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From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Judging by the realities on ground, the All Progressives Congress (APC) seems to be on a cliff edge few months to next year’s presidential election. It has been a case of ‘one week, one trouble’. Increasingly, the ruling party seems to be jumping from the frying pan to fire in the build-up to the presidential poll.
Apparently, things seem to be falling apart since the ruling party conducted its elective convention that produced the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee (NWC).
For the other aspirants that contested the position against him, Adamu is a product of imposition and the wrong person to occupy the party’s chairmanship position.
Little wonder since the convention and Adamu’s emergence, genuine reconciliation healing process has completely eluded the party. It was not surprising therefore that the aggrieved persons are yet to forgive the party, let alone participate actively in its activities till date.
To widen the crack in the party, the bile that characterised the pre and post presidential party primary has continued to worsen. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu actually emerged as the party’s presidential candidate, but the wounds and bruises sustained by fellow aspirants have apparently remained fresh, refusing to heal.
The ruling party has been factionalised going by the posture, actions and inactions of the presidential aspirants. From former Ministers, Rotimi Amaechi, Ogbonnaya Onu, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, Ikeobasi Mokelu, former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, and even the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, among numerous others, the painful unpardonable treatment APC meted to them is a bitter pill to swallow and better imagined than experienced.
For them, it appears the party is no longer worth dying for. They have, therefore, not only avoided party activities but also watched with sordid silence, their loyal supporters quit the party in droves.
If the anger of the party’s southern chieftains and stakeholders has continued to worsen by the day, it must be a child’s play to that of the northern Christian APC members.
Understandably, the persistent unanswered question on their lips is why they should be considered incompetent, not good, and incapable enough for consideration as running mate to the presidential candidate that should necessitate the choice of the controversial Muslim-Muslim joint ticket.
In what appeared like applying salt to an already painful injury, the presidential candidate, Asiwaju Tinubu, ignored them and gave the impression that they are not good enough for the position and cannot win votes for him in the fertile North West and North East geopolitical zones.
What could be more depressing against the Northern Christian community? But as usual, the ruling party has carried on with the posture of business as usual.
Expectedly, the resentments generated by the adoption of the same faith joint presidential ticket have continued to build unimaginable tension in every part of the country, especially among the Christian community.
Many Nigerians, miffed by the development, have protested, shouted to the rooftop, complained endlessly, appealed passionately, and even prayed fervently, yet they all fell on deaf ears. They branded it Islamisation, Fulanisation, and even northern agenda, among other disturbing narratives, but an irreversible decision has been taken and it has even received the imprimatur of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In the calculations of the ruling party, according to many political watchers, Nigerians have been left with a limited option of either voting for the APC with such imperfect same religious faith ticket arrangement or waste their vote on the opposition parties with very slim chances of winning.
Many believe that coasting to victory with such an impression will certainly come with teething challenges ahead of the poll. What transpired at the recent unveiling of the party’s vice presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima, bore eloquent testimony that the grudges and umbrages may come faster than anticipated.
The celebration of boycott by disgruntled heavyweight APC chieftains at the event could be the first reality on the ruling party. Despite Tinubu, President Buhari and some Progressive governors endorsing Shettima, his unveiling could be interpreted and/or misinterpreted as a confirmation of his unpopularity with about 11 APC governors, and party chieftains boycotting the event held in Abuja.
Conspicuous among the league of party chieftains and leaders that staged the boycott include APC leaders from the South East and South-south, and many notable presidential aspirants and northern party stalwarts.
Curiously, of the 22 APC governors, only about eight, comprising Kebbi, Atiku Bagudu; Kano, Abdulahi Ganduje; Nasarawa, Abdulahi Sule; Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Ekiti, Kayode Fayemi; Borno, Babagana Zullum; Katsina, Bello Masari, Ogun, Dapo Abiodun, and Kogi Deputy, Edward Onoja, attended.
Prominent among those conspicuously absent include former chairman of APC Caretaker Committee and Yobe governor, Mai Mala Buni; his counterparts in Kaduna, Nasir el-Rufai, Plateau, Simon Lalong, Imo, Hope Uzodimma, Ebonyi, Dave Umahi, Niger, Abubakar Sani Bello, among others.
Inquisitively, apart from former APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, the event was a total blackout for many prominent party leaders from the South-south geopolitical zone, including the only APC governor in the zone, Professor Ben Ayade.
It was equally instructive that the Senate President, Senator Ahmad Lawan did not attend nor send a representative. Former Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, and a host of other APC northern Christians did not also attend.
Ignoring the boycotters, the APC perhaps, embarked on a mission to use the event to test run and correct the negative impression in many quarters over the same faith joint ticket. And, possibly, to underscore their desperation and ultimately discredit the antagonistic Nigerian Christian community, led by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), services of ‘men of God’ were allegedly procured by hook or crook.
The recruited ‘clergies’, some Bishops and some pastors, had appeared in their cardinal robes, on a single missionary journey to send strong signal of Christian acceptability of the Muslim-Muslim joint ticket.
The agents and clerics, according to trending reports, were almost succeeding, including the deliberate recognition by the vice-presidential candidate, until the bubble burst. Their mission backfired and the unmasking of the men behind the masquerades came was trailed by controversies.
