By Jerry Wright<\/p>\n
As Nigeria\u2019s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), gets set to
\nelect a new set of leaders in June to run its affairs for the next four
\nyears, all eyes are on the party\u2019s highest office, the position of national
\nchairman. Already, names of possible contenders for the post are already
\nbeing bandied around among different interest groups in the party.<\/p>\n
Among those who have been mentioned in the race is the current national
\nchairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, who is eligible to seek
\nanother four years in office, the former governor of Edo state Adams
\nOshiomhole, a former governor of Cross River state in the Third Republic,
\nClement Ebri and an ex-minister of petroleum under General Sani Abacha’s
\nregime, Don Etiebet.<\/p>\n
78-years Oyegun, was a former executive governor of Edo State between 1992
\nand 1993, during the aborted Nigerian Third Republic. He emerged the
\nchairman of the party on June 14, 2014 as a consensus candidate for most of
\nthe senior chieftains of the party.<\/p>\n
After he led the party to victory in the 2015 presidential election,
\nanalysts said Oyegun began to make certain moves that further polarized a
\nparty that was already struggling with various interests due to its merger
\nbefore the elections. Activities in the last few months in the party, shows
\nthat Oyegun has lost the confidence of most members of the party and might
\nbe shown the way out of the party in June.<\/p>\n
On his part, 66-years old Oshiomole, the immediate past governor of Edo
\nstate, is seen as a candidate of a certain bloc in the party. Critics say
\nOshiomole will only do the bidding of his sponsors if he gets the position.
\nThe former Edo state governor has also been described as one who hardly
\naccepts criticisms, especially when they directly affect him.<\/p>\n
For Ebri, he is seen generally as an unknown figure within the party and
\nits structures nationally. Critics say he does not have the required
\nnational spread to appeal to the various political blocs within the ruling
\nparty. The question regarding his popularity and visibility nationwide is
\nsaid to be a major obstacle to his ambition<\/p>\n
As for Etiebet, his lack of consistency in terms of party loyalty might be
\nhis greatest undoing. He is also not in the thick of things in his home
\nstate of Akwa Ibom. Critics say Etiebet cannot be trusted with such a
\nposition even though he is said to be a close friend to the president. Many
\nare of the opinion that, the president and other leaders of the party need
\nsomeone who will tell them the truth to their faces.<\/p>\n
One person whose name continues to spring up in this direction is the
\noutgoing deputy national publicity secretary of the party, Comrade Timi
\nFrank. Comrade Frank has been a consistent voice in the party, calling the
\nattention of President Muhammadu Buhari and other national leaders to some
\nof the injustices he had seen even before they became public knowledge. He
\nhas also cautioned the party severally on some moves that later backfired
\nand came back to haunt its image.<\/p>\n
A young but very experienced politician, Comrade Frank has seen it all in
\nNigeria\u2019s politics having been a youth leader for the former ruling party,
\nthe Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for years. His experience in
\npoliticking spans almost two decades, and he has the ears of most political
\nleaders spread across the six geo-political zones of the country.<\/p>\n
In the last two years, there has been intense clamour from young Nigerians
\nto occupy very senior political positions in the country. Comrade Frank is
\na perfect representation of this generational shift that young Nigerians
\nseek to take them out of the present political quagmire across the country,
\nthat not only affect them presently, but also affects their future.<\/p>\n
Comrade Frank\u2019s disposition towards political party supremacy is also key
\nto taking the party to the next level. Over time, political parties\u2019
\nleaders in the country are not respected, and by extension the party\u2019s
\nrules. The ruling APC needs a leader with the political will to insist on
\ndoing things right, especially as the 2019 general elections draws near.<\/p>\n
His insistence on standing by the truth at all times no matter whose ox is
\ngored, is also a reminder for the APC delegates that will be part of the
\nfortcoming national convention to key into the aspiration of the
\nBayelsa-born politician who have been on both sides of the divide and have
\nconstant interaction with members of the public. Indeed, politicians of his
\nlike are rare in these times.<\/p>\n
It is good to note that Comrade Frank acceptability is not limited to young
\nstakeholders of the party, he has been seen also to be acceptable even to
\nthe elderly. He has wined and dine with all category of people and will
\nsurely harmonise the currently divided interest in the APC if given
\nopportunity.<\/p>\n
Comrade Frank has always stood on the side of the Nigerian people at all
\ntimes even at the expense of hurting his own party. It is to his credit
\nthat the outgoing APC leadership has been kept on their toes to ensure
\nfinancial transparency in the party affairs, respect for rule of law,
\ndiscipline of party members, respect for party elders and the need to shun
\nimposition through his constant but constructive criticisms. This is the
\nkind of character the ruling party needs to sail its ship especially as we
\napproach an election year.<\/p>\n
Jerry Wright, is an Abuja based multimedia Journalist.<\/p>\n
By Jerry Wright As Nigeria\u2019s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), gets set to elect a new set of leaders in June to run its affairs for the next…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":61695,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-61694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n