From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) apparently seems to be struggling to get its acts right ahead of next year’s presidential election.
But as the ruling party battles with one ugly incident, another one of greater magnitude happens and literally relegates the previous one to the background.
The chain of incidents has become a cause for concern to major stakeholders and other members of the party since the conclusion of its presidential primary. If the ruling party were not managing the fallout of the grievances of the over 20 presidential aspirants, it would receive bashing for the deliberate delay in the payment of members that served at committee levels during its assignments.
If it were not tactically and diplomatically trying to pacify the Nigerian electorate over what many considered as wrong choice of running mate with the Muslim-Muslim joint presidential ticket, then it would be the angst over the disquieting failure to resolve the intractable difference in the composition of the presidential National Campaign Council.
The ruling party, in reality, has also been battling to package and sell its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is confronted with multiple issues of his health status, questions on his educational background, actual state of origin, controversy over drug-related issues among.
While the party is still struggling to overcome these myriads of hurdles and deploy all machinery in motion for next year’s poll, the plots from detractors and aggrieved party stakeholders to unseat the national chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, have continued to gather momentum.
Struggling to remain afloat, according to sources close to him, the party’s chairman compounded his woes when he allegedly regressed into regret and bitterness against the system that used and dumped him.
The source told Daily Sun in confidence that the APC boss is seriously embittered that the presidency could deny and betray him after authorising him, for instance, to announce the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, as the consensus presidential candidate on the eve of the party’s presidential primary.
Adamu, the inner source claimed, believed that he did not deserve the kind of treatment meted to him at the twilight of his life, quipping: “I can confirm to you that Adamu is full of regrets lately over the manner the presidency deceived him and pulled the rug under his feet.
“The presidential directive precipitated his action in announcing Lawan as the consensus presidential candidate. He merely executed the clear directive from the President. And that was why it became a big surprise to him when the President totally abandoned and watched him nurse his injury alone after the announcement backfired.
“He felt so betrayed that the system which brought him used and abandoned him when he needed their support most. He is still feeling the bitterness that such could happen to him at the twilight of his life. It was that bad that he felt like quitting the position but he had to rethink because such action might send a negative signal ahead of the crucial election next year,” the source revealed.
Reacting further to the rumblings in the national secretariat of the party, our source claimed that that singular announcement, which by extension confirms that President Buhari may not be favourably disposed to willingly concede power to the South, has also made it impossible for the party’s boss to be freely integrated into the fold of the party’s presidential candidate, Tinubu.
“The action of Mr President, to say the least, confirmed the speculation that he never wanted power to return to the South in 2023. Right from the word go, he was secretly supporting a northerner as his replacement and merely giving fake promises to the southern aspirants. Adamu fell for the trick and unilaterally made that announcement.
“When he saw himself on the receiving end, the presidency that inflicted the sorrow on him, sending him on such errand, failed to rescue him. His regret is that the Tinubu camp, even when they later realised the precarious situation Adamu saw himself, has continued to be very skeptical of him.
“They are not yet convinced to the point of integrating him into their fold even when he should be the focal point of the forthcoming presidential campaign. This frosty relationship had been responsible for the delay in releasing the comprehensive list of the presidential campaign council because the party leadership, who statutorily supposed to release the list, is yet to get it and make its input. I can actually confirm to you that Adamu is genuinely apprehensive over his future with the party,” our source claimed.
As if the load has not overwhelmed the party, it was while still struggling to manage the other hostilities that the rumour broke out about President Buhari planning to secretly throw his weight behind a northern candidate other than Asiwaju Tinubu, the party’s candidate.
Heaving a sigh of relief when the presidency dismissed the speculation, the APC presidential candidate commended President Buhari over his renewed resolve to support him and other APC candidates.
In a statement from his Media Office in response to President Buhari’s resolve to support only the candidates sponsored by the ruling party, Tinubu described the President as a true leader and loyal party man.
“I like the statement of Mr. President few days ago. Firm, concise, straight to the point, and bold as a leader of our party. We should commend the President for that statement and for his commitment, loyalty to the party and for being a true party leader,” the embattled former Lagos State governor, noted in the statement.
But beyond other concerns, Nigerians have genuinely continued to show curiosity over the laid back approach by the APC presidential candidate, especially his lack of physical visibility at important public functions.
A recent case in point, many political watchers claimed, was Tinubu’s deliberate conspicuous absence at the recently held Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) event in Lagos, where he sent his running mate, Kashim Shettima, to a programme held at his doorstep.
Apart from the awkward dressing by the APC presidential running mate taking the shine off the event, Tinubu’s absence at such a big and enlightened platform provided by an elite association like the NBA, has continued to be the talking point for some weeks now.
While some believed that his absence was an indicator that he cannot match the other candidates in the presentation of his blueprint to administer the country, others also felt that Asiwaju may relapse into the category of proxy Nigeria president if elected next year.
