With the gradual but steady abandonment of the Peoples Democratic Party
\n(PDP) by its top shots to join the All Progressives Congress (APC), APC
\nshould not be in hurry to hold its national convention. PDP is interested
\nin the fall of the APC and would want to plant its members in the ruling
\npart. APC too is working hard to ensure that the only opposition PDP does
\nnot gather weight again. PDP members, with frivolous reasons basically
\npersonal, not on convictions that APC is really working are cross
\ncarpeting to obtain or maintain positions ahead of 2019 and beyond.
\nOrdinary President Ahmad Isa of Berekete Family would repeatedly say: \u201cBe
\ncareful\u201d.<\/p>\n
APC said it will hold its national convention not later than April 2017,
\naccording to a statement issued by the party\u2019s national publicity
\nsecretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi. This was said to be the decision of
\nthe National Working Committee (NWC) meeting presided over by the party\u2019s
\nnational chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun. The convention would commence
\nwith congresses to fill vacancies in the state party structures across the
\ncountry, such vacancies created from political appointments, deaths and
\nresignations. The congresses, in turn, would be followed by the national
\ncaucus meeting and capped with the National Executive Committee (NEC)
\nmeeting of the party, which will consider and set the dates for the
\nnational convention.<\/p>\n
Grand and impressive as this proposal looks, effective and critical
\nstrategies are required to put the ruling party on the path of success.
\nMany politicians within the APC have started gathering interest in the
\n2019 presidential polls. The former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji
\nAtiku Abubakar has been called upon to make himself available for the 2019
\nPresidential elections under the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), though
\nhe is seen a staunch member of the ruling party. Former governor of Kano,
\nAlhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is warming up. Others are yet nursing their
\ninterests.<\/p>\n
Events are mounting up to oust the party out ahead of 2019. Three former
\nheads of state have thrown their weight behind a Southeast president. The
\nSenate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio recently claimed that about 20
\nserving senators of APC have perfected plans to join the PDP once the
\nleadership crisis in the opposition party is resolved. \u201cAll they want is
\nreturn of peace to the party. Once that is done I can assure you that 20
\nsenators are on their way to joining the PDP,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu has been
\nholding the position presumed to be for the ruling party and has resisted
\nall pressures to dump PDP for APC. He accused those who left PDP for the
\nAPC in the Southeast as saboteurs and described them as contracts and
\nemployment opportunists. He claimed that after the contracts and
\nemployments, they would know who is who in the Southeast. That is why the
\ndefections into APC open the room for scrutiny. Though in politics
\npermanent interest is paramount, those who had criticized the APC and its
\npolicies badly or had sat on the fence during the last general elections
\nare now joining the party. Especially after the political upturn in Ondo,
\nEdo and Rivers, it is sure that invaders and opportunists would prefer the
\nruling party.<\/p>\n
Three governors of Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi states are said to be warming up
\nto join the APC. This is according to a statement credited to Governor
\nRochas Okorocha, the only APC governor in the Southeast. Governor Dave
\nUmahi of Ebonyi state recently declared support for President Buhari ahead
\nof 2019, even if it were to be his only vote in the state. The governor
\nalso claimed that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will collapse if he
\nleaves the party, with reports of his secret arrangements with his deputy
\nto move to APC.<\/p>\n
Former Gov. Orji Kalu of Abia state recently joined the APC, pledging full
\nsupport to the party leader, President Buhari. He posted on the Facebook:
\nAs an Igbo man who have seen it all, trained in business by the Hausa
\nFulani and started business in the South West. I sincerely believe it is
\nbetter for the Igbos to sit where other Nigerians are sitting\u201d. He
\nrecalled his complaint to Mr. President over bad roads in the Southeast
\nwhich are being reconstructed, implying the sincerity of the APC
\ngovernment to fulfill its promises to the people of Nigeria.<\/p>\n
Former Senate President, Ken Nnamani and ex-Governor of old Anambra state,
\nSenator Jim Nwobodo, described their entry into APC as a good omen for
\nNdigbo just as they declared PDP dead. Recall that in October 2016,
\nPresident Buhari named Nnamani the chairman of the electoral reform
\ncommittee. All of these Southeast entrees are pushing Ndigbo to join the
\nAPC with a view to reintegrating into the nation\u2019s body polity ahead of
\n2019 general elections.<\/p>\n
Chief Nnamani said the song had changed, thus his desire to change dancing
\nsteps. He noted that no political party was perfect but that APC can be
\npanel beaten and brought to near perfection. \u201cI am in APC in the day and
\nnight. If you have skeleton or tribunal hanging on your neck, do not come
\nto APC and sit on the front row. You can be a member of APC but not to be
\nat the front line. A party is strong when it has large membership. PDP
\nsaid it is democratic but it does not practice democracy. APC has all it
\ntakes to buy something good in the market\u201d, he added.<\/p>\n
According to Nwobodo, it was high time Ndigbo joined APC because it was
\ndifficult to fight from outside. \u201cYou cannot talk of APC without Igbo.
