APC, the ruling political party, carries on with uncertain steps that put the country’s democracy at risk
By Emeka Alex Duru
(08054103327, nwaukpala@yahoo.com)
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is at war with itself, in many respects. The confusion in its fold is multi-dimensional, cutting across ward to the national level and creating doubts on its future. Virtually all the state chapters are in crisis.
Even without its handlers openly admitting it, there is no doubting the fact that the party is immensely embattled.
But make no mistake about it. It is not as if APC had particularly come across to Nigerians as one that would lead them to the proverbial Promised Land. In fact, even as its founders pranced about in excitement in February 2013 over the new organisation, it was easy to deduct from the fleeting antecedents of some of them that the party was a mere congregation of power mongers seeking a stronger platform to actualise their dream.
This was a fact known to many, anyway. But because of what has turned out a dummy sold to the electorate in the person and character of the its flag bearer in 2015 general elections, Muhammadu Buhari, on the backdrop of serial disappointment by the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nigerians gave it a chance. It did not however take long for the APC to expose itself as being rather outlandish in outings but lacking in substance.
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When the late Senate President, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo mocked that what existed in Nigeria were not political parties strictly speaking but rallies, APC falls into the classification.
Not even Buhari, who is being flaunted in some quarters as the redeeming face of the party, is innocent of the rot eating into its fabric. In fact, while he enjoys the humour of messianic status, charges of nepotism, poor management of the economy and actions that further expose the country’s fault lines, remain strong issues he cannot run away from.
Though he still has his crowd which sees him as being above board on matters of corruption, it is certain that the President has lost much on matters of reputation and public reckoning that he had enjoyed before coming to office. His cocky and abrasive attitude towards the rule of law, disconnects, immensely. For such a person to be seen as the poster boy of a political organisation, explains the level of danger in the platform.
The problem in the APC is the challenge successive ruling political parties in the country have had to contend with. It is a matter of hubris and arrogance. It is among Nigeria’s governing parties that the saying, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, finds true meaning. When seeking for power, they put up every imaginable carriage of simplicity and humility, asking the people for a chance. The slogan in such situations, is ‘change’, with a surfeit of promises of better life ahead.
The story changes the moment power exchanges hand. PDP in a moment of stupor, boasted that it would rule for 60 unbroken years. But as fate would have it, it did not live to see even one-third of the time frame it had mapped out for itself to be in charge. APC does not seem to learn from that. It is even more arrogant and loquacious, thriving essentially on propaganda and outright falsehood.
For a party that had advertised a 10-point agenda for a new Nigeria at its formation, the assumption was strong that it was taking a decisive step into issue-oriented politics.
Highlights of its roadmap included job creation; anti-corruption fight; free; relevant quality education; agriculture; housing plan; and healthcare plan for children and adults.
The party also listed social welfare scheme for the less advantaged, massive construction and rehabilitation of roads, power plant construction, among its priorities, adding that it will strengthen peace, security and foreign policy.
The Road map read in part: “Roughly, one in four Nigerians, and half of young job seekers are unable to find work. The number of people whose jobs do not cover the cost of food and housing is even greater.
“In addition, major industries that pay higher wages account for just over five per cent of the economy. The lack of jobs is the most critical challenge facing Nigeria today, hurting every community and preventing us from being the truly vibrant and prosperous nation we deserve. Building a diverse economy that allows every Nigerian to earn a living and better care for his or her family is our number one priority”.
Its solution for unemployment, included immediate creation of 20,000 jobs per state for those with a minimum qualification of secondary school leaving certificate and who would participate in technology and vocational training. There was also the idea of establishing Technology/Industrial Estates fully equipped with ICT, power and other support across the country to attract and encourage small-scale technology businesses and other entrepreneurs.
The party also unfolded an elaborate agenda against official and/or private sector corruption. Part of its strategies in this regard was to strengthen legal provisions to prevent stay of proceedings and other delays in corruption trials.
Nearly seven years down the line, the jury is still out on any of the pledges which the APC-led federal government has fulfilled sufficiently. Earlier in the year, a Non-Governmental Organisation, the Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI), had ranked Nigeria as the third worst governed country in the world. The report which was released in Singapore, the headquarters of the organisation, judged the country very low in governance, leadership and foresight, placing her 102 out of 104 countries with a score of 0.319 points, ahead of Zimbabwe and Venezuela.
The index focused on seven pillars, namely, leadership and foresight; robust laws and policies; strong institutions; financial stewardship; attractive marketplace; global influence and reputation; and helping people rise in assessing the countries.
The ranking, which was the first in the series, scored Nigeria 0.44 on leadership and foresight; anti-corruption 0.45; long-term vision 0.47; strategic prioritization 0.41 and innovation 0.4.
The verdict is damning but a true reflection of the situation of things in the country. In all indices of measuring good governance, such as rule of law; health services; the social service delivery in areas of electricity, roads, education, employment and ease of doing business, Nigeria is virtually in deficit. At the last count, Nigeria has been ranked the Poverty Capital of the World.
The state of insecurity is particularly frightening. To state that Nigeria’s current security profile is piteous, is perhaps, an understatement. It is rather flat on its back, literally, offering uncertain hopes of recovery, on account of the fluidity of assault on the citizens and other interests in the country. Under the APC, Nigeria has successively been lumped with Iraq and Afghanistan as the World’s most terrorized nations.
These are issues that should bother a ruling party and its handlers. They constitute threats to the country’s democracy. For the All Progressives Congress however, they do not matter.