“Nigerians could make several extrapolations from Asiwaju’s absence at that event. It could be attributable to many things majorly like his speculated health challenge and inability to rub shoulders effectively with his contemporaries in terms of oratory, erudition and carriage among others.
“Tinubu, no doubt, may have been in the corridors of power for years on end, he may have also built a sophisticated political empire, and even have a massive financial war chest, but, truth be told, he has a way of misfiring, especially if he speaks extempore at a big stage.
“Several cases in point in the recent past include his unguarded utterance in Ogun State before the APC presidential primary and even during his inaugural speech after emerging as the party’s candidate. On the issue of his absence at the NBA event, I think it must be deliberate. His managers may have weighed what it will take to manage the fallout of any possible goofing at such an elite big platform as the NBA.
“In fact, those complaining of Tinubu sending Shettima to represent him at such functions should be ready for more of it because it is a calculated attempt to shelve him from the possibilities of committing frivolous mistakes that might count against his chances for victory. The major concern now is to package and sell him to Nigerians the best way possible,” an ardent Tinubu supporter told Daily Sun on condition of anonymity.
In what however appeared like escalating the incident, Shettima’s claim that he wore sneakers to “deliberately snub” the hostile crowd at the NBA conference and his allegation that a certain presidential candidate held meetings to “plan mischief” was equally off tangent.
“I was in Lagos for the NBA conference. The NBA conference was held at Eko Hotel. It was largely funded by the APC state government of Lagos state. Subsequently, they moved to Eko Atlantic City, a product of an idea conceived by Asiwaju Tinubu. When I sent my recon team, one of the presidential candidates, funded his agents.
“They held meetings for three nights consequently, to plan mischief. When I was told it was a hostile crowd… I am a banker, I was trained by one of the best bankers in the world. I am a Jim Ovia boy. I deliberately wore sneakers to snub at them,” he quipped.
But, perhaps, in a deliberate attempt to pull Tinubu out of his shell concerning appearances at public functions, LP presidential candidate, Obi, has charged the Nigerian electorate to reject any presidential candidate who speaks to them by proxy.
Speaking to enthusiastic supporters that trooped out to welcome him in Germany last week, Obi insisted that every presidential candidate must personally tell Nigerians his agenda to make the country work.
“Listen to all the presidential candidates not through proxies. Let anyone who wants to be your President come forward himself and speak to you directly because he is the one you will hold responsible for whatever happens to Nigeria under his care.
“This campaign is not a campaign you are going to speak through somebody, that person needs to come and directly tell us what he is going to do for our country and we must take note of whatever he says and hold him to his words.
“We also don’t want to be carried to this place in a wheelchair but must consider his capacity, competence, integrity, and commitment,” Obi threw an expensive jab probably at the APC candidate.
Apparently, the hostilities against APC’s determination to retain power beyond 2023 may not only be limited to the capacity and competence of its presidential candidate, judging by the revelation from the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso, over the general mood in the northern part of the country.
Defending his refusal to run on the same ticket with LP candidate, Kwankwaso claimed that; “most northerners wanted power to remain in the north even after President Buhari must have completed his eight years in office.”
Informed that many young Nigerians were unhappy with him over the failure of the proposed alliance with Obi, Kwankwaso said: “Yes, I did everything possible for that alliance to work for many obvious reasons. In Kwankwassiya, we are not in a hurry. In 2007, I could have tried to contest to become president because I was better qualified than almost ever.”
However, despite the hostilities against the APC presidential candidate, there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel with the proposed stakeholders meeting this week to bring the aggrieved presidential aspirants together in a calculated plan to bring reprieve to the embattled party.
Those expected to be in attendance include Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; former Minister of Transportation, Science and Technology, Niger Delta Affairs, Rotimi Amaechi, Ogbonnaya Onu, and Godswill Akpabio respectively, and the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba.
Five serving governors, comprising Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Ben Ayade (Cross River), and Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) will also be in attendance at the meeting to redirect the ship of the party.
Others expected include Senate President, Ahmad Lawan; former Ogun, Zamfara, Imo States governors, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; Ahmad Sani Yerima and Rochas Okorocha respectively; Senator Ajayi Boroffice, former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole; cleric, Tunde Bakare; Pastor and businessman, Nicolas Felix; former Information Minister, Ikeobasi Mokelu; Tein Jack-Rich and the only female aspirant, Uju Ken-Ohanenye.
Interestingly, another cheering news is the N31 billion war chest at the disposal of the ruling party generated from the sale of expression of interest and nomination forms, which will be a source of unity, especially as the party’s leadership has graciously accepted to give a certain percentage of the amount to the state chapters.
Head or tail, barely one month to the commencement of the presidential campaign, the ruling party must expedite action to ensure a complete healing process to approach the campaign and by extension the election as a united indivisible force.