All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi explains the importance of political party reforms to make elective platforms respond positively to the aspirations of the grassroots.
I wish to thank Urban Media Resource Limited the organizers of this forum for inviting me to this form to speak. In particular I wish to thank my brother and friend Kunle Abimbola who personally contacted me for this opportunity to share thoughts with you. Kunle and I met on the Editorial Board of the robust but rested Anchor Newspapers in the early days of the current century. The paper was published by an illustrious son of Oshun and my Egbon Mr. Adewale Adeeyo – a fantastic gentleman.
When I was asked to speak on Federalizing Political Parties. I immediately called Kunle to ask is this what we should be federalizing and what manner of federalizing are we talking about. I believe the journalist in him told me “I have the floor and the judgement is mine”. So, everything I say here is based on that advice. After all, I have the floor.
In picking up Kunle’s gauntlet I have reflected on contemporary history, current political developments in the country and took a pip into the foreseeable future. I wish to encapsulate my musings into a number of Reminders and Lessons in order to make my case.
Reminder 1: We had federalized parties before, we only lost it
- We had federalized political parties up to 1983, the first and second republics offered SW in many respects what we are clamouring for now. During these periods, Nigeria’s political party system, was more localized and organic, they were more efficient and effective organs to deliver good governance and campaign promises.
- Since the IBB political reforms of 1991, with its “new breed” formula, the Nigerian party system has been in continuous crisis, when compared with the situation in the First and Second Republics. The tragic bungling of 16 years by 16 years before it lost power and the APC’s present challenge of stabilizing the polity and restoring a virile economy are all evidence of a weak political party system that confirms crisis of political party system in Nigeria.
- The proponents of this “federalized political parties” envisions party manifestos that are based on the political geography of the six regions of South West, South East, South-South, North East, North West and North Central. The idea is to base national elections, on regional charters, driven by key local demands. Then a central thread, of common pan-Nigeria needs, can then weave all the local needs together. Conceptually, this is a good idea but experience has shown that it’s better to allow this to evolve organically rather than by a supply side fiat or declaration which in itself is antithetical to the cannons of democracy.
Reminder 2: We have always debated mainstream politics, it just went full circle.
- The organizers have branded this meeting Southwest to Abuja: A Midterm Appraisal. This is a very strategic subject and I hope the political mangers of the region one of which is the Governor of Osun State Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola are listening with rapt attention.
- Advocacy for mainstreaming the region into the Federal Government has always been with us. From the Awolowo-Akintola era to the periods of Ige-Olunloyo, Ajasin-Omoboriowo, Afenifere/BAT-Obasanjo. These are four mutations of the same contentious philosophy of “let’s be part of the center and get into the honey pot”.
- It’s evident that the ongoing 5th version is most consensual and least contentious. I guess that’s because the critical mass of the people spoke their mind and had their way without the so called Federal might that surreptitiously and brutally enhanced the 4 previous ones.
- Let me deepen my perspective assertions with some historical evidence. The advocacy for mainstream “come and chop” politics muffled progressive call for true federalism in 2003 under the guise of “Obasanjo is our son” let’s support him. That satanic unitarist enterprise ushered in an era of the worst electoral heist that swept the region for 8 years from 2003-2011. Only Lagos state survived the holocaust due to the singular exceptional visionary leadership of BAT of Lagos at that time.
- During these 8 years, the region became an occupied territory a police state of sort, intense partisan intimidation by so called “federal might” and a cesspool of corruption, mass disinformation and deceit. It’s easily arguable that the SW retrogressed politically during this era. It took 40 months of severe legal battles and substantial fatalities in human and material terms to restore popular political leadership in Ondo, Ekiti, Osun. It is the gravitas of these reclamations that led to full restoration of progressive federalist political leadership again in the SW in 2011 when the dissolved ACN and its proxy, Labour Party took charge in SW. No sooner we had this total control than visible cracks reared their heads in Ondo and Ekiti resulting in a differentiated Mimiko and the re-emergence of Fayose.
- We’ve again reclaimed Ondo with unhealed post-election wounds and the fate of Ekiti hangs in the balance. The election is around the corner. From all indications, there’s a lot to be done to achieve meeting of minds amongst principals that are currently shadow boxing. Ekiti election is yet another opportunity to restore SW to the pre-2003 era of a truly regional political block to reinvent and renew itself for another round of federalist advocacy. I hope we’ll rise above the myriad challenges of ego, control and embrace collective ownership and totally restore our region to a federalized political that the owners of this platform advocate.
Lesson 1: The so-called conservatives have had three rounds of mainstream political alliances with palpable evidence which historians will evaluate.
Take away: The memories of these experiences remain and the people will compare with the outcomes of the ongoing experience.
Lesson 2: It’s takes a long time, energy, money and human lives to reclaim political thought leadership and electoral victories. Each time it happens it leaves in its trail indelible loss of ethical values, public trust and generational elite division.
Take away: We have a new chance to take back, but this will not happen with the seeming passivity and lack of constructive engagement with wide stakeholder bases that pervades the air. We need a truth & reconciliation exercise, we need healing and we need a new bonding to be able to face the centripetal hurricane that is gathering and will surely hit the country soon. Is the SW prepared and united to push back?
Reminder 3: The current mainstreaming did not drop from the sky it was midwifed by progressives and must therefore take responsibility for it.
- Let’s me speak quickly about the ongoing and current version of the Progressives-midwifed Mainstreaming of SW with the Federal Government. One of the prime midwives of this baby is Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
- I must admit that I neither have a close personal relationship nor deep knowledge of the person of our charismatic Ogbenni Rauf. Nonetheless from the much that I know about his passion for human liberty, right to good life by ordinary people and the practical demonstration through his policy choices as Governor, in education, health and social welfare plus his unabashed public identification with the person and ideology of Papa Awo, I can safely attest that he’s a man of honour and a high quotient of public good.
- Despite these good sides, there is still more he can do to ensure that broken bridges are rebuilt and a fresh round of healing happens.
Lesson 3: Should the SW be advocating true federalism mid-term into the tenure of a federal government it provided the tipping point to install or should we be measuring and celebrating milestones on the road to actualizing it. We probably assumed and took it for granted that we all were on the same page.
Lesson 4: Determination and management of the priorities of government of political alliances are done in pre-alliance negotiation not after it. This is why the concept of agreement is invented. If we had used that, by now we would be measuring performance against it and not making appeals.
Take away: The progressives midwifed SW and mainstreamed it into the current FG. The performance of this unprecedented progressives led FG will be compared with the past ones as basis for future choice. At mid-term we can’t trade blame, we must work at what is missing and make it work otherwise how do we differentiate between conservatives and progressives’ capabilities to evolve a workable FG that works for all.
My closing shot on the type of federalizing we need
- My four years in the 7thSenate 2011-2015 opened my eyes and led me to the conclusion that the future progress and prosperity of Nigeria lies in the states and the regions.
- States must drive growth, create jobs and improve the livelihood of the people, its simple logic that the aggregate of state performances in the social and economic sectors that adds up to national performance.
- To achieve this, we need to “federalize” census, surveys, GDP, Education, agriculture, power generation and many of the responsibilities that is solely apportioned to the Federal Government and allow the states to have a wider field of play and therefore localize citizen engagement and leadership accountability.
(Footnotes)
Being Talking points of Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi at Conference on the second anniversary of the South West in national governance held at Auora events centre Oshogbo on September 15, 2017.
