When in February 2013 the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the registration of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the then Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur was rather dismissive of the opposition coalition. “If you go for a (football) contest, you have the striker – you know Lionel Messi? PDP is the Messi in that contest,” an evidently ebullient Tukur told reporters. “We will dribble them like Messi. Tell them (APC) that the chairman said the PDP is the Messi (of Nigerian politics).” Two years later, it was the PDP that was ‘dribbled’ out of power by the special purpose vehicle cleverly cobbled together by the late President Muhammadu Buhari and his successor and current President, Bola Tinubu.

The trajectory of PDP is a cautionary tale for those who can learn. After securing 241 of the 360 seats in the House of Representatives and 71 of the 109 senatorial seats in 1999, and then producing 28 of the 36 governors in 2004 (with a certain Tinubu as the only non-PDP governor in the entire 17 southern states), PDP leaders believed that no other political party would rule Nigeria in our generation. This much was attested to on 11th March 2017 by former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida. While receiving at his Minna residence the PDP strategy and intra-party committee led by Professor Jerry Gana, Babangida said, “From formation stage, I saw the PDP as IRA (Irish Republican Army). We are the military wing of the PDP. We took a lot of interest. When I say we, I mean my boss, T.Y. Danjuma, (former President Olusegun) Obasanjo, General Aliyu Mohammed and I. We started it. I believe one of our compatriots who said PDP would rule for 60 years,” adding that it could still happen. Now, PDP cannot even organize a proper meeting at any level.

Before I continue, let me say very quickly that the politicians that are now agitated about the prospect of one-party state in Nigeria must also look at themselves in the mirror. They have a lot to learn from Tinubu when it comes to the pursuit of enlightened self-interest. Whatever anybody may say about the president, he has demonstrated the capacity to sacrifice temporary inconvenience (or short-term benefits) for long term gains. In writing my book, ‘Against the Run of Play: How an incumbent president was defeated in Nigeria,’ Tinubu was one of the principal actors I interviewed. In the more than two hours I spent with him in December 2016, he made it clear to me that the APC was formed with the idea of him being paired with Buhari (as running mate) at the 2015 general election. He blamed forces led by former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki for upending that arrangement on grounds that a Muslim-Muslim ticket would not work. But despite being denied the running mate slot, Tinubu never left the party. Even when the Buhari presidency froze him out and some powerful members were using former (Yobe State) Governor Mai Mala Buni to conspire against him, Tinubu persevered, fought from within and ultimately prevailed.

That, of course, does not excuse the current trend in which every politician must worship at Tinubu’s altar. Such is the nature of the ongoing political chicanery that the decamping PDP governors are not even pretending about the motivation for their action. Sheriff Oborevwori anchored his decision on the ‘love’ Tinubu “has shown to us in Delta State”. Peter Mbah of Enugu said he had found in Tinubu, “not just a leader of our nation but a partner in purpose — a man with the courage to look beyond today and make the tough choices that secure lasting prosperity for tomorrow.” His Akwa Ibom State counterpart, Umo Eno anchors his defection on supporting Tinubu for a second term. “I have decided to join the train of the President, to support him, so I will not be accused of being anti-partisan. Today I’ve made the bold declaration to join that train.” While we await Douye Diri of Bayelsa State to join the ‘train’, Oborevwori said in March: “This is a movement, this is not a defection; we (governors) have agreed we will move together and when we move together, what is at the national we will be able to grab it.”

That is the mindset of most Nigerian politicians, and it is antithetical to democracy which is founded on the interplay of ideas on how to solve the problem of society. Central to this are political parties. Unfortunately, what should serve as platforms for constructive engagement on addressing national problems have become no more than mere tools for trading positions between and among politicians and their cronies. The pertinent question now is, why are politicians trooping to the APC? The answer is simple. Since we operate in a milieu in which public service has been reduced to ‘eating’, the only attraction of the party is the power of patronage. Not that the platform or its members offer anything different.

In his book, ‘From Opposition to Governing Party: Nigeria’s APC Merger Story’ which I once referenced, the late Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu recalled how the party was formed. “In accepting the new name, each merging partner became satisfied only when it contributed at least one word,” Onu wrote on the negotiations that eventually culminated in the registration of the APC. “The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) was satisfied that it contributed ‘Congress’. The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) was happy that it contributed ‘All’. Even though ‘All’ had only three letters, it was the leading word in the new name. The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) felt satisfied that it contributed ‘Progressives’. Also, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) was satisfied that it contributed ‘All Progressives’.”

The people who formed the APC (including the aggrieved members now collaborating with others to recreate a similar structure in the African Democratic Congress) were clear from the outset that the main objective was to grab power from President Goodluck Jonathan. If the discussions that led to the formation of the APC were not about programmes and ideals but rather about acronym, should anybody be surprised about the current situation in the country?

However, I have a word for our politicians who recycle themselves in the so-called political parties that are, for all practical purposes, mere vehicles for grabbing power: Even when the Nigerian people may appear helpless today, there is no guarantee that things would continue this way forever. For that reason, the idea of taking the people for granted, thinking there would be no consequences is sheer folly. And to President Tinubu, I commend a September 1985 admonition by the former President of Philippines, the late Mrs. Corazon Aquino. “Power intoxicates; too much power is addictive. There will always be power drug dealers who will feed your habit as president,” Aquino warned her successor, Fidel Ramos who was dancing to the tune of sycophants at the time. “They will say nobody can take your place, when what they mean is that they do not want to give up their places.”

A word, as the old saying goes, is enough for the wise. Meanwhile, we cannot continue with a situation in which our political parties are trapped in intrigues rather than in developing relevant programmes and policies capable of addressing the concerns of citizens. As I pointed out in the past, a democracy anchored on ritualistic elections that are not issue-based will only empower people who neither understand the rudiments of governance nor can advance the public good. Therefore, to wean the country of this transactional ethos in politics, we need to have a conversation about the role of political parties, the minimal expectation of governance, and the values that should drive public office.

• You can follow Segun Adeniyi on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, @Olusegunverdict and onwww.olusegunadeniyi.com