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When the All Progressives Congress successfully took over power from the erstwhile PDP, that ruled for 16 years, no one envisaged that the party would be enveloped in such trouble as it finds itself now. The APC was 'packaged' as the saviour and flawless todeliver the CHANGE promise. But the recent cause of events in the ruling party may weaken its potentials ahead of the 2019 polls, or perhaps lead to eventual downfall. These deep cracks in the ruling party across the country may lead to massive defections if not urgently attended to. Here is a look at some of these problems.
1. Quarrel Within the National Executive:
There is a running acrimony among some officials of the party in the national executive. Their disagreement is hinged on loyalty to various camps that formed the APC. Of late, the most visible antagonist to the party’s order has been its deputy national publicity secretary, Chief Timi Frank. After the exit of the former national publicity secretary of the party, now minister of information, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, from the party executive to take up a cabinet appointment, Frank, as his deputy, was expected to step in as his replacement. But that was not to be, as only the chairman, John Odigie Oyegun and the national secretary now speak on behalf of the party.
2. Neglect of Top Politicians:
This may be a major threat to the future of the APC with the the neglect of top politicians in the legacy parties that collapsed in the merger agreement. Some stalwarts of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Congress for Progressives Change (CPC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) have expressed worry over the manner with which the APC government failed to carry them along.
Such agitation, it was gathered, recently led to the formation of a group, which is a forum of the defunct CPC leaders. After a recent meeting in Abuja, the group, which comprised of chairmen of the defunct CPC in 26 states, said in a communiqué that President Muhammadu Buhari should “remember the goose that laid the golden egg in the scheme of things.”
Also exposing the internal suspicion within the APC, the CPC block said, “The fact is that we can’t totally trust men and women from other political parties like the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). Though we are under one umbrella, the APC, everybody knows where he or she belongs. So, we need to come together to support our own; this is politics.” Party members have not been happy with Buhari’s appointment of a number of PDP stalwarts when those who fought for the APC to win the 2015 elections have not been considered.
3. The ATIKU factor:
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is a major factor in determining whether the future of the ruling party is bright or blur. When Atiku Abubakar visited the national secretariat of the APC on July 18, 2016, it was largely conceived and convinced that the move was in connection with his 2019 presidential ambition. This was largely founded on the fact that the former vice president had not visited the party secretariat since its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held earlier in April with President Muhammadu Buhari in attendance.
During that visit, Atiku simply told journalists that he had come to familiarise himself with the party leaders; but not many were convinced.
Apart from linking the visit to his perceived 2019 presidential ambition, it was strongly believed that the party leadership used the visit to express concern over his professed support for the restructuring of the country, a position that is at variance with that of the ruling party.
Apart from speculations that he may be eyeing the presidency in 2019, signs that Atiku may have pitched himself against the ruling APC in the aftermath of the 2015 elections emerged over the outcome of National Assembly elections. The elections that saw Dr. Saraki and Yakubu Dogara emerge as Senate President and Speaker of the House of Reps despite being excluded by a mock poll. Atiku was suspected to have plotted with Saraki to defy the ruling party, giving rise to reports that he might be sanctioned by the APC over his alleged role.
4. Kano State Crisis:
In Kano State, the internal crisis in the APC is mainly between the immediate past governor of the state, Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso and the incumbent governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje. Although the two principal actors have denied any rift, political happenings in the state suggest the contrary. The crisis in the Kano APC took a new dimension after the conduct of the by-election for Minjibir Local Government state assembly constituency. Results published by people believed to be members of the Ganduje faction of the APC indicated that APC got 21,970, while ‘PDP+Kwankwasiyya’ polled 1,238 votes. By implication, Ganduje’s loyalists now link the Kwankwaso group as being in alliance with the opposition PDP.
The sour political relationship between the two political gladiators became public after the death of Ganduje’s mother when Kwankwaso paid him a condolence visit at his home town in Ganduje. Since that incident, the APC has not known peace in Kano as supporters of the two politicians were engaged in political war of words. While Kwankwaso’s supporters accuse Ganduje of betrayal, Ganduje’s followers blame Kwankwaso of sabotaging the present administration.
5. Splinter Group In Kaduna:
The splinter group of the APC in Kaduna State, known as the APC Akida, which constituted a leadership structure at the state level, is yet to reconcile with the main organ of the party, two months after the group threatened to form structures at all levels of the state. When the splinter group emerged, it appointed Mr. Tom Maiyashi as its convener, Alhaji Ibrahim Yaro as deputy convener and Hafsat M. Baba as secretary.
The main grief of the splinter group is that the state governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, has ‘hijacked’ the party and is not willing to recognise their contributions to its success in the state. Maiyashi confirmed this recently when he said that the group came into being because the APC had been hijacked and incapacitated, and because members were deprived of a major asset to exercise their rights.
The Kaduna State chapter of the APC has, however, preferred to disown the splinter group, saying its leadership and members stand united with Governor el-Rufai.