The immediate consequences were petrifying. It did not only take off the shine of the event but also came with the unnecessary denials from the presidential candidate. He claimed that contrary to the trending speculations of his involvement in hiring the fake Bishops, they had just come like any other supporter of his presidential project.
But to many Nigerians and particularly the opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the APC presidential candidate has no rectitude to continue with the race for bringing Christianity to disrepute.
PDP, through its spokesperson, Debo Ologunagba, quipped: “PDP is appalled by the nauseating, blasphemous and unpardonable act by the APC in hiring street artisans, fraudsters and touts and criminally dressing them in bishop’s vestments to orchestrate an endorsement for its collapsing presidential campaign.
“The PDP, in the strongest term, condemns this profane and highly provocative act of desperation by the sinking APC presidential candidate, in the face of APC’s collapsing leadership, membership and followership structure across the country.
“Nigerians were sickened by videos and pictorial evidence of known mechanics, bus conductors and fraudsters sacrilegiously being dressed in fake bishop vestments and paid to endorse the unveiling of Tinubu’s widely rejected running mate, Shettima.
“Such action is unacceptable and unbecoming of any individual aspiring to a leadership position at any level let alone, the office of the President. This is an embarrassment to leadership,” PDP noted.
Not done yet, PDP further observed that with the “scandalous act” and his ongoing battle with issues of “alleged perjury, non-existent certificate, and allegations of extortions,” the presidential candidate, “has become more ethically challenged and lost all moral standing to seek election as the President of Nigeria.”
It stated: “More sickening is the outcry by the hirelings that they were defrauded by agents of the APC presidential candidate, who paid them sums ranging from N30,000 to N40,000 as against the N100,000 they were earlier promised.
“It is therefore ludicrous that instead of being remorseful and asking for forgiveness, the APC presidential campaign is shamelessly posting lame denials and excuses in the face of hard and verified evidence of its involvement in the shameless venture.
“Our party is not surprised by their attitude. Such is consistent with the character and DNA of the APC, which was never a political party but a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) hurriedly put together by conflicting bed-fellows and inchoate sailors clobbered together for remote personal gain and whose only interest is to defraud Nigerians through falsehood, lies, deceit, bribery, temporary loyalty purchase, corruption of established institutions and violation of set rules without regards to the feelings, sensibilities and wellbeing of Nigerians,” PDP had unleashed projectiles on the ruling party.
Ever since the unfortunate episode, it has become that bad for the ruling party and its presidential candidate that a trending caustic message has continued to dominate social media. “Supporting and defending the APC presidential candidate can be a heavy cross. Yesterday, it was an alleged certificate, age scandal, today; it is his health, State of origin, Muslim-Muslim ticket, and most recently the fake Bishops.
“My utmost fear in our party’s build-up to the presidential election is that we may end up spending precious time defending mundane issues and primordial sentiments at the expense of selling our excellent campaign promises,” a chieftain of the ruling party told Daily Sun in confidence.
“Look at the excellent speeches delivered during the unveiling ceremony, yet the issue of fake Bishops took the shine off every other good thing that transpired there. It is really becoming disturbing because as one incident is fading another one of greater magnitude will erupt to eclipse the one on ground. Yes, in the end, our party, the APC will win, but I hope it will not be a pyrrhic victory,” the chieftain added.
Then, what appeared like a time of reckoning and stocktaking befell the ruling party so soon during the recently concluded Osun State governorship election. The ruling party and incumbent governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, was humiliated as he lost his reelection bid.
To underscore the magnitude of danger confronting the party amidst the escalating crisis ahead of the presidential election, National Chairman, Adamu, was unequivocal in warning against the perilous time ahead.
Warning that the party’s winning strategy must be retooled and anchored on a unity of purpose, he said: “the unveiling of the vice-presidential candidate sends out a strong signal to the country that our great party is ready and united around the common cause of coasting home with victory at every level in 2023.
“But we must not be unmindful of the hurdles ahead. It is time to purge ourselves of the bitterness arising from our individual losses in the party primaries. It is time to submit ourselves to the will of God and the party and do nothing to sabotage its well-laid plans for victory.
“The other political parties want what we want and that is, to win and form the next government. If by any acts of omission or commission we give in to bitterness and pettiness or fail to see the larger picture or take any of the political parties for granted, we would constitute an obstacle to the victory of our party.
“As the faithful would like to say, that will not be our portion. Our winning strategy must be anchored on a unity of purpose. I urge us to begin our march now towards the sunrise,” he pleaded, confirming the uneasy calm pervading the party.
Despite the warnings, starring the face of the ruling party is the twin evil of the frosty relationship between the presidency and the presidential candidate evidenced in his curious absence during President Buhari’s meeting with the stakeholders and the controversy rocking the composition of members and appointment of the leader of the national campaign council.
But bringing a message of hope amidst the mounting crisis, President Buhari, while playing down the crisis rocking the party, assured that he would hand over to the presidential candidate of the APC.
Nothing could be more cheering and pleasant to the ardent party members than hearing Mr President strike a chord of humour while responding to a flowery speech by the vice presidential candidate; “I will respond to your speech when I am handing over to you and your boss. God willing, you are going to win.”
