The factionalisation of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) with the formation of Reformed All Progressives Congress (R-APC) is not a good omen for the party. ONYEKACHI EZE writes that this might set the tones for crises in the APC
Last Wednesday’s declaration by a faction of the ruling All Progressives Congress (R-APC) of the formation of Reformed All Progressives Congress (R-APC), was totally unexpected. As a matter of fact, what seemed to be in the air was the expected formal defection of some aggrieved APC members from the party. Both former Kano State governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and human rights activist, Shehu Sani gave hint to it on several occasions.
Kwankwaso was quoted to had declared: “I’m a free man now and available to try my luck elsewhere but I know that PDP is the biggest party and as long as they follow democratic principle, Buhari will easily be defeated, but if they handpick and force any candidate on the party, they will fail.”
On his part, Shehu Sani had consistently said that he and other aggrieved members were on the departure lounge of the party. He posted on his Facebook page last Thursday, shortly after the R-APC was formed: “We the persecuted are on Exodus, riding on horses, chariots and caravans, departing Pharaoh Thutmose’s Egypt; we are now at the coast of the Red Sea, about to leave the land of cruelty and injustice.”
Sani had predicted that the new APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole is incapable of handling the “unexploded bomb” left behind by his predecessor, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, and so it seems.
Ironically, Alhaji Buba Galadima, a longtime associate of President Muhammadu Buhari, is the leader of the factional APC. Galadima said the group drew its members from “all the progressive forces in APC, as well as leading members of the defunct nPDP, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).” These were the lagecy parties that formed the APC.
Galadima, former Chairman of Nigeria Port Authority (NPA), said the APC is running a rudderless, inept and incompetent government that has failed to deliver good governance to the Nigerian people.
“It has rather imposed dictatorship, impunity, abuse of power, complete abdication of constitutional and statutory responsibilities, infidelity to the rule of law and constitutionalism.
“The APC has failed to deliver on its key promises to the nation. There is no evidence of any political will to reverse the decline of our party, while leaders who have created these circumstances continue to behave as if Nigerians owe our party votes as a matter of right,” he stated.
Before the emergence of R-APC, one of the groups that formed the APC, the new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), a breakaway faction of PDP had alleged marginalisation in the APC government.
The group had on April 27, wrote to the party’s leadership, listing there grievances and demanded an audience with the president. Though the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and former APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, met with them, President Buhari said the issue was a party affair and refused to meet with them.
The nPDP group said in the letter that “There is inadequate reflection of programme and policy contributions of members of the former new PDP block in the running of the government.” The nPDP is led by Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, former acting National Chairman of PDP.
APC had distributed positions among the legacy parties as follows: the former Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) was given the APC presidential ticket, the former Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) got the vice presidential slot while until last month, the former All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) occupied the APC National Chairmanship position. The nPDP and a faction of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) were left in the lurch.
Baraje noted in the letter that most of those in the nPDP block did not only deliver their states to the APC in the 2015 general election, some of the governors were assigned specific responsibilities to ensure that other states were delivered.
Among those who left PDP to APC were Governors Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (Kano), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Abdulfatai Ahmed (Kwara). There were others from the National Assembly including the present President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki and Speaker Yakubu Dogara. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was equally wooed to join the APC.
The alleged marginalisation of the nPDP and APGA started at the formation of APC. A foundation member had explained how the party got its name and symbol. According to the member (who later left because the structure of the party in his state was taken away from him and handed over to newly defected member), “All” was taken from ANPP, “Progressive” from CPC while “Congress” came from the ACN. APC also choose ACN’s “broom” as its symbol and adopted “Change” from CPC as its slogan.
Political watchers believe that the crisis in the ruling party started immediately after the party won the 2015 presidential election. Even the post-election distribution of offices did not favour nPDP members. Baraje alleged lack of fair representation of nPDP members in federal appointments, general non-recognition as well as denial of some of the block’s leaders security cover to visit their constituencies even though they were elected representatives.
The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara (both nPDP members), fought hard to win their positions despite stiff opposition by APC leaders. Again, despite their positions are leaders of the two chambers of the legislature, their security details were, few weeks back, withdrawn. Saraki and Governor Ahmed were even accused of sponsoring armed robbers.
Since the nPDP letter, the crisis in the ruling APC has continued to fester. And with crisis associated with the conduct of the party’s congresses and National Convention, those who lost out joined the league of aggrieved members.
There were parallel congresses in atleast, 24 out of 36 states of the country. The embattled Senator representing Kogi South in the National Assembly, Dino Maleya, mocked the APC in his twitter handle: “Congratulations to the 72 new State Chairmen of APC. Everywhere na double double. What a blessed party!!!”
The formation of R-APC was hinged on the aftermath of the party’s congresses and National Convention but not because of it. It also goes beyond the cry of marginalisation by nPDP block. For instance, Alhaji Buba Galadima, the National Chairman of the R-APC is a long time associate of President Muhammadu Buhari. He was never a member of PDP nor have known to have sympathy for nPDP.
What is playing out is bottled-up emotion, and Buba Galadima is one of those not happy with President Buhari. They were together in CPC, but since Buhari became president Galadima no longer has access to him.
Comrade Francis Ikonomwan, National Coordinator of Southern Mandate of the defunct CPC, accused President Buhari of marginalising core former CPC members in his appointment.
“As we speak now, how many of the founding NEC, state chairmen, and leaders of the former CPC are in his appointment?
“We doubt if there is any. Imagine up till now, the likes of Engr. Buba Galadima, Sule Harmma, Senator Rufai Hangai and host of others are not in his cabinet today. These are men who made prominent TBO (The Buhari Organization) even all of them that is acclaimed to be CPC members in FEC today are not core CPC members, but they are decampees.
“We wonder why organisations like NPA, TETFUND, NDDC should be given to strangers who were not there when we were building and labouring? We have worked for Mr. President like an elephant but today we are eating like an ant, which negates the saying that a child whose mother is in kitchen cannot be said to be hungry.
“The truth is that Mr. President is starving those that have laboured for him in four consecutive elections. Imagine two years into his administration nothing to show for it, in terms of empowerment to core former CPC members.
“To say that we are hungry and angry is an understatement. If the way Mr. President is going about the empowerment of members of his party, then politics is not worth playing,” Ikonomwan said.
What does the formation of R-APC portend for the APC in 2019? In 2013 when nPDP members left the PDP, the former ruling party dismissed it with a wave of hand. But as it turned out the group contributed to PDP defeat in the 2015 general elections.
APC appears to be making similar mistake. The party’s National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole denied the existence of any faction in the party. He described Alhaji Galadima as “bread and butter” politician.
The party also said in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi that members of R-APC group are not members of APC.
“Having failed to scuttle the National Convention as was their original plan, they now resort to this subterfuge as a way of achieving the pre-determined end of causing confusion.
“As a matter of fact, we doubt that these individuals parading as leaders of the so called faction are actual members of our Party. We are currently investigating their true membership status within the party,” he said.
There is only way too explain this: APC has been factionalised. What this means that aggrieved elected members can now leave the party to others parties of their choice without fear of losing their seats. This coming too close to the general elections is not good for the party.
But from all indications, it seems the nation is back to the 2014 era when five governors defected from the PDP to the APC. Whether this will be re-enacted in the true sense of the world remains a conjecture.
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