Opposition parties in the six states of Southwest are bedevilled by various challenges that have incapacitated them from holding the ruling party accountable or offering alternatives to flawed policies. Stakeholders said the development is neither a plus for the ruling party nor for the good of democracy, SEYE OLUMIDE reports.

One of the consequences of the 2023 general election and its outcome is the decimation of already weak opposition parties.

Ten months into the administration of President Bola Tinubu, opposition parties, especially in the Southwest, are yet to get their bearings, giving ruling parties a field day to implement unpopular policies and governors behaving like emperors.

Opposition parties in a democracy have major roles to play. These include constructive criticism of government policies and programmes, restrictions on arbitrariness of the ruling party and safeguarding liberty, and rights of people. Unfortunately, not much of this has been seen after the last election, and for reasons not unconnected with the unsatisfactory outcome of the 2023 elections.

In terms of numerical strength in Southwest, APC has weakened opposition parties, just as the present economic hardship across the nation is not providing them with the necessary atmosphere to put the government on its toes in terms of constructive criticisms and engagements. Even in states where PDP is in power, major opposition are facing similar scenarios. This is practically the situation in Osun and Oyo states where APC is in crisis.

While the PDP national headquarters is currently unsettled and without a substantive national chairman, the party is also not in good shape in Lagos, Ogun, Ekiti and Ondo. LP is facing similar challenges in the region while NNPP has also been bemused with leadership crisis, the same challenge that is affecting the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Speaking on why PDP has been unable to play its expected role of opposition in Lagos State, former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Chief Olabode George and Dr Adetokunbo Pearse, in separate interviews, agreed that it would be difficult if not impossible for PDP to play any major or critical opposition role now.

This, they said, is due to a serious internal crisis and uncoordinated posture of the incumbent executive of Lagos PDP and the stranger, Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran popularly known as Jandor, fielded as a gubernatorial candidate in the last election.

They said it was embarrassing that the national body of the party conceded to Jandors propaganda, to have allowed him and the Lagos4Lagos Movement to handle the partys delegate list for the last general election.

Pearse, who is particularly miffed that for the first time since 1999, PDP scored just six per cent of the vote cast in Lagos and also came a second runner-up. The development is unexplainable, he said.