Ahead of the National Convention of Nigeria’s All Progressives Congress (APC), Maureen Nwanneka Onyejekwe looks into the twists and turns in the scramble for the Party’s leadership.
How time flies! Nigerians 18 years and over will be returning to the polling units after the 2019 general elections, to vote their preferred candidates come February and March in the 2023 elections.
In view of this, the big scramble cuts across the Northern and Southern Nigeria bi-polar structure politicians have created for sharing since the return to democracy in 1999. And with few months left to the elections, all is not well in the camps of the ruling All Progressives Congress and the leading opposition Party - the People’s Democratic party (PDP) following their hide and seek game.
Some of the ruling APC members are unhappy with the present activities of the National Working Committee of the Party and its Caretaker leaders under Mai Mala Buni because of his loyalty to few individuals.
Since the coming of Buni as the Committee Chairman, things are getting worse by the day due to his inability to hold a national convention to elect key officers across the country.
The Party initially fixed the Convention for February 26, but this was later postponed to March 26. Even at that, the date is still shaky because of members’ desperation for positions especially among the main founding legacy political party blocs that came together to form the All Progressives Congress.
Since the horse trading for who becomes the National Chairman started, APC has split into camps resulting to hatred and disagreement.
Both in APC and PDP, the issue of zoning juicy positions is not going down well with some persons and their struggle for political relevance is igniting unending crises.
Hon. Bala M. Farouk
Hon. Bala M. Farouk
In an interview with a former lawmaker in Niger State - Hon. Bala M. Farouk –the Member who represented Bida Constituency at the Federal House of Representatives said “the issues are nothing but clashes of interests by different groups of critical stakeholders. What is playing out is just the struggle for who becomes what in 2023.”
He explained that “some group of Governors are eyeing the Vice President position and therefore it's about survival of the fittest”.
In his submissions about the APC National Convention unabated crisis, he said it will hold on the 26th because President Muhammadu Buhari has given a marching order that on no account should there be any change of date, and directed the Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Committee to go ahead with the preparation for the National Convention slated for March 26th.
When asked if the face-off in All Progressives Congress will be resolved, he said: "I doubt much if the crisis can be resolved because of the betrayals of the highest order. For instance, Bola Ahmed Tinibu gave everything for APC during the merger in 2013, 2014 and 2015. He did his best and made a lot of sacrifices for the victory of APC. All he is expecting in return is the presidential ticket from APC but a lot of interests are already fighting him. Some are calling for a Presidential candidate from the South-East geopolitical zone, while some are calling for a South-South President."
For Hon Ahmed Abu, who represented Mokwa/Lavun/Edati Federal Constituency of Niger State in the National Assembly, “the current happenings in the political arena are normal, and they happen whenever the President is about to complete his 8 years in office.”
Despite the grey areas, he said interest clash and ambition need to be managed as a collective one - in the interest of the party by pursuing the vision for the country.
He opined that, “if not well-managed, it will become an interest to fulfil personal ambition which breaks the Party as seen in the PDP in 2015.
However the APC convention is going to hold , we don’t have the luxury to postpone the date again. Fasting and the Muslim Eid is around the corner after 26th of March beside the INEC timetable for primaries which is few months away.”
Ahmed said following the APC constitution, I think they are going to have the NEC meeting in a few days.