In politics the opposition comprises one or more political parties or other organized groups that are opposed to the government in power, put differently the administration.
The administration in this context is the party or group in political control of a city, region, state, or country.
The degree of opposition varies according to the political conditions in the polity and its peculiarities.
Here in Nigeria, we operate representative democracy buoyed by the rule of law; better defined as Liberal democracy or Liberalism.
Liberalism according to Wikipedia is a political philosophy or world view on ideas on liberty and equality.
Liberals espouse a wide array of views but generally, they support ideas and programmes such as freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of worship, and respect for human dignity.
It first became a distinct political system following its acceptance among philosophers and economists in the Western world.
More to that its greatest advantage is that it rejects hereditary privilege, state religion, absolute monarchy, and divine right.
The 17th-century philosopher John Locke is often credited with founding liberalism as a distinct philosophical tradition.
Locke argued that each man has a natural right to life, liberty, and property contending that governments must not violate these rights based on the social contract.
Again, Liberals opposed traditional conservatism and sought to replace absolutism in government with representative democracy and the rule of law.
Indeed, all these philosophical trappings can be found in the nation’s democratic system.
Nigeria is a circular state with a permissive society which ordinarily should equate her with the best democracies in the world, yet the nation’s political opposition still leaves much to be desired particularly since the inception of the new Administration on May 29th this year.
Instead of constructive criticism, the nation’s polity is awash with personality attacks, run-down syndrome, and vices either to incite or in many cases vilify the new administration or the party in power.
Opposition in an ideal political system should not be centred on individuals, particularly the leadership but aimed at fine-tuning the policy direction of the administration of the ruling party and also creating issues where necessary for national debate.
Indeed, it should aim at creating a template or a compendium of ideas from the opposition for improving the polity and the quality of life of the masses through good governance.
Instead of such positive initiatives, the system is laden with cynics under the aegis of opposition deriding the ruling party and its leadership with derogatory appellations expecting the Government to make all appointments and fulfill all its electoral promises within weeks.
It is incontestable that in many known areas of human endeavour the new administration has made a spirited effort to restore hope to Nigerians including the president’s achievement from his recent visit to the United States and other well-laid-out plans to tackle the problem of insurgency and insecurity in the country yet the comments from the opposition are nothing to write home about.
Invariably it makes one feel as if they are not Nigerians or know nothing about the past.
Surely this is not the best one can get from the opposition.
After all, we all Nigerians, though divided into party lines our collective wish should be for the success, growth, and well-being of all Nigerians notwithstanding whether they belong to the ruling party or not.
Our analysis and perception of the actions or in actions of the present administration whether Federal or state should be based on the philosophy of political liberalism and not on emotions or parochial tendencies.
This is underscored by the fact that whatever affects one state of the Federating unit or any geo-political zone affects all.
Building the Nigerian Nation State and its polity to an enviable level is therefore our collective responsibility.
Therefore, we must shun all partisan or parochial tendencies and see the government and governance at whatever level as our project and not their own.
We are not witnesses but participants in the process of change in the polity which is why we must accept the reality on the ground.
According to Martin Luther King
“Darkness cannot drive darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive hate only love can do that.”
Let us therefore embrace the new administration and give it all the necessary support to succeed.
After all, change does not roll in on the will of inevitability but comes through continuous struggle.
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