The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is going for its national convention today in unity, on the surface.
President Muhammadu Buhari has made a spirited attempt to get the different blocs to agree to his anointed candidate for party chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu. He also proposed consensus instead of election of party officers.
But, for the first time, some loyalists of the President tried to say no to their leader.
There was anxiety as the expected unity list was not ready as at yesterday’s afternoon, due to some delays at the levels of constituencies, states and regions.
The ruling party should have borrowed a leaf from its main rival, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Not only did the opposition party successfully select Chairman Iyorcha Ayu, many observers hailed the delegates for choosing wisely.
Ayu, egg head, Third Republic Senate President and three-time minister, was accepted by the majority in the PDP.
Why are some people in APC raising objection to the choice of Adamu, a former governor, one-time minister and a serving senator?
APC is a big party. But it has not really enjoyed peace as a ruling party since 2015. It has been consistently rocked by leadership squabbles. It is now almost in the same situation that confronted the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2014.
Apart from elderstatesman Chief Bisi Akande, who left in a blaze of glory as interim chairman, his successors have not been so lucky. Chief John Odigie-Oyegun started well, but he left unceremoniously. Many are still bitter over how the Kogi governorship crisis was handled after the sudden death of Prince Abubakar Audu, who was coasting home to victory.
A terrible fate also befell his successor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who was rejected by his colleagues in the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF). Following his exit, the leadership crisis escalated. An appropriate solution to the conflict has eluded APC for a long time.
Yet, the Caretaker Committee, led by Mai Mala Buni, who succeeded the former comrade-governor, overstayed in office, to the consternation of the divided ruling party’s governors’ forum. The achievements of the interim leadership, including the digital membership registration, settlement of outstanding debts, getting a befitting party secretariat, conduct of ward, local and state congresses, encouraging out of court settlement of court cases, and defection of PDP governors to the fold, have been overshadowed by worries over disharmony in the party.
The most important element of today’s exercise is that a privilege has been conceded to the President as the party leader, to solely appoint a chairman for the ruling party.
But it was not only that the candidate was being rejected, the manner of pre-convention selection by the Commander-In-Chief was being criticised. Typical of military rulers, it is doubtful if the President consulted widely ahead of the convention before making up his mind on his choice.
Reports said the governors presented a list to the President. Instead of picking from the names presented to him, he included his preferred candidate on the list without consulting the stakeholders. Southern APC governors and other stalwarts, who were previously infuriated by Adamu’s casual comment on presidential zoning or rotation, were livid.
Observers are looking beyond today’s coronation. What next after the national congress?
Unlike other chairmanship contenders, Adamu never really unfolded an ambition for party leadership. His manifestos are unknown. He has not been very visible on the campaign field, unlike other aspirants-Tanko Almakura, Sani Musa, Salihu Mustapha, George Akume, and Abdulaziz Yari, who seems to have rejected the zoning of the position to the Northcentral. Although he is the leader of the party’s reconciliation committee, not much has been accomplished by the Adamu Panel.
Will the president, the ‘new’ chairman and the so-called cabal now proceed to suggest to the party that a consensus presidential candidate will be better, since there is now a precedent?
Today’s convention does not appear to be a festival of unity, judging by the mood in the party. The number of delegates expected is not certain. On the eve of the exercise, a common modality has not been agreed upon.
Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule, chairman of Convention Publicity Committee, told reporters at the party secretariat in Abuja yesterday that the party would adopt consensus. It was a proposal that the party has embraced, with minimal grumbling. But the bone of contention is the intended beneficiary.
But, in another breath, Sule said since APC is a democratic party, if there is a sort of opposition or resistance to consensus, the party would consider other options. The other option is election, which it appears APC is not really prepared for. The governor was silent on the challenges posed by the alternative option. If election is adopted, the outcome is predictable. Adamu, former governor of Nasarawa State, may not make it.
While the old political warhorse and brave supporter of Buhari earned the special presidential attention or favour because of his pro-Buhari stance on the floor of the Senate, for which he was even suspended when Dr. Bukola Saraki was Senate President, the party has never dreamt of Adamu as a rallying point.
Instructively, the eminent politician, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, who was not perceived as a unifying force, was forced to vacate the chairmanship of PDP because governors and other powerful forces refused to cooperate with him because he was not their choice, despite his disposition to party reforms and renewal.
The President was sensitive to the roadblock. His action was being criticised as subtle imposition. He therefore, decided to do what he previously failed to do. He tried to expand the scope of contact.
Although he never carried party elders along when he endorsed the 79-year-old senator, he had to quickly contact the leaders of the Legacy Parties when younger elements, particularly the governors, started flexing muscles. The lesson is that the president, despite the overwhelming state power, cannot accomplish much in terms of party management, without the active involvement of all and sundry. Therefore, intra-party politics of exclusion is futile.
A section of the National Assembly Caucus pointed out that if the President had previously carried along the various interest groups on his choice, tension would have reduced.
Although there are plans by the party to return nomination forms to chairmanship aspirants, the refund of N20 million nomination fee may not adequately compensate for their campaign activities, mobilisation and preparations for the convention. Some of the aspirants have been on the field in the last nine months.
APC should convert the convention into an opportunity for sober reflection. The party should put its house in order.
The party had a new beginning. At its infancy in 2015, it won the presidential election. The feat was repeated in 2019. On account of the protracted crisis that have seized it, many Nigerians have focused attention on its weaknesses while ignoring its strengths and achievements.
Some sections of the party’s constitution may be amended today. The reconciliation process will also be reinvigorated.
Buni’s farewell address is ready. But is the party ready to elect or select a new National Working Committee (NWC) without risking post-convention crisis?