The All Progressive Congress (APC) in Bauchi State is gradually settling to life after power, but not without internal conflict. The crisis which contributed to the defeat of the party in last year’s governorship poll seems to have deepened. David Adenuga reports
Following its shocking defeat in last year’s governorship election, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State is doing all it can to remain relevant in its quest to wrestle power from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023. However, the internal crisis that torn the party apart in the wake of the 2019 election, where high ranking members of defected from the party still lingers.
Pre- election crisis
It would be recalled that internal disagreement by the former governor Mohammed Abubakar, with several party stakeholders, who were still embittered over the process that threw up the governor as a candidate, contributed to his loss at the 2019 poll
High ranking members like Former Speaker House of Representatives, Yakuba Dogara defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while Dr. Ali Pate who contested in the primary defected to the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), where he was given the governorship ticket.
Pate and Dr. Ibrahim Lame (both former ministers), who contested with the primary with the former governor passed a vote of no confidence on the Election Committee from the party’s headquarters in Abuja.
They alleged that the governor, in connivance with the state executive, compromised the process and that security agencies were used to intimidate members of the party with opposing views.
Before Abubakar emerged the APC candidate, the two men, Lame and Pate, in a joint resolution, dismissed the process that enthroned him as the candidate of the party.
At that time, they called on their supporters to boycott the exercise, against the background of the claim that the process was compromised. Though the governor eventually emerged the APC candidate, his capacity to win the election was in doubt, given that many stakeholders challenged his emergence.
Aggrieved aspirants, who alleged that they were shortchanged in the recent APC primaries also indulged in anti-party activities, because they held the view that the governor failed to reconcile with most of them.
Post election crisis
However, a year after the poll, more crises have erupted.
It would be recalled how two APC lawmakers laid claim to the speakership position in the Bauchi State House of Assembly, following the parallel inauguration of the house, which produced the two APC contenders. Former Speaker, Kawuwa Damina and the new Speaker, Suleiman Abubakar.
The ruling PDP had thrown its weight behind Suleiman and succeeded in making Suleiman the Speaker.
Apparently, the drama that played out at the inauguration following the emergence of the two speakers reflected the lack of unity in the APC.
The aggrieved members are seeking the resignation of the state chairman Ubah Nana who is said to be a loyalist of ex-governor Mohammed Abubakar.
Our correspondent gathered that the move is to reduce Abubakar’s influence in the party, who is believed to have hijacked the party structure.
It was learnt that the aggrieved members within the party are already plotting on how to remove Nana.
Aside Nana being a loyalist of former governor Mohammed Abubakar, he was also accused of not doing enough to unite warring parties.
The chairman of the APC Volunteer Reconciliation Forum Alhaji Hassan Sherif, said the aggrieved members have been to Abuja to formally lay their complaints to the APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole, against Ubah Nana.
Sherif alleged that the party chairman was trying to derail the party further, saying “he’s unable to unify the party members and ensure that those elected under the platform of the party take care of its members”.
He called on the state chairman to resign since he was unable to ensure discipline and unity of members of the APC. He said: “That is why we are in Abuja, to complaint to the National Chairman, we have seen him, and we have seen the National Secretary and we will also see the President. I’m sure they will call him to hear from him on why he is treating the party the way he’s doing.”
Sherif also debunked allegations that his group was sponsored by some APC senators to cause trouble in the party and get rid of the state party chairman, Uba Nana, saying; “If he (National Chairman) does not like what we are doing, let him resign and allow someone who will nurture the party to take over.
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“You know we don’t have power at the state level and our members are lying fallow, so our interest is that we want to ensure that party stakeholders take care of the party—this is a responsibility of NASS members of the APC to take care of the party.”
But, the move by Sheriff and the APC Volunteer Forum was knocked by a Coalition of APC supporters while reacting to the call for the chairman’s resignation over for his alleged failure to reconcile aggrieved party members.
The Coalition of APC supporters said Nana has shown strong leadership traits despite the party’s disappointing outing at both the governorship election and supreme court case.
The coalition in a press statement signed by its secretary, Muhammad Auwal Matori restated the support of the coalition to Nana led leadership.
Matori claimed that the APC chairman was able to lead the party to victory in 2015 elections in the state adding that even in the last 2019 polls, APC had won the presidential election, with three senators, 9 members of the house of representatives and 22 members of the state assembly.
Another chieftain who spoke in confidence to The Nation argued that the APC cannot be regarded as a strong party anymore ever since they left government. He said aside the leadership crisis rocking the party, there is also financial crisis.
He said: “The party is disorganised at the moment, since their pillar of strength, immediate past governor, Muhammad Abubakar is no more in power, the party can’t be regarded as a strong party again since they left government, as Abubakar having lost his second term bid, they find themselves in an unfavourable position.
“They depended so much on the Abubakar during his time but as it is now, when you’re no more in government you can’t enjoy certain privileges like before again. The major problem of the party now is funding. Life outside power for the party has been difficult due to the over-reliance on him Abubakar.”
He added: “You know when a party is no more in power, it loses certain respect, people do not like to associate themselves with the party, The former governor is now trying to fend for himself, he won’t take the risk of sponsoring the party. Following the shocking defeat of the party at the governorship level they’re now scattered like sheep without shepherd.”
But, reacting to the plot to remove him from office, Ubah Nana said those behind his travail are political contractors hired by an interest group to destabilise the party.
The APC chairman stated this while fielding questions from newsmen shortly after a meeting of party executives at the APC office in Bauchi.
Nana dismissed as insignificant the allegations that some stakeholders of the party are calling for his removal from office because it lost the governorship seat to the PDP.
He added that the party has already forged ahead as well as map out strategies regain its mandate in 2023 while encouraging members of the party not to be discouraged because the seat of the governorship is for the PDP, saying that they should remain United and support the party in order to recover their mandate in 2023.
He said a series of meetings have being held with executives of the party, right from the ward to the state level to strengthen the party and rub minds on the way forward.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly Rt. Hon. Abubakar Y. Suleiman has charged APC flag-bearers that lost out in the 2019 general elections to work together in order to end the lingering misunderstandings in the party.
With the numerical strength of the Bauchi APC in the Senate, the House of Representatives and the State House of Assembly, the party remains the most viable opposition platform to wrestle the governorship from the ruling PDP in 2023, but the seed of discord planted in the party before the election needs to be uprooted before it becomes an iroko tree, as this might slim the chances of a possible comeback in 2023.
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