POLITICS APC A PARTY AGAINST ITSELF

By Femi Abulude

APC is the ruling political party in Nigeria.It metamophosised out of the alliance between ADC led by Senator Bola Tinubu, CPC led by Gen Mohammadu Buhari(retd) and some elements of the then ruling party, PDP.

  

Gen Mohammadu Buhari

Gen Mohammadu Buhari had taken part in general elections on three previous occasions and failed. He remained unperturbed. Politics is a game of numbers. Buhari realized that he needed to team up with others in order to realize his ambition. That was what prompted him to seek for association of other parties.

          Luckily for Buhari, the ruling PDP was already in disarray and its popularity and political relevance were dwindling. Tinubu’s ADC too which was the major opposition party was willing and tired of playing the opposition role. It wanted a shot at the centre. With Buhari’s track record of discipline and anti-corruption stance when he was the military head of state, the alliance worked and the emerging party won the presidential election. It also won in  majority of the states.It has the highest number of Senators and members of the house of representatives.

         The euphoria of the success recorded in the general election had not died down when the first internal blow was launched. The PDP party caucus was having a crucial meeting in Abuja. All the party echelons, including the newly elected federal legislators were supposed to be in attendance. Unknown to the conveyners of the meeting, a powerful group within the party in the Senate had decided to elect their principal officials on that same day at the hallowed chamber of the Senate. It was rumoured that this was made in order to forestall the party’s decision to force its choice on them.

         With the help of minority PDP members in the Senate, Dr.Bukola Saraki  became the Senate president contrary to the APC caucus arrangement. And PDP was compensated for their support with the post of Deputy Senate President and some other juicy positions. Thus Senator Ike Ikeremadu of PDP became the Senate deputy president on a platter of gold. Therefore whenever Saraki was not on seat,PDP man, would lead the Senate! As if this was not enough, the federal house of representatives also tolled the rebellion lined of their colleagues in the higher house. They jettisoned the APC choice and elected their own officers. The party is still licking its wounds.

      Opposition is part of democracy, it keeps the ruling party in checks but when the major opposing acts are from the ruling political party, there is cause for alarm. Apart from the lonely desenting voices of Govenor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State and Govenor Nyesom Wike of River State, the major opposition of this regime is from APC members

       The Senate, most especially has been the hardest opposition of this regime. The major cardinal programme of APC is war against corruption. The Senate had continuously refused the approval of Ibrahim Magu,the man recommended by the President to head the EFCC, the body setup to prosecute corrupt people. It is quite obvious that the President has unflitching confidence in this man, that is why he had left him to continue performing in the acting capacity. This supposed not to cause any problem if the relationship between the President and the Senate had been cordial.

    Most of the juicy appointments in the Senate are given to those known to be faithful to the house caucus. loyalists of the President are outsiders within, in the house. Some were even suspended over flimsy accusations. A close watcher of the Senate would have seen how the issue of national budgets are been delayed, padded and politicized. The federal ministers are been being harassed at will as if they belong to an opposing party.

      While all these political acrobatics are going on, governance is suffering. The masses are suffering. Nothing seems to work. Nobody is sure of anything. We were told everything was alright , but suddenly Senator Bola Tinubu was nominated by the President to mend obviously broken fence of APC. It was reported that even Tinubu and the party national chairman, Chief Odigie Oyegun were on war path. This was initially denied but Tinubu had openly accused Oyegun of thwarting his peace mission. Has things fallen apart with the APC? For how long will the centre hold? Time will tell.

      One thing is certain though, with the present set up of APC, it does not need an external enemy or opposition. The opposition within is enough to kick it out of power.