Since it became the ruling party at the centre, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been confronted with many challenges, which it has not been able to resolve. These challenges include the power tussle among the legacy parties that merged to form the mega party, prior to the last general elections, and the struggle for party tickets and relevance at the state level. Correspondent TONY AKOWE examines some of these challenges and how the party leadership can tackle them.
Two years ago, Nigerians were thirsty for change. To them, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which had ruled for 16 years then, had derailed. The All Progressives Congress (APC) was perceived as the vehicle that will bring about the much-desired change that will take the country to the promised land.
But, almost two years after, the party is still grappling with the challenges of charting a new course. With the failing economy and depreciating purchasing power, coupled with the high-level corruption in the conduct of government activities, many Nigerians are beginning to despair. The prospects of the party fulfilling many of its campaign promises are diminishing as the days go by. Nigerians had looked forward to the glorious days of economic boom, with lots of vigour. The hopes and expectations were also high, particularly because the ruling party which also dominates the chambers of the National Assembly is also at the helm of affairs in majority of the states.
At the outset, Nigerians had been encouraged by the so-called body language of the President, which sent shivers down the spine of many both in the public and private sector. But, till date, these hopes and expectations have remained largely unfulfilled. It took the administration almost six months to put a cabinet in place; this took place under the guise of shopping for the best materials for the job. Almost two years after, Nigerians appear to have completely lost hope in the ability of the government and the party to deliver on its promises.
Given the dwindling resources available to government, Nigerians have continued to groan under the harsh economic conditions in the country, while allegations of corruption against principal officers of government have become the order of the day; with the government doing little to address the situation. Although the President has ordered the Attorney-General of the Federation to investigate some of the allegations, the long silence of the government on many critical issues has continued to give Nigerians concern.
Even party stalwarts are not too happy with the slow pace of governance. For instance, the delay in reconstituting the boards and management of government agencies and parastatals has dampened the morals of many of them. Ironically, many government agencies are still being occupied by appointees of the PDP government of former President Goodluck Jonathan. This has not gone down well with many members of the party who worked assiduously for the success of the party at various levels. This has also affected the fortunes of the party, leading to one crisis or the other at the various levels.
With the recession biting even harder, the attendant shifts and turns in politics brought with it a series of trials and tribulations against the party in 2016. These trials have overshadowed whatever gains the party was able to achieve during the year. Most of the trials such as the one that followed the Ondo State governorship primary have still not been addressed; they have only been swept under the carpet.
Besides, the organised labour is equally not happy, because the APC government has not been able to match its words with action. Rather than creating more jobs for Nigerians as promised, many industries are closing down and workers are losing their means of livelihood. Unfriendly government policies have been adduced as the major reason for most of the job losses. The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the central body for Nigerian workers, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said 20 months after the Buhari-led APC government took over the reins of leadership that the government has failed to actualise its electoral promise of delivering three million jobs to Nigerians annually.
Wabba said available signs are not encouraging at all, as Nigerians are presently at a loss as to which ministry or agency of government is in charge of job creation. He has advised the government to go back to the drawing board, in view of the unforeseen challenges in order to deliver on its promise of change. He said the New Year presents an opportunity to review the previous years, as well as offer the platform to re-strategise for better performance in governance at all levels.
There is no doubt that the letter written by the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the outcome of the governorship primary in Ondo State remains one of the biggest crisis the party went through in 2016. The letter exposed the crisis existing in the party, which the leadership had tried to suppress for a long time. This is in addition to the crisis created by the botched attempt by the party to ensure that its bid was carried out in the election of principal officers of the National Assembly.
Though the party tried to manage crisis, the suspension of the Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Timi Frank, was one issue that gave it so much bad publicity during the year. Even though Frank consistently accused the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, of being the brain behind his ordeal, by refusing to allow him act as the National Publicity Secretary, following the exit of Alhaji Lai Mohammed, one must not run away from the fact that the issue may have been taken too far by both the party and Comrade Frank.
Interestingly, the party’s constitution did not make room for any of the officers to function in an acting capacity, except where directed by the National Chairman. The National Executive Committee may have noticed the lacuna created by the constitution and had, at its meeting in March 2016, set up a committee to review the constitution. Unfortunately, however, this could not be achieved in 2016. Aside the National Working Committee (NWC), which sees to the day-to-day running of the party, none of its critical organs was able to meet throughout the year to review its activities and forge the way forward.
