The comments being made by Atiku will resonate with most Nigerians who are growing disillusioned by the current situation in the country. His statement that there is no time to waste is the impetus for the citizens crying out every day trying to deal with insecurity, inflation, unemployment, and the general feeling that the country is not heading anywhere, as it has no specific direction to head to. To a good part of the electorate, the political re-alliance represented by his switch to the ADC spells both disappointment and re-invention: disappointment at the status quo and a bid to rebrand opposition politics as somehow new and popular and people-oriented. It will be seen as an indication that the politics of 2027 is already being formed, whether it is strategic purpose or pivotal conviction that is inspiring this change in many Nigerians.
Nigerians, however, have experienced up-and-down alliances, parties coming together and disintegrating, and new alliances coming up to repeat what is already in place. The people will consequently not gauge what Atiku has to say based on rhetoric but on the level of leadership the ADC will exhibit internally. Is this alliance able to provide a consistent plan? Is it able to escape the factional crises that were seen to cripple other parties? Is it able to get younger and credible voices rather than reuse established political personalities? These inquiries are a symptom of a cynical society that is weary of words and desires ability. So that Atiku and the ADC can hope to stop the APC, as he points out, they must first gain the people’s trust, which is a harder task than winning over party leaders.
The opposition parties in Nigeria need more than to criticize the ruling government; they need to have a response that remedies the current problem. This implies the display of definite economic policies, a plausible security policy, and the dedication towards domestic democracy. Nigerians desire a leadership that can bring together instead of dividing, that can create instead of accuse, and that can restore instead of reuse. In the event that the ADC is really interested in saving the country, it should demonstrate to the Nigerians, and not only inform them, that it can transcend transactional politics and provide a viable, visionary alternative. Only now can the words of Atiku be perceived as not only theatrical politics but also a real avenue for a country being reborn.
