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By Al-Ameen Muhammad
“Happy New Year” is a universal prayer that greets the commencement of every new year. The year 2022 to Nigeria and Nigerians will be a year of political activities preparatory to the 2023 general election. It is indeed a year of politicking.
In 2022, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nigeria’s ruling political party would be conducting its national convention, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would be dishing and rolling out guidelines to political parties, aspirants and, eventually, candidates, the political parties would be overwhelmed with campaigns and, subsequently, conduct their primaries to elect candidates as party standard-bearers for the 2023 presidential, governorship, national and state legislative elections.
The desire of the APC to remain Nigeria’s ruling political party and to win the 2023 general election is natural and obvious. Mai Mala Buni, Yobe State governor and chairman, APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, while inaugurating the 61-member Strategy and Contact Committee of the party ahead of the 2023 general election last year, said, “We shall work to reposition the All Progressives Congress to remain Nigeria’s leading party and Africa’s largest political party that will stay in office beyond two, three or even four terms of office.”
Buni was quick to add, “Our mission is to provide a wheel that will drive the party to go beyond 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and even 10th term of office to effectively implement the party manifesto, improve the lives of Nigerians and to remain Nigeria’s leading political party.
Buni’s optimism for the party, however, lies in the ability of the party to unite its members and approach the convention with a united front.
Today, the party’s dream to remain Nigeria’s leading party is being re-engineered by some stakeholders who are vehemently warning against rushing the party into a convention with a divided house. Some of the stakeholders argued that it would be political suicide for the APC to approach the convention when it is yet to settle the squabbles in Kano, Zamfara, Anambra, Ogun, Oyo and Akwa Ibom, among others.
Yes, the political fortunes of APC might have increased tremendously with the high-profile defections of three sitting governors of Ebonyi State, Mr. Dave Umahi, Cross River State, Prof. Ben Ayade, and Zamfara State, Alh. Bello Matawalle, along with hundreds of thousands of their followers from the Peoples Democratic Party to the APC.
Like its symbol, the broom, APC must be united to sweep itself into another term of office and perhaps beyond. The APC now boasts of over 40 million members capable of winning elections in all national elections. The party under the Buni-led Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee conducted membership registration and revalidation exercise, although with controversy trailing the exercise in some states, surpassing PDP’s attempt in 2005 that was botched and inconclusive.
President Muhammadu Buhari congratulated and gave the Buni committee a pass mark for its efforts in repositioning the party, saying, “APC has bounced back to life.”
However, the disputes that followed the ward, local government and state congresses have been a source of worry to many chieftains.
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, APC chieftain and Chief Whip of the Senate, was recently reported to have written a warning letter to the national secretariat of the party to postpone the proposed February national convention on the grounds of instability in the party. He warned that, if the convention is carried out in February without sorting out the disagreements created by the congresses, the party may collapse.
Titled “Urgent Appeal for Postponement of APC National Convention,” Sen. Kalu wrote, “It is with a sense of commitment and unflinching loyalty to our great party, the All Progressives Congress, that I write to you the content of this letter regarding the national convention of our party slated for February 2022.
“It is imperative to commend your sterling leadership qualities in helping to stabilize our great party across the six geopolitical zones, with high-profile defections to the party to your credit as an outstanding party leader.
“I must also commend your peaceful disposition and sense of commitment to the growth of our party, which also saw very peaceful congresses across the states. However, it is pertinent to note that some states are embroiled in a crisis with multiple factions, which must be sorted out or we stand the risk of implosion.”
The call for the postponement of the convention gained more support from Lagos State with the powerful voice of Prince Tokpe Williams, an APC chieftain, who warned on the implications of holding a national convention with a divided house.
Many chieftains have already settled for the party to shift the convention to have adequate time for an acceptable and successful convention that would be a springboard for the party’s victory in 2023. Some other voices have gone beyond mere call for shifting of the convention to conducting the convention alongside the party iesfor the 2023 general election, if APC must win the forthcoming elections. Their argument was based on the fear that the national convention may generate further divisions, disharmony and disagreements, which will invariably translate into APC heading to the 2023 general election with a fragmented house and a ticket to losing the election.
For others, the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led National Reconciliation Committee should hasten the reconciliation of all aggrieved members and groups for the party to conduct the convention. The committee must convince members who took the party to court to withdraw such cases to pave way for a successful convention. It is obvious that, until reconciliations are achieved for the convention to hold without any threat, the convention will be a building founded on loose sand.
The question before the party now is, if APC, with frayed nerves and amid several unsettled disputes, is fully prepared for a generally acceptable national convention. The answer is certainly, no. The party must achieve relative peace for a successful convention to approach the general election.
There is nothing wrong for the party to make adequate preparations, use the remaining time to calm the differing voices and positions for the party to prosper. The interest of the party must always be superior and above personal ambitions and interests. If it means APC conducting the convention alongside its primaries as suggested by some of the stakeholders, to succeed, so be it. There is no point conducting a fractured convention at the risk of disintegration. The ambition of people wanting to be party executives to hijack the party must never be a priority to the party as we approach the 2023 elections. Success and victory are and should remain the priorities of the party’s leadership and its faithful members.
Let us be reminded that the PDP and other political parties are seated like patient vultures waiting to eat from possible carcasses of APC, if the differences are not addressed and probably aggravated by a haphazard convention.
•Muhammad is a member of the APC, FCT; [email protected]