The party’s constitution provided for a quarterly meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC), which is the highest decision-making body. This body could not meet after its meeting in March. Observers believe that the NEC meeting is long overdue, if the party must move forward in 2017. Similarly, the party is already two months in breach of its constitution, regarding the holding of its national convention. Article 25 of the constitution stipulates that “the national convention of the party shall be held once in two years at a date, venue and time to be recommended by the National Working Committee and approved by the NEC, subject to the giving of the statutory notices to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and at least 14 days notice given to members eligible to attend”.
The last convention was held in 2014, to amend the party’s constitution and receive certain decampees from the PDP, including: the then Speaker of the House of Representatives and present governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal. It was gathered that a meeting of the party leadership convened to fix a date for the convention had been inconclusive, as at the time of writing this report; members of the NWC expressed divergent opinions about holding the convention. But, sources have it that many of the members are actually afraid that they may not make it beyond the convention, as many governors are making moves to replace their representatives in the NWC. It was further gathered that some members of the NWC are not favourably disposed to the idea of holding the convention, for fear of being replaced.
Some governors are believed to be shopping for candidates to replace members of the NWC from their states, while members of the NWC whose position are under threat have developed cold feet and are trying to frustrate the convention or delay it to buy time. Sources in the party told The Nation that Imo and Kano State governors specifically were not comfortable with members of the NWC from their domains.
Indications that all may not be well with the planned convention emerged during the meeting of the NWC, which lasted for two days without arriving at a consensus on the date for the convention. This forced them to stay action on the issue, pending further consultations. It is however evident that with several issues needing attention, particularly given the way the party came into being, it has become imperative to convene this ‘solemn assembly’, to sort out impending ‘naughty’ issues before it; to avoid going to war with itself on several issues, especially as 2019 beckons.
However, it was gathered at the weekend that intrigues from various powerful groups within the party is threatening to further delay the convention, as disagreements are already building up between those who want the convention to hold as an opportunity to effect changes in the national leadership and others not positively disposed to the idea.
There is no gainsaying the fact that the crisis has affected the party’s finances.
For instance, members have not fulfilled their mandatory financial contributions to the party in 2016, and this is stifling the party and hampering its operations. Payment of staff salaries, payment for utilities and newspaper adverts became a major problem for the party. Unfortunately, as at the time of this report, several newspaper adverts placed by the party in have not been paid for; some of them dating back to the campaign period. This is yet another issue that the party must deal with in 2017, if it must continue to gain the confidence of the Nigerians.
Reports have it that the shortage of financial flow into the party was as a result of the refusal of party stalwarts and bigwigs in the executive and legislative arms of government to honour financial obligations. It was gathered that party members in the current National Assembly stopped the mandatory monthly payments of N100, 000 for Senators and N70, 000 for members of the House of Representatives since the party got enmeshed in crisis.
Similarly, political appointees, such as ministers, have also not lived up to expectations, by paying their dues. It is expected that with the seeming resolution of the crisis of confidence between the party leadership and the APC caucus in the National Assembly, the financial crisis will be put to rest. Observers also insist that the party must make concrete efforts to ensure ministers and others who are supposed to pay their dues to the party do so for its smooth running.
One other area that the party has not been able to address since it came to power and which seems to be spreading is the spate of crisis in its state chapters. From Kano to Kaduna, Bauchi to Gombe, Bayelsa to Adamawa, the story has been the same. The party is battling to keep itself together, while in places like Kaduna, some loyal members of the party has formed a faction called APC Akida. The major cause of the crises across the states and to some extent, at the national level, is the sharing of the spoils of office. Ironically, the crisis in the Kaduna chapter predates the Buhari administration. The National Vice Chairman in charge the Northwest, Inuwa Abdulkadir, said the chapter has been in crisis right from the conduct of congresses for the election of party executives.
He said: “The crises were carried over to the conduct of governorship primary and thereafter with the emergence of the state chairman as the governorship running mate. S. I. Danladi Wada, the Deputy State Chairman, was to act as the chairman, but somehow the then governorship candidate and his campaign machinery refused to recognise and allow the deputy chairman to operate as such. Various reconciliatory efforts were made, but to no avail and the situation had to be contained by the party in view of the campaign and election challenges the party was facing at that time.
