By Osita Okechukwu
Recenty, when the social media outlets ran amok with news of grumblings against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, within the APC, especially from the flank of the defunct CPC motherhood of our polygamous household, some of us heaved a sigh of relief that it is not the often flogged ethno-religious identity politics.
The sigh of relief was mainly because ethno-religious identity politics haunts political parties more, more difficult to resolve its stereotype than that of intra-party dissension, we rated that it is easier to reconcile rumblings and marginalisation within.
We were wondering whether these members forgot our doctrine of progressivism? What is their attraction to defect to those who mangled our economy via corrupt privatization of State Owned Enterprises (SOE) and breached presidential rotational convention from the south to the north and vice versa.
For progressivism is APC’s political philosophy, our benchmark, which seeks to advance human conditions or in our local parlance, dividends of democracy, good governance via social reforms, and curbing unregulated inequality.
As the elders of the defunct CPC we took solace on the truism that we had long shed the toga of our motherhood and wholly integrated into APC family. From thence series of consultations commenced.
On this score it is pertinent to remind those grumbling the standpoint of Prince Tony Momoh of blessed memory, then chairman of CPC when he was urged to call a meeting of our tendency immediately after Buhari’s victory. “Am from a polygamous Momoh family, please don’t germinate polygamous mindset in our great party; it took us genuine, concerted and prolonged time to build genuine friendship which watered down the divisive sentiments of such mindset.”
Yes on the complaint over economic hardship in the land and marginalisation we resolved to adopt diplomatic advisory approach to Mr President; because we are not unaware that the history of liberal democracy vividly records that most presidents have low approval ratings in their mid term. Which most times is reversed before the next presidential elections.
Our deduction was that it is always difficult for Presidents to increase the Bhutan’s favourite doctrinaire barometer – Gross National Happiness (GNH) – passion of man throughout history in the first two years. Especially under economy in life support, which Tinubu inherited. Albeit corrupt oil subsidy, unstable currency, debt burden and unfavorable trade deficits.
Accordingly we are in league with those who demand from our leader increase Gross National Happiness (GNH); in order words the demand is in sync with the restoration of progressivism. Our thrill is that GNH is the credo and grundnorm of Chapter 2 of 1999 Constitution and that of our great party, APC.
In pursuit of Gross National Happiness Chapter 2 of our Constitution – Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy states categorically that the primary purpose of government is the security and welfare of the people.
This is the Social Contract between Nigerians and our government, therefore there is nothing untoward in the demand for dividends of democracy by the people. This is our change agenda we pledged during the political campaign.
No wonder why mid-term elections or Approval Ratings (APR), rarely favour the incumbent president. United States mid term elections are witness to this assertion.Talk less when President Tinubu had embarked on bold and courageous economic reform programs, prominent of which is removal of subsidy, which in plain phrase turned out to be the restriction of patronage to middle class and the masses. This unintended outcome is contrary to the bogey bandied before fuel subsidy removal that it favours the rich more than the poor.
Restriction of patronage is most of the time frowned at by many, despite the alleged savings and future benefits which will accrue from removal of fuel subsidy. Our consolation is the fact that all the manifestos of three major presidential candidates are in consensus bed with removal of subsidy.
One will surely come back to this enduring and contending demand in this essay. In doing so to most importantly report how we are playing the role of solution provider for the good of not only the APC members, but the greatest number of Nigerians.
It could be recalled that All Progressives Congress (APC) was a polygamous household of Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) all defunct and faction of APGA and Civil Society Organisations (CSO).
Events later showed that we were naive, on taking intra-party rumblings with pinch of salt, when differently we were serially invited to meeting after meeting with the hint of defection, first was first quarter of 2024, less than President Tinubu’s one year in office.
The complaint range from marginalisation of CPC members in appointments to anti-people economic policies or restriction of patronage.
Some of us shrugged it off immediately, not because we were unaware that there are criticisms and musings which centered primarily on President Tinubu administration’s economic reform policies and crass nepotism in the wider public domain; but we argued why don’t our members explore the in-house mechanisms to address the matter.
In addition we reasoned that whilst we frown at marginalisation of all colours for the harm it does to democracy and national cohesion; however we said that it is too early in the day to complain. That truly we lacked the locus standi because we the CPC bloc leans on no moral high ground to complain as our leader President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, cannot be absolved of same crass nepotism.
