They rated us as the third force,” one of the ‘combatants’ Kingsley Ogga, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Kogi chair and double chair, ADC Forum of State Chairmen, rued in Abuja. “But today, the way they are handling this party, they are trying to kill it.”
The question is who are “they” in the two contexts that Ogga painted?
“They”, in the first context, is no more than a hyperbole for former President Olusegun Obasanjo. In his usual election-era fancy, he “divined” a “third force” on the virtual eve of the 2019 general elections. After the move hardly flew, despite all the media hype, he anointed ADC as the “third force”, in a fit of Hobson’s choice.
Though floating on crass cross-opportunism by allowing itself to be sucked into Obasanjo’s gambit, it’s rich for Ogah to claim “they” dubbed his ADC the “third force”. “They” is nothing but Obasanjo — and maybe ADC velvet ranks, who zestfully hugged Obasanjo in mutual delusion. That fetched them nothing beyond a sole Kogi House of Representatives seat. So long for “they” and their phantom “third force”!
“They”, in the second context, are ADC members falling upon themselves in a virtual fight-to-finish. That is reminiscent of Fela, the Abami Eda’s classic tune, “Ojuelegba, confusion centre”.
In that monster hit, Fela sung of traffic coming from right, from left, from up, from down, all locked in anarchy that left everyone trapped in the gridlock!
Well, the in-fighting in ADC would appear just that. Imagine the ADC national chairman, Ralph Nwosu, “suspending” the party’s presidential candidate, Dumebi Kachikwu, for alleged anti-party activities!
But virtually before the ink got dried on that suspension order, announced in a statement by Bamidele Ajadi, ADC deputy national chairman (Politics), Kachikwu supporters cried foul.
The order is a joke, they insist, because Nwosu had allegedly been party chair for 17 years and should therefore resign. “For good 17 years, he has been the national chairman,” Ogga fumed, “it’s not right”. Seventeen years! Is the ADC national chair then some eternal clan chieftaincy? But that could also be emotive red herring. If he was elected for those 17 years, why not?
In any case, from either side is a harvest of darts. The Nwosu side accused Kachikwu of undermining ADC’s image and ruining its integrity by an offensive video broadcast. The Kachikwu side, mainly ADC state chairmen, claimed the National Working Committee (NWC), which purportedly took the suspension decision, was not known to law, since its tenure had expired. Ojuelegba — confusion centre!
It’s amazing how a flight of fancy, mixed with free-wheeling opportunism, can unhinge a modest party, which allowed itself to be cloaked in a borrowed robe.
Third force indeed — of utter and unending confusion. Ojuelegba!