Ruling Party, APC On The Brink As Internal Crisis Over Ondo Guber Rages On

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) strong point of coming into limelight and controlling governance at the federal level and many states was its emphasizes on internal democracy. It had alleged that there was no internal democracy in the opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which was as at last year before the general elections was in power.
The argument or allegations of the APC during its formation and campaigning period seemed to be obvious as many PDP members left the party for APC in search of greener pastures of democratic tenets. To some political pundits,

their leaving PDP for APC was instrumental for the victory of APC as those outside politics and willing to join the game supported APC with the believe to experience the gospel of internal democracy should they join partisan politics on the platform of the party.

However, the happenings in the last few months over the governorship primaries of APC in Ondo State that was produced the former President of the Nigeria Bar Association, Chief Olurotimi Akeredolu, has raised some moral questions on the postulations of APC on internal democracy. The Ondo State APC governorship primaries would be a case study of how internal democracy has thrived in APC as there were so many other instances in the party to question the theory.

Some of such instances to be mentioned was what happened in Kogi, Bayelsa and Edo states. These were states that have conducted governorship primaries since APC took the rein of political leadership in Nigeria. Going back to the Ondo State, where the governorship primaries is almost tearing the APC apart as the leaders are almost dancing naked in the market square, many have started wondering what is the difference between APC and PDP or any other party that had controlled power even at a local government level on the theory of internal democracy.

Prof. Charles Soludo, the former Governor of Central Bank and one time governorship date of PDP in Anambra state, was apt in comparing APC with PDP at the 4th Lecture Series of the Progressives Governors Forum in Kaduna State recently when he asked the question that what is it that differentiates an APC state from a PDP state. By extension, Soludo was also asking what is that differentiate APC from PDP as a political party.

The renowned economist, who did not leave his question afloat, posited that in the Second Republic, when Alhaji Shehu Shagari was the President, there was a clear cut difference among political parties, adding that, can that be said of APC as a political party? The Ondo State political quagmire has buttressed the believe that politicians’ interest and dispositions are self centered and are not rooted on collective interest of progress, development and respect for the people.

If these were not so, the kind of tantrums that have existed on the Ondo State governorship primaries wouldn’t have been. From the National Working Committee of APC – the administrator of the party – to the National Leaders of the party and to the 24 governorship aspirants that participated in the September 3 governorship primaries in the state for governorship election slated for November 26, a large chunk of blame over the crisis would go to them in the state and at national level.

Everyone had skewed the governorship primaries in their favour one way or the other. The collective interest was not there and if it was there, it was not properly explained and canvassed to be bought into by any of the stakeholders. This was made manifest when the APC National Leader and a former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu maintained an indifference posture when about 24 aspirants obtained the expression of interest and nomination forms of the party for N5.5 million, but only for him to allegedly come up few weeks to the primaries that the party at all levels should work to ensure that Dr. Segun Abraham should emerged.

This was the beginning of the crisis. One of the aspirants and a human right activist, Dr. Tunji Abayomi was the first to fire the first savor against Tinubu’s wishes for the primaries. Abayomi, in his characteristic way, wrote a letter to Tinubu accusing him of undemocratic tendencies, as he viewed his aspiration that Abraham should be supported to emerged as candidate of APC, as insulting to Ondo State.

According to Abayomi, Tinubu is not from Ondo State, therefore was not in best position to determine what is good for the Ondo people. Expectedly, Tinubu, replied Abayomi and that widened the gulf of peace in the party at the state. Not long after, other aspirants and some stakeholders joined Abayomi to condemn Tinubu’s support for Abraham and this led to the ‘coup’ against the state party chairman, Isaac Kekemeke.

Kekemeke was chased out of party secretariat on allegations that he was working in consonance with the former governor of Lagos State to subvert the wishes of the party members in Ondo State. After weeks of the crisis in Ondo state APC, the National Headquarters of the party intervened on the possibility to douse the crisis.

This intervention led to the summon of all the aspirants to Abuja and it was said that the party had no preferred aspirants and that the national leader, Asiwaju Tinubu has a right to adopt or support an aspirant. The party emphasized that his support should not be seen as the support of the party.

Also, the leadership of the party in Ondo State, including Kekemeke was invited and the same position was adduced to them. But there was no record to show that the NWC reached out to Tinubu to know why he was supporting and what made him believe that Abraham was the best candidate for the party. This earlier face-off were not resolved properly until the party went for the primaries conducted by the governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Badaru Abubakar.

According to party source, the choice of Abubakar was to bring somebody who had no political affiliations with Tinubu. The aftermath of the primaries is now what the APC is currently battling with. The crisis is tearing the party apart especially after the disagreement over the report of the appeal panel of the election.

The report of the Appeal Panel that was made public emboldened some persons to further feel that they were cheated or rigged out of their victory. Unfortunately, the Appeal Committee report also agreed that the primary was peaceful and well conducted, which some members are latching on against the recommendation of cancellation. Supposedly, these persons have said that the Appeal did not take some things into consideration with its recommendations.

For instance, the time factor, the cost, and the credibility of those that conducted the primaries. The party leadership, therefore stated that the report was fraught with irregularities and that the party could not sustain its recommendations. It was alleged that they unanimously rejected it in consonance with the legal advice from the party’s National Legal Adviser, Dr. Muiz Banire.

In advising the party to reject the report of the Appeal Panel Committee, Banire in his letter addressed to the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, stated: “On the allegation of fake delegates voting, apart from the oral evidence of the so-called delegates, is there any other credible evidence unequivocally showing that such fake delegates actually participated in the primary election? Did the committee verify the names of such fake delegates on the Register? How did they get the accreditation cards? How did they get into the venue? How did they get the ballot papers? All these queries require answers that the committee’s report did not answer.

“Therefore, I will urge the NWC not to be swayed by such sentimental insinuations. Furthermore, as at the time of accreditation into the main hall and voting, no complaint about the status of the delegates was raised except allegations that the delegates’ list was doctored and nothing more.” But as it is natural when something did not go your way, you see wrongdoings and manipulations.

That is what Tinubu is seeing in the whole situation and he called for the head of the party’s national chairman, Chief John Odigie- Oyegun. No doubt it is assumed that the Tinubu, who is called the party’s national leader, could not even produced a governorship candidate that in his zone, the south west, while the governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, could conveniently produce his candidate for governorship election.

With the state of things, the allegation of lack of internal democracy in PDP is assumed to be playing out in APC. Even as APC government is pointing an accusation finger against PDP, it is natural that the remaining four fingers are pointing at them.

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