\nNigeria is on tripod. Unless injustice done against Ndigbo is redressed,
\nthere will be no peace in Nigeria. My friends from the West who are
\nprogressives are all in APC and if I meet them I will tell them I was a
\nprogressive before them\u201d<\/p>\n
On its part, the APC has intensified grassroots registration especially in
\nthe Southeast. During the flag-off ceremony in Umuahia, Paul Chukwuma, who
\nled a six-member committee from the national secretariat of the party in
\nAbuja, said the exercise was informed by the demand of teeming supporters
\nacross the Southeast.<\/p>\n
While this is going on, the opposition party PDP is still struggling to
\nagree on its leadership. Senator Ahmad Makarfi and Senator Ali Modu
\nSherriff are still on each other\u2019s neck. Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayo
\nFayose was recently announced as the Chairman of the PDP Governors\u2019 Forum,
\na move that has been faulted by many such as the Senator representing Ogun
\nEast Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Prince Buruji Kashamu.
\n\u201cWe must reject Governor Fayose now or strictly restrict him to running
\nthe affairs of the Governors\u2019 Forum while well-meaning leaders and elders
\nof the party who are not part of the crisis bedeviling the party are
\nallowed to take charge of the affairs of the party and run it properly and
\nlegitimately,\u201d he said. Recall that Governor Fayose said his successor in
\nthe forthcoming governorship election in the state may not be from the
\nPDP.<\/p>\n
But Mr. Fayose believes that PDP is a \u201csleeping and not a dead lion\u201d that
\nneeds reactivation to assert its influence. He said that despite APC\u2019s
\ncontrol of the centre, it could not match the outreach of the PDP
\nrequiring rebuilding ahead of future challenges. Speaking through his
\nspecial assistant on public communications and new media, Lere Olayinka,
\nhe said that the party so sharply divided could still boast of the best
\nand established structure across the country.<\/p>\n
APC must do the needful to remain a beloved party to Nigerians. From
\nevidences, President Muhammadu Buhari was voted for on personal
\nrecognition more that party affiliation, though in Nigeria individual
\ncandidacy is not encouraged. Party attachment is still the recognized
\nsystem. Neither the party nor the President has practically touched the
\nlives of the citizenry as hardship keeps biting harder. The President has
\nshown the good heart to bring back the rotten economy and lives of the
\npeople, but corruption is yet holding sway. This means that the party has
\na lot to do.<\/p>\n
Things have to change for the people. Civil servants and the populace have
\nto feed and clothe. Cost of living must be made to come down. People who
\nsuffered for the party must benefit from the government through
\nappointments and contracts, though they must be monitored against
\ncorruption; the APC members and Nigerians of like minds with Mr. President
\nmust answer the names of leadership of government organs. The party must
\nbe extremely careful with those joining it at this time the buildup to
\n2019 politicking is gearing up.<\/p>\n
Corrupt politicians with heavy corruption cases in the courts are looking
\nfor soft landing. PDP is trying to prove to be a cat with seven lives. It
\nseems to be realizing its mistakes of frustrating internal democracy and
\neffective plan for national integration and development. They were in
\ngovernment for 16 years and had the largest political structure. They are
\nstill in government doing their best to prove Nigerians wrong for voting
\nthem out. APC is a young idea that has the potentials to make a clear
\ndifference. Just about two years old, it requires careful planning and
\nexecution, corrupt-free leaderships and holistic exposure to re-win the
\nwaning enthusiasm with which it was accepted in the 2015 general
\nelections. In the nutshell, justice, internal democracy and patriotism
\nmust prevail.<\/p>\n
Muhammad Ajah is an advocate of humanity, peace and good governance in
\nAbuja. E-mail mobahawwah@yahoo.co.uk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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