“After the elections, vacuums were created, following the appointment of substantial number of members of the State Working Committee and other executive members into various positions in the state, thereby dwindling the membership of the various organs of the party in the State. Disharmony amongst key stakeholders in the state has become so evident and this is in no way helpful to the party. The party intervened and pacified the aggrieved members and this brought about relative peace. But Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, the Governor of Kaduna State, has not been forthcoming in all efforts to harmonise and solidify the party leadership structure.
“On several occasions, I had meetings with him where as the leader of the party in the zone, I made passionate appeals for him to take leadership and drive a process that will harmonise, reconcile and solidify the party. One of such appeals I made was in the presence of other governors from the zone in his office, but his reaction was volatile and he threatened to beat me up and prevent me from coming into Kaduna.
“I kept my calm as a leader considering the volatility of Kaduna State in terms of political reaction which cannot just be ignored, and the attendant threat it poses viz-a-viz the tremendous goodwill and support the party is enjoying in Kaduna State. The other governors share the same concern with me and he was pacified and it was agreed, after consultation with all concerned, to appoint a reconciliation committee under the chairmanship of Governor Aminu Bello Masari to put some more efforts in reconciling our members into harmony. The committee is yet to conclude its assignment, but I understood that Malam El-Rufai is yet to give the necessary cooperation to the committee, which I still urge him to do, for the ultimate objective of restoring peace, unity and consolidation of the party’s support in the state.”
The Kano chapter has been embroiled in crisis. The party has not been able to resolve the crisis that broke out between supporters of the former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and Governor Abdullahi Ganduje. The crisis led to the removal of the party chairman. The crisis in these two chapters have since spread to the zonal level, with the zonal women leader, Hajia Aisha Kaita accusing the zonal chairman of embezzling party funds.
She said: “I have it on good authority that the Zonal Vice-Chairman, Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir, single-handedly opened and operates a bank account in the name of the Northwest Zonal Committee, with him as the sole signatory to the account in total violation of Article 23 (iii) of the party’s constitution. Furthermore, as an elected member of the zonal committee, I am aware that the Presidential Campaign Council funds that was meant for the zone was misappropriated by the Zonal Vice-Chairman.
“Similarly, the N21m given by the national secretariat for the zonal office furniture was also misappropriated by him and this has rendered the zonal office not to be functional. This is clearly not acceptable, especially when we consider the relentless efforts of Mr. President on the war against corruption. In view of the Zonal Vice-Chairman’s flagrant abuse of the party’s funds, as well as his lukewarm attitude and partisanship towards resolving the crisis within the two states of Kaduna and Kano and after several entreaties, I strongly feel his actions are unbecoming and therefore dissociate myself from any liability of his financial misappropriation as well as his undemocratic tendencies that have time without number trampled on the constitutional provisions of our party.”
But, the zonal Chairman, Inuwa Abdulkadir, denied any wrong doing. He said: “I wish to state here that the only funds that were disbursed to the Zone were done through the party account which was opened and operated at the instance of Party’s National Secretariat. To the best of my knowledge, nobody has ever made any remittance from March 2015 to date into the account of the party. Since then to date, the Zonal Secretariat and the party vehicle are being maintained at my personal expense.
“In addition to these, my movements to attend party meetings in Abuja and within the Zone are all being undertaken at my personal expense. These finances were duly presented, discussed and approved at the last NEC meeting of the party where Hajiya Aisha Kaita attended and made contributions”. He however accused the Kaduna state governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai of teaming up with Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to sponsor such action against him because of his efforts to reconcile members in Kaduna and Kano states.
Political analysts however believe that the APC is yet to get over its nomenclature of the legacy parties. They believe that the three main parties that teamed up to form the party are still battling for soul of the party, thereby making things difficult, while Nigerians suffer. Those who hold this view are of the belief that the main battle in the party is nothing more than the battle of supremacy between the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) which produced the President and the Action Congress of Nigeria ACN).
There is the argument that the President has favoured more members of the defunct CPC in his appointments. Members of the ‘new PDP’ which later join the fray is not also left out in the battle for supremacy. This explain why many stakeholders in the party are worried about the recent slate of defection of strong PDP members or those who have enjoyed the plum of office courtesy of the PDP into the party. Former Abia State governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, leads the pack. Even though the party sees his entry into the fold as an avenue to consolidate its membership base in the Southeast, not many are comfortable with his entry.
