By KUNLE ODEREMI
As some power brokers in the All Progressives congress (APC) hold onto their divergent positions on the conduct of parallel congresses, pundits are curious if the party would uphold to apply the sledge hammer on erring members, reports KUNLE ODEREMI.
About eight years ago, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) found itself in a cul de sac. Irreconcilable differences among various tendencies caused a major haemorrhage within its fold. A number of critical stakeholders jumped ship to team up with others from rival parties to float the All Progressives Congress (APC). Prominent among those that dumped the then ruling PDP were former governors, ministers and members of the National Assembly, including Senator Bukola Saraki, Aminu Tambuwal, Dr Musa Kwankwanso. But they have since returned to the PDP following perceived schism in the APC that rose to power through the 2015 general election.
And emerging scenarios in the nation’s political arena towards 2023 elections have led to many raising a number of teasers lately.
These include: is the country moving towards that direction again? Will history repeat itself in the ongoing buildup to the 2023 elections following the increasing babel of noise in the ruling APC? Is the brewing storm in the tea cup ephemeral since politics is about interest, and parties in Nigeria are not established to become institutions but mere platforms to grab powers? Will the current shove get to a push for some hitherto key actors and power brokers in APC?
Riot Act
Before the congresses, the APC leadership read out the Riot Act to all party faithful to conform to all laid-down rules and regulations. It threatened to evoke necessary sections of APC Constitution to sanction any erring member. Barely 24 hours after the conduct of state congress, the party restated that it would wield the big stick against those members that organised parallel congresses, which in some states turned bloody. It declared that only congress supervised by its committee would be recognised. A statement by the National Secretary, APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Senator James Akpanudoedehe, stated “The purported “parallel” Congresses are futile activities and very strange to the party, our Constitution and the guidelines for the conduct of the State and other Congresses. Only exercises conducted by duly inaugurated State Congress Committees are recognised by the party. The APC leadership will not hesitate to take adequate and lawful measures against any person or interest sabotaging the collective party’s interest and efforts to achieve peace and unity in our great party.”
Lagos
In Lagos State, the battle is increasingly becoming intense and curious. Issues dating back to the exit of former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode still rear their heads, with some tendencies challenging the status quo. The cluster of opposition is built around some forces within and those said to be proxies of Abuja, acting as members of a Fifth Columnists. However, loyalists of mainstream APC are not leaving anything to chance. They are relying on the well-knit network of political structures established by APC national leader dating back to his tenancy at Government House in 1999 to fortify their midst. From the conduct of the ward congress to that of local government and the recent state congress, those rival groups determined to change the status quo and reconfigure Lagos politics after 21 years of the Tinubu hold are unrelenting. But they have a more Herculean task ahead, given the cordial and mutual relation he enjoys with powerful elements of APC extraction across the six geopolitical zones, especially in the northern axis of the country. Coupled with this is the seeming overwhelming presence at the corridors of power of many of those that have undergone political tutelage under him since his meteoric rise to political stardom and authority. In Lagos, Cornelius Ojelabi emerged as the APC party chairman in the state through consensus. However, another faction named Lagos4Lagos Movement elected Sunday Ajayi as its chairman. Also the Conscience Forum Mandate chose Mustapha Oladapo Dabiri as its state chairman.
Delta
Members of the Delta APC Leaders’ Council and the State Working Committee made good their threat not to participate in the state congress in the state. The group comprises the Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo who is the Chairman of the Council; Dr. Alex Ideh and Honourable Cairo Ojougboh, co-chairman and secretary, respectively. Others included former governorship candidate, Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru and former Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Honourable Victor Ochei. According to them, a reconciliation meeting initiated a former national chairman of the party and Chairman, APC South-South Reconciliation Committee, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, among all the power blocs resolved to use a consensus list for ward, local and State congresses, but they expressed disappointment that the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee led by Yobe State Governor, Mala Buni allegedly connived with Senator representing Delta Central and Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege to observe the agreement in the breach.
Imo
More than three years after the last general election in the country, former Governor RochasOkorocha and his successor, Senator Hope Uzodimma remain sworn enemies in the political turf. Several attempts even by their party, APC, have failed to settle the differences and deep-seated anger between them. And the conduct of congresses have brought the widening gab to a sharper focus. Gradually, Okorocha, now a serving senator, is being pushed out of the APC, he co-founded by leading a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in 2013.
Kano
Governor Umar Ganduje is not pretentious about his mission to deal decisively with his perceived traducers in APC. Neither does he ever hesitate to warn those opposition elements outside the ruling party that he would not brook ‘nonsense,’ He was able to clip the wings of his former boss and predecessor, Dr Musa Kwankwaso while he sojourned in the APC. Ganduje is permanently fixed on the ball on his mission, so other political juggernauts that could be stumbling blocks are permanently under watch. Deploying all necessary arsenal to the turf, he has succeeded in using the conduct of the congresses to deliver deadly blows to the political career of his keen challengers for the structures of APC in his state. At the threshold of the state congress of the party, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau led other major stakeholders in Kano APC decried the reign of impunity in the party and called for caution because of the grave immediate and long-term implications. Ganduje shook off the warning and took a swipe at Shekarau and his band of aggrieved party faithful. With the governor said to have stepped on many toes across board in the Kano establishment cum traditional institutions, his decision to issue a red card to aggrieved APC leaders, including Shekarau signals likely alliances among major opposition figures across party lines in one of the most politically volatile and conscious states in the North.
