One would have thought that the political rhetoric of the army of young aspirants vying for the presidential seat of the federal republic of Nigeria, if it was anything to go by, was a definite departure from business as usual. However, recent events reiterate the absence of a discipline, organized and formidable team to challenge the incumbent political party. The dispute over the credibility of the emergence of Fela Durotoye as a consensus candidate of the Presidential Aspirants Coming Together (PACT) alliance signals a classic showbiz gone bad. Considering this, one must ask what the place of PACT is in the political space? Is it a to-be political party or another tea party of ambitious self-acclaimed youths? If indeed there was a memorandum of understanding, would the decision of some of the candidates not to respect the outcome of the electoral process signal that the rule of law is only applicable if it favors them?
The recent statement by the publicity secretary of the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN) which states that the party, ANN is not the same as the Presidential Aspirants Coming Together, PACT, and not involved in its activities is evidence of conceptual imbalance that characterized the formation of PACT. If indeed PACT is driven by individuals, and has no link to any existing party, then the whole ideological process of PACT is politically inconsequential and another stunt for the social media. It does not have any bearing in the political process of the country and as such is as bad a news for any other day. As the country prepares for election in few months, the young political aspirants are yet to show any organizational strength; the lack of a strong organizational front will most likely spell their doom. None of them can win against the opposition alone, hence they need an honest coalition void of self-interest; and an absolute commitment to agreement made. They still have the time to redeem themselves of this fallout by establishing a coalition relevant to the political process.
Finally, if the information on the presidential candidate’s website is anything to go by, then we are yet to have a presidential candidate with a good understanding of the problems plaguing the country. There is more that should be done in precisely articulating strategic pathways they have in place to solve issues plaguing the country. We need to understand their intended policies for the economy, education, health care etc. of the country. Furthermore, we need to understand the measurable outcomes of these policies, so we can examine their viability and most importantly hold the aspirants accountable when elected into office. However, if they choose to play the game of emotional rhetoric, religious crystallized speeches, and names calling, then we simply will be putting new wines into old bottles, and the rest is best explained in Matthew 9:17.
Dr. Samuel Edet 
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