By Emeka Alex Duru
If the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, eventually goes, following the crisis currently rocking the party, that would simply amplify the saying that ‘there can never be a perfect conspiracy; conspirators usually turn against one another in the absence of a common enemy’. By this time last year, the former Edo governor, had been prodded and planted on the APC as the best thing to have happened to it, since its inauguration in 2014. In the ecstasy that had trailed his virtual imposition, the APC Convention scheduled for Saturday, June 23, 2018, turned out a mere formality as the outcome had already been known, three weeks, earlier. And he eventually clinched the position.
The controversial withdrawal of the then National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, from going for a re-election, was all that was needed to clear the coast for Oshiomhole, touted to be President Muhammadu Buhari’s favourite. Oyegun, who pulled out of the race on Friday, June 1, 2018, claimed doing so in the interest of the party, stressing that though he would have loved taking another shot at the office, he was opting out so as not to be part of the problems confronting the party.
´´I do not intend to be part of the problem for APC to solve. It is for this reason that I hereby declare that I will not be seeking re-election as the national chairman”, Oyegun remarked.
Oshiomhole emerges from the blues
The action did not come as a surprise to observers. Thus, while the contest for the various offices had looked transparent, free and fair, the question had been what would happen to the party after the exercise. Incidentally, virtually all the layers of authority in the party, including the presidency and state governors, were involved in the schemes that foisted the erstwhile labour leader on the party. Signs of the power game began to unfold, when Buhari, curiously made a volte-face and kicked against tenure elongation for the Oyegun-led National Working Committee (NWC), at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the party on March 27, 2018. In tow, APC governors, in a meeting, days later, precisely, on Wednesday, April 4, backed the President.
By the two pronouncements, a one-year extension earlier granted the Oyegun team at a Special National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party, on February 27, on the promptings of the 36 state chairmen of the party, was discarded.
Buhari, was initially said to be at home with Oyegun’s leadership. He was, in fact, present at the February 27 NEC meeting where the national chairman and his team were recommended for tenure extension.
But in what was seen as pandering to the desire of former Lagos governor, Bola Tinubu, who had not hidden his desire on the exit of Oyegun, the president, inexplicably, ditched the former Edo governor, with whom he had related very well in their days in the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). With Buhari’s sudden change of position, the entire cocktail of intrigues against Oyegun, was set for consummation. Consequently, the first term of the Oyegun-led NWC was brought to an abrupt end on June 30. In place of the exited chairman, Oshiomhole was enthroned.
Crisis sets in
But coming on board with a weird brand of radicalism that saw him approaching APC leadership with a typical cane-in-hand village headmaster orientation against his fellow party men, many argued that his tenure which was contrived in a flash, would also fizzle in a splash, in a matter of time. This is what the former Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) President is currently facing.
In the last couple of days, he has been under immense pressure from same constituencies in the party that facilitated his ascension to office, to quit. It only remains a kick from Buhari for him to be shown the way. Muffled voices had begun to question Oshiomhole’s capability to lead the APC, following the mass exodus of key party members that left its fold, shortly after his election.
R-APC leads the way
The first in this train, was the Reformed All Progressives Congress (R-APC). The group, led by Buba Galadima, announced its exit from the ruling party, on Wednesday, July 4, 2018, citing absence of internal democracy, leadership inertia and total departure from the ideals of the party by its leaders at various levels.
Galadima, who articulated the grievances of the group, remarked; “We are sad to report that after more than three years of governance, our hopes have been betrayed, our expectations completely dashed. The APC has run a rudderless, inept and incompetent government that has failed to deliver good governance to the Nigerian people”.
Rather than addressing the issues raised by the group and other aggrieved members, Oshiomhole, dismissed them as disgruntled elements. He also took a plunge into the crisis involving the party and the leadership of the national assembly, calling names on the senate president, Bukola Saraki and House Speaker, Yakubu Dogara. The duo, eventually left the APC, expectedly, though in the build-up to the 2019 elections.
APC loses grounds
Others, including lawmakers and governors Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto), Abdulfattah Ahmed (Kwara) and Samuel Ortom (Benue), also left on account of poor leadership in APC and other issues bordering on self-interest and national politics. Thus, from the 24 states that APC had in its column at Oshiomhole’s election, last year, Bauchi, Benue, Adamawa, Oyo, Imo and Zamfara to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It however gained Kwara.
In the East, whatever little efforts the party had made in gaining ground in the zone, were almost fluttered. Against the expectations of the party increasing its hold in the region, it went down further. This informed the call by the immediate past Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, for Oshiomhole’s ouster, aside their personal differences. “My fear now is that APC might have a serious setback in 2023 because the Oshiomhole-led executive is actually turning APC into a regional minority party which shouldn’t be because of his mistakes”, he said.
Oshiomhole must go
In Zamfara, the former governor, Abdulaziz Yari, blamed Oshiomhole for the crisis in the party that saw it losing all the elective positions to the opposition, on account of the Supreme Court judgement. Former governor of old Sokoto State, Yahaya Abdulkarim, is also pointing fingers on the APC chairman on the poor outing of the party in the last election. “I am 100 per cent in support of the call for Oshiomhole to step down, for the party to have good leadership that will lead to its progress”, he lamented last week.
Immediate past minister of communications, Adebayo Shittu, who was disqualified by the party from vying for the governorship of Oyo State, has also joined the train, saying; “The truth is, with Oshiomhole, this party would go down by the time President Muhammadu Buhari finishes his second term. Oshiomhole is full of himself. He has an ego problem and wants to dominate every environment. Democracy is not like that.”
Oyegun joins the fray
But the weightiest of the attack on the chairman, is incidentally from his predecessor, Oyegun. Largely taciturn and not given to frivolities, Oyegun chooses his words carefully. But he has openly joined the campaign to remove Oshiomhole, accusing him of running its affairs with Agbero (motor park tout) mindset. Oyegun accused his successor of talking before thinking – an engagement, he said, offends party members.
“Oshiomhole fails because he lacks the temperament that is required to run a political party. He lacks the capacity to manage the different interests and tendencies that constitute a political party,” Oyegun said in the statement signed by his media aide, Ray Morphy. He was reacting to an allegation by Oshiomhole that he was behind his current crisis.
The opposition at the national chairman actually began to take shape, following a call on him by the Deputy National Chairman (North), Lawal Shuaibu, to resign from his position for being unable to add to the value of the party Shuaibu, who made the call in a letter to Oshiomhole on May 27, 2019, blamed him for APC’s loss in Zamfara.
Who will save the Chairman?
How Oshiomhole will sail through the gathering storm, is yet to be seen. Buhari and Tinubu who prompted him for the office are yet to speak up in either his defence or otherwise. There are fears however, that they may not do much in coming to his rescue. Across the APC relevant organs and segments, Oshiomhole, is loathed, for his fleeting tendencies, our correspondent learnt. Buhari who may not lift a finger for anybody, having got his second term ticket, may likely look the other way while the APC national chairman stews in his juice. Tinubu, whose eyes are primed on the 2023 ticket of the party, may also not want his ambition truncated for associating with him. Oshiomhole may, thus, be on his own, carrying his cross and possibly, at the end of the day, leaving in controversy as he came to office, last year.