We added that we need to intensify our advisory strategy to Mr President who is a master strategist and veteran politician who knows the electoral harms way rumblings can engender.
We cautioned that shouting publicly will expose us to ridicule as some will query us, what did you do when others were being marginalised, especially for those of us among the Buhari’s cabal.
The cat was let out of the bag when one of us Malam Nasiru El-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna State openly declared for Social Democratic Party (SDP), citing consultation with Buhari before the announcement.
Calls upon calls from all the nooks and crannies of our dear country dominated the air waves in our circle. This prompted Senator Tanko Almakura to summon meeting, where we took critical analysis of the situation and came to the inevitable conclusion that we are staying tall in APC and cannot demolish the house we laboured to built.
On April 16, 2025, general meeting we reviewed all the scenarios and anchored our resolution on the premise that we are staying tall in APC and cannot demolish the APC house it took us 9 years to construct.
We also pledged our allegiance to President Tinubu, stating that it is better we take the loud complaints and observations of Nigerians on the issue of poor Gross National Happiness to Mr President, because the kitchen table issues are not affecting only members of the CPC, but the entire country.
And truly on the issue of nepotism, that even some Yorubas are shouting on top of their voices that they are being marginalized in preference to Lagos Boys. Hence GNH eluding them under the watch of the great Asiwaju, their own son.
Included also in our communique is that we cannot honestly profess progressivism as our credo and grundnorm when Nigerians GNH is defined by multidimensional poverty, gross inequality and palpable insecurity. Which earnestly we agree to address with vigour in Mr President’s desk.
On our solidarity to Mr President we went down memory lane and recalled that the historic merger of the APC that took nine good years (2004-2013), to be consummated. That it was off and on, until Tinubu and his team reassured Buhari that he will be the new party’s presidential flag bearer.
The Tinubu team recounted that they acknowledge the 10-12 million vote bank Buhari recorded in successive elections, (2003, 2007 & 2011), especially from the northern regions, and provided the supplement they pledged from the South West.
In fact, when the newly registered party attracted many prominent politicians among which are His Excellencies Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amechi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Dr Bukola Saraki et al, from our sister opposition political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) again anxiety and tension rose in our camp.
It was at this point that Tinubu once again demonstrated his unalloyed commitment to Buhari, when he told him plainly that the presidential primary will go in your favour, just hold on your delegates while I supplement them with mine from Delta State to that of South West.
That yes, Atiku and Kwankwaso are his political allies for over two decades, but he had told them that they don’t have your type of vote bank. He predicted that with 12 million vote bank plus additional votes from southern regions that victory is guaranteed.
Tension was lowered a bit with this reassurance from Tinubu, but cynics were at play, with ethnic and stereotype cards. As God will have it as predicted Buhari won the December 2014 presidential primary at Lagos, and subsequent presidential election courtesy of Tinubu.
In lieu of all these historical indicators majority of CPC leadership and members resolved on April 16, 2025 to stay tall at APC and declared our unalloyed solidarity and loyalty to Mr President.
To actualise our communique we set up some committees among which is Contact and Mobilisation Committee. This singular committee was mandated to contact Mr President and inform of the outcry on the streets over hunger, multidimensional poverty and insecurity.
That the outcry on the street is replica of the outcry of those CPC clan who are not comfortable with his crass nepotistic mode of appointments.
The committee made up of our elders was also mandated to remind Mr President that we voluntarily came together as progressives to form this unique party, by name APC. That we adopted progressivism as APC’s political philosophy, whereby our benchmark is to advance dividends of democracy, human condition, reduce inequality and address kitchen table issues.
More than any other member, that the mantle fell on Mr President to provide evidence of progressive change, fulfil the promise of life in abundance and oblige life to the change agenda which we pronounced across the length and breadth of our dear nation. Which marks us different from our sister opposition political party, the PDP, that sees the State as a threat to public good, not an instrument of advancement of public welfare.
While the mobilisation committee will reach out to our members nationwide and we urged them to use their expertise to reconcile and call back those members like Elrufia, Malami, Nwajiuba et al, who are wandering into political wonderland, where members have lost faith in democracy.
In sum, our main standpoint is staying tall in APC to enable us to return President Tinubu back to progressivism, a double barrel philosophy which will make his economic reform programs to benefit both the 1% and 99%, thereby increasing the Gross National Happiness (GNH) of Nigerians.