The state acting publicity secretary of the party, Salisu Tanko Wusono, described the group as ‘illegal and unrecognised,’ and warned them to desist or face sanctions.
6. Division in Adamawa over Atiku's Call For Restructuring:
The heavy weight APC supporters in Adamawa State has dismissed the recent call for the restructuring of Nigeria by Atiku Abubakar. They term it as divisive, and saw Atiku's position as clever and a means to attaining political power.
Looking at his antecedents in politics, many dismissed his call for restructuring as another ploy to woo the support of the elite in the southern part of the country, especially the South-South and South-East which have been agitating for regional control of resources.
In Adamawa, where Atiku enjoyed unchallenged political control during his days as vice president (he has remained the biggest force since then), his ambition is currently under threat from unforeseen political alignments despite his alliance with Governor Muhammadu Jibrilla. Pundits have it that the perceived alliance between Buhari’s loyalists, led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal, and former Governor Murtala Nyako, may signal a danger to the ambition of Atiku ahead of 2019. Secondly, the return of Ribadu, as well as Marcus Gundiri, the former governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), is already creating tension within the party.
7. All Is Not Well In Zamfara With The Move To Impeach Governor Yari:
The move to impeach Governor Abdulazeez Yari by member of the state assembly has caused a major crack in the APC family in Adamawa state. The assembly had accused the governor of “misappropriating N11 billion bailout fund, N1 billion agricultural loan released to the state by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and “corrupt abuse of local government funds.” The move was, however, seen as a fallout within the APC and is related to how public offices were being shared.
The lawmakers accused the governor of frequent foreign trips which have had negative impact on the day-to-day running of government, apart from imposing financial burden on the state. In an unprecedented move, operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) swooped on the Assembly and arrested the speaker, Alhaji Sanusi Garba Rikiji and other principal officers. The governor survived the impeachment attempt, but the saga exposed the disunity within the party in the state.
8. Saraki's Impeachment & Dogara's Resignation: At at now, some senators of the APC are bent on removing Senate President Bukola Saraki, who is also their member. And in the House of Representatives, the sacked chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, Abdulmumin Jibrin, also of the party, has made weighty revelations that exposed corruption in the budgetary process in the National Assembly. His allegations indicted the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara and other principal officers, who are mainly members of the ruling party. The padding scandal has embarrassed the APC and further exposed lack of internal agreement within the party.
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We need to ask ourselves: Where are APC's Big Men? Where is Sam Nda-Isaiah? Where is Rochas Okorocha? Rabiu Musa Kwankaso? They were Presidential aspirants in the last elections? What significant role are they playing in the affairs of the ruling party? Can we say there may be an end in sight for the ruling party with these problems?
1. Quarrel Within the National Executive:
There is a running acrimony among some officials of the party in the national executive. Their disagreement is hinged on loyalty to various camps that formed the APC. Of late, the most visible antagonist to the party’s order has been its deputy national publicity secretary, Chief Timi Frank. After the exit of the former national publicity secretary of the party, now minister of information, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, from the party executive to take up a cabinet appointment, Frank, as his deputy, was expected to step in as his replacement. But that was not to be, as only the chairman, John Odigie Oyegun and the national secretary now speak on behalf of the party.
2. Neglect of Top Politicians:
This may be a major threat to the future of the APC with the the neglect of top politicians in the legacy parties that collapsed in the merger agreement. Some stalwarts of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Congress for Progressives Change (CPC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) have expressed worry over the manner with which the APC government failed to carry them along.
Such agitation, it was gathered, recently led to the formation of a group, which is a forum of the defunct CPC leaders. After a recent meeting in Abuja, the group, which comprised of chairmen of the defunct CPC in 26 states, said in a communiqué that President Muhammadu Buhari should “remember the goose that laid the golden egg in the scheme of things.”
Also exposing the internal suspicion within the APC, the CPC block said, “The fact is that we can’t totally trust men and women from other political parties like the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). Though we are under one umbrella, the APC, everybody knows where he or she belongs. So, we need to come together to support our own; this is politics.” Party members have not been happy with Buhari’s appointment of a number of PDP stalwarts when those who fought for the APC to win the 2015 elections have not been considered.
3. The ATIKU factor:
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is a major factor in determining whether the future of the ruling party is bright or blur. When Atiku Abubakar visited the national secretariat of the APC on July 18, 2016, it was largely conceived and convinced that the move was in connection with his 2019 presidential ambition. This was largely founded on the fact that the former vice president had not visited the party secretariat since its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held earlier in April with President Muhammadu Buhari in attendance.
During that visit, Atiku simply told journalists that he had come to familiarise himself with the party leaders; but not many were convinced.
Apart from linking the visit to his perceived 2019 presidential ambition, it was strongly believed that the party leadership used the visit to express concern over his professed support for the restructuring of the country, a position that is at variance with that of the ruling party.