In the last state congress, the faction recognised by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje produced Abdullahi Abbas as chairman, according to Daily Trust. However, the faction led by Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau elected Ahmadu Haruna Zago as chairman at a parallel congress in the state.
Osun
A section of the party has openly declared that there was no retreat and no surrender over the battle for the control of APC structures in Osun State. The faction opposed to the governor of the state, Adegboyega Oyetola has already instituted a case at the Federal High Court in Osogbo seeking to nullify the conduct and outcome of all the congresses held at ward and local government levels in the state. The faction loyal to the immediate past governor of the state, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, now the Minister of Interior, is caught between the moon and the deep-blue sea because of the statement that those behind parallel congress risk losing their membership of the APC. The camp of APC loyal to Governor Gboyega Oyetola unanimously endorsed Gboyega Famodun for re-election as state chairman.
Kwara
The battle between Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasaz and the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed rages seamlessly, with neither camp ready to bath an eyelid. There seems to be a grand ploy by the governor to scheme out all those that contributed to his election and defeat of PDP at the 2019 general election. As he sustains his fight against the Saraki dynasty, Governor AbdulRasaz fires with all cylinders to tame Lai Mohammed and other APC stalwarts demanding inclusiveness. The faction of the party loyal to him chose Sunday Fagbemi as chairman, as against the election of Bashir Bolarinwa by the faction linked to the minister. The governor might be holding a weak straw without the backing of Abuja, while the other camp requires alliance with Lagos as a staying power.
Akwa Ibom
The muscle-flexing in APC in Akwa Ibom has continuously defied solutions. The crisis between the camp loyal to Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Godswill Akpabio and the faction led by Akpanudoedeghe, the APC’s acting national secretary, persists. While the former elected Steve Ntukekpo as its chairman, the latter chose Austin Ekanem as the chairman of the APC faction. No doubt, the APC is in a dilemma over the camp to support without rocking the boat and being accused of highhandedness or abuse of position and office. While Akpabio might look up to the president to survive the battle, the APC secretary will be depending on the party leadership under Buni for backing. Can Buhari’s body language rescue Akpabio or bow to Buni’s team?
Ebonyi
Since his defection to the APC, Governor Dave Umahi has faced the challenge of asserting his authority over the structure of the party in Ebonyi State. He has been faced with contending with challenges from other chieftains of the party determined to hold onto their dominance and control of the party structures, specifically in their individual domains. These leaders include past governors, including the Minister of Science Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu. The minister is a former national chairman of the legacy parties, All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) that formed the APC, and under which Buhari sought to be president of the country, in the first instance.
Ogun
The quest for mutual trust continues in Ogun APC. The crisis of confidence between two rival camps subsists after the elections, resulting in the emergence of two state chairmen of the party: Yemi Sanusi for the faction loyal to Governor Dapo Abiodun and Derin Adebiyi the camp linked to Senator Ibikunle Amosun, the immediate past governor of the state..
Enugu
The centre can still not hold in the Enugu State chapter of APC. The fight is between Abuja politician and home-based ones in one hand, while on the other are those holding key appointive offices at the federal level and the other categories of party stalwarts. The chairman of one of the camps is Adolphus Ude. The other faction produced Ugochukwu Agballah as chairman. There is a protracted supremacy battle between the foundation APC members, led by chairman of the Enugu State chairman of the party, Ben Nwoye and the Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VOA), Osita Okechukwu, and the newcomers, led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, a former president of the Senate, Senator Ken Nnamani and a former governor of the state, Sullivan Chime. The foundation members are said to be opposed to the newcomers, mostly defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), from hijacking APC state structures.
Oyo
The state of many of its leaders still hangs in the balance. The outcome of its rescheduled state congress next Saturday might determine the future political career of the main political gladiators in their burning desire for higher elective offices. Three camps made a joint demand that APC national leadership release the authentic results of the ward and local congresses conducted in the state, just as they backed the adoption of consensus and zoning of offices. The membership of the tendencies comprise Senator Olufemi Lanlehin; former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Right Honourable Olagunju Ojo; former Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Waheed Olajide; former Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Michael Lana; chairman, Nigerian Lotteries Commission Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle; Post Master General of the Federation, Dr Ismail Adewusi; chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Professor Adeolu Akande; Executive Secretary, National Sugar Development Council, Zacch Adedeji; former chairman, Oyo State Youth Development Agency, Honourable Gbenga Olayemi; Honourable Yekini Popoola; former chairman, Association of Local Government of Nigeria, Prince Abass Aleshinloye; Alhaji Isiaka Alimi and Chief Goke Oyetunji.
Reconciliation committee to the rescue?
In 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Bola Tinubu to lead the consultation, reconciliation and confidence building team during the tenure of Chief Odigie Oyegun as national chairman. In February 2020, National Working Committee (NWC) of the party led by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole inaugurated a 12-man committee a former governor of Osun State and pioneer chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande and the deputy Speaker, House of Representatives Idris Wase as Chairman and secretary.
But beyond the setting up of appeal committees to address issues emanating from the conduct of ward and local government congresses, APC has also come up with a nine- man Reconciliation Committee with the senator representing Nasarawa West, Abdullahi Adamu, as chairman. Other members of the committee include the Minister of Special Duties and former governor of Benue State George Akume; former Enugu State governor Sullivan Chime; former Speaker, House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara and a former governor of Jigawa State, Saad Birnin Kudu. The sole mandate of the committee is to reconcile, harmonise, integrate and unite members of the party. But what amount of confidence do aggrieved APC chieftains have for the committee in view of the fate of similar initiatives in the past?
Credit: Tribune.
