demographics, with the posture at the moment hinged on the two speakers at its launch, Dan Iwuanyanwu and Mallam Shittu Kabiru.

With a structured zoning formula and the promise of direct primaries, the APDA is laying enticing offers on the table for individuals in other parties who feel their personalities can take them far in elections. Will it prove attractive to sidelined members and those asked to be patient in the ruling party seeking to re-assert their relevance and political prowess?

Editor