The Hollow Politics of Desperation

By Okoi Obono-Obla 

The Hollow Politics of Desperation:

From the very beginning, this disorderly political party allowed its structure and leadership to be hijacked by desperate coalitionists, political nomads, and peripatetic politicians who cannot stomach the prospect of being out of power. Lacking the presence of mind and stamina to build a genuine political platform, they resorted to shenanigans, chicanery, hysteria, and social media noise—pulling wool over the eyes of Nigerians in a bid to manipulate themselves into power through smokescreens, subterfuges, gimmicks, and childish lamentations.

When the frenzy, desperation, and inferior methods deployed by this horde of political nomads to hijack the party’s structure backfired and met litigation, they cried foul—blaming the APC, the President, and everyone else but themselves. Their failure was glaring: they woefully fell short of the constitutional threshold required of every political party, unable to secure even 25 percent of votes in a state during the presidential election. By law, such failure qualifies a party for deregistration, giving INEC the latitude to act. When INEC failed in its statutory duty, constitutionally conscious Nigerians approached the Federal High Court to exercise judicial review. Both sides were heard, and the Court rightly granted the application. Yet, sympathizers of this hollow party cried blue murder—ironically, the same people who pontificate endlessly about “rescuing Nigeria.”

In truth, their hypocrisy and desperation expose them as a hollow vessel, more concerned with noise than nation-building. Their antics are a reminder that political legitimacy cannot be manufactured through hysteria or gimmicks, but must be earned through genuine structure, vision, and constitutional compliance.