APC is a fix over the poor management of its presidential primary.
By Emeka Alex Duru
More than any other time since its formation, the All Progressives Congress (APC), is under huge stress. Even without its handlers openly admitting it, there is no doubting the fact that APC is immensely embattled, already. It is even in the throes of implosion, if not properly handled.
The party’s special convention to pick its presidential candidate for 2023 general election, is proving to be its Achilles Heels. From the day the whistle for the primary was blown, the entire thing was clouded in a thick ball of intrigues.
Not even the princely N100 M fee for its nomination and expression of interest form, which many saw as a first stage in eliminating average contestants, achieved considerable results. The strategy failed as many aspirants, up to 23, stepped out for the post.
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That was followed by unsuccessful schemes to throw up a consensus candidate. Other elimination processes were adopted in desperate move to outsmart less fancied aspirants. By Tuesday (June 7, 2022) afternoon, it was obvious that a huge crisis of confidence had been created between the leadership of the party, the aspirants and their supporters.
Many suspected a schism in the offing. It may not get to that, if the eventual winner manages to galvanise the contending forces in the fold. Even at that, the APC may have succeeded in confirming the impression in some quarters that its quest for power in 2015 was essentially for the mere fun of it and not for what to do with it.
The Abuja convention is the first major test before the party. In 2015, it rode to power on the crest of the popularity of its presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari and the obvious disillusionment that had trailed the lack luster President Goodluck Jonathan – led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
But hardly had the party settled down for business of leadership, when the different and conflicting tendencies within its fold began to rear their heads.
It all began when National Assembly (NASS) members on the ticket of the party defied the leadership and selected leaders that were not those proposed by APC.
Contrary to Senator Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila, respectively, who the party leadership had anointed as Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively, the legislators elected Senator Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara respectively.
Ever since, APC has been stumbling from one crisis to another. While chieftains of the party bicker, governance has been on back seat.
It is not as if the party had particularly come across to Nigerians as one that would lead them to the proverbial Promised Land. In fact, even as its supporters had pranced about in excitement the party came on board in February 2013, critics had on account of the uncertain antecedents of some of its facilitators, described it as mere congregation of power mongers in dire need of a stronger platform to actualise their agenda.
This was a fact known to many, anyway. But because of what was then seen as the person and character traits of Buhari, Nigerians gave it a chance. But more than seven years into the administration, there is no much difference between it and the PDP it replaced.
The performance profile of the leadership of the party at all levels, is piteous. At the federal and state levels, leaders of APC have simply given out themselves as lacking what it takes to manage the affairs of the country.
Not even Buhari, who had appeared as the redeeming face of the party, is innocent of the rot in its management, truth be told
In fact, while he reigns, charges of nepotism, poor management of the economy and engaging in actions capable of further exposing the country’s fault lines, remain strong issues he has not found answers to.
Though he still has his followers who see him as being above board on matters of corruption, it is certain that the President has lost much ground on matters of reputation and public reckoning that he had previously enjoyed.
When therefore he was literally overruled by the governors in his plea that they allow him a say on who would succeed him, it was certain that Buhari may have lost his headmaster status in the party.
It is thus, hardly surprising that the party’s presidential candidate which was supposed to serve as a veritable ground for the selection of its best for 2023, turned a hotbed of intrigues.
There are fears of the APC witnessing internal crisis after the primary. But even if it manages to paper along, buoyed by incumbency factor, the party has obviously lost its claims and pretensions to fairness and harmony among its members.