Apart from speculations that he may be eyeing the presidency in 2019, signs that Atiku may have pitched himself against the ruling APC in the aftermath of the 2015 elections emerged over the outcome of National Assembly elections. The elections that saw Dr. Saraki and Yakubu Dogara emerge as Senate President and Speaker of the House of Reps despite being excluded by a mock poll. Atiku was suspected to have plotted with Saraki to defy the ruling party, giving rise to reports that he might be sanctioned by the APC over his alleged role.
4. Kano State Crisis:
In Kano State, the internal crisis in the APC is mainly between the immediate past governor of the state, Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso and the incumbent governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje. Although the two principal actors have denied any rift, political happenings in the state suggest the contrary. The crisis in the Kano APC took a new dimension after the conduct of the by-election for Minjibir Local Government state assembly constituency. Results published by people believed to be members of the Ganduje faction of the APC indicated that APC got 21,970, while ‘PDP+Kwankwasiyya’ polled 1,238 votes. By implication, Ganduje’s loyalists now link the Kwankwaso group as being in alliance with the opposition PDP.
The sour political relationship between the two political gladiators became public after the death of Ganduje’s mother when Kwankwaso paid him a condolence visit at his home town in Ganduje. Since that incident, the APC has not known peace in Kano as supporters of the two politicians were engaged in political war of words. While Kwankwaso’s supporters accuse Ganduje of betrayal, Ganduje’s followers blame Kwankwaso of sabotaging the present administration.
5. Splinter Group In Kaduna:
The splinter group of the APC in Kaduna State, known as the APC Akida, which constituted a leadership structure at the state level, is yet to reconcile with the main organ of the party, two months after the group threatened to form structures at all levels of the state. When the splinter group emerged, it appointed Mr. Tom Maiyashi as its convener, Alhaji Ibrahim Yaro as deputy convener and Hafsat M. Baba as secretary.
The main grief of the splinter group is that the state governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, has ‘hijacked’ the party and is not willing to recognise their contributions to its success in the state. Maiyashi confirmed this recently when he said that the group came into being because the APC had been hijacked and incapacitated, and because members were deprived of a major asset to exercise their rights.
The Kaduna State chapter of the APC has, however, preferred to disown the splinter group, saying its leadership and members stand united with Governor el-Rufai.
The state acting publicity secretary of the party, Salisu Tanko Wusono, described the group as ‘illegal and unrecognised,’ and warned them to desist or face sanctions.
6. Division in Adamawa over Atiku's Call For Restructuring:
The heavy weight APC supporters in Adamawa State has dismissed the recent call for the restructuring of Nigeria by Atiku Abubakar. They term it as divisive, and saw Atiku's position as clever and a means to attaining political power.
Looking at his antecedents in politics, many dismissed his call for restructuring as another ploy to woo the support of the elite in the southern part of the country, especially the South-South and South-East which have been agitating for regional control of resources.
In Adamawa, where Atiku enjoyed unchallenged political control during his days as vice president (he has remained the biggest force since then), his ambition is currently under threat from unforeseen political alignments despite his alliance with Governor Muhammadu Jibrilla. Pundits have it that the perceived alliance between Buhari’s loyalists, led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal, and former Governor Murtala Nyako, may signal a danger to the ambition of Atiku ahead of 2019. Secondly, the return of Ribadu, as well as Marcus Gundiri, the former governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), is already creating tension within the party.
7. All Is Not Well In Zamfara With The Move To Impeach Governor Yari:
The move to impeach Governor Abdulazeez Yari by member of the state assembly has caused a major crack in the APC family in Adamawa state. The assembly had accused the governor of “misappropriating N11 billion bailout fund, N1 billion agricultural loan released to the state by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and “corrupt abuse of local government funds.” The move was, however, seen as a fallout within the APC and is related to how public offices were being shared.
The lawmakers accused the governor of frequent foreign trips which have had negative impact on the day-to-day running of government, apart from imposing financial burden on the state. In an unprecedented move, operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) swooped on the Assembly and arrested the speaker, Alhaji Sanusi Garba Rikiji and other principal officers. The governor survived the impeachment attempt, but the saga exposed the disunity within the party in the state.
8. Saraki's Impeachment & Dogara's Resignation: At at now, some senators of the APC are bent on removing Senate President Bukola Saraki, who is also their member. And in the House of Representatives, the sacked chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, Abdulmumin Jibrin, also of the party, has made weighty revelations that exposed corruption in the budgetary process in the National Assembly. His allegations indicted the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara and other principal officers, who are mainly members of the ruling party. The padding scandal has embarrassed the APC and further exposed lack of internal agreement within the party.
-----
We need to ask ourselves: Where are APC's Big Men? Where is Sam Nda-Isaiah? Where is Rochas Okorocha? Rabiu Musa Kwankaso? They were Presidential aspirants in the last elections? What significant role are they playing in the affairs of the ruling party? Can we say there may be an end in sight for the ruling party with these problems?