Indications have shown that, owing to perceived socio-political setbacks that have befallen the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, the ruling All Progressives Congress may lose many of its major stalwarts to opposition parties ahead of the 2019 general elections.
Investigations by The Point revealed that while some of the party’s chieftains would start defecting once the administration clocks 3 on May 29, others have opted to bid their time until a few months to the February, 2019 presidential election.
From the look of things, Chief Alao-Akala may move on from APC, but I cannot say where he is going. Although the SDP has approached him, I don’t know his decision; but I feel he will be given the ticket there.
Already, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has cleared the coast, as it were, with his defection late last year, which reportedly hit the party leadership.
Atiku, in his statement over his decision to quit, faulted alleged failure by the APC to fulfil most of its pre-election promises, noting that the party had been hijacked by some cabal.
However, it was also clear knowledge that Atiku left to pursue his dream of contesting for President next year, and he is already in the race, having returned to his old party, the Peoples Democratic Party, and declared his presidential ambition on its platform.
Atiku, findings revealed, had realised that he stood no chance of picking the APC presidential ticket, having been privy to a then classified information that Buhari was interested in running the second time.
Besides, it was also learnt that more of the party’s stalwarts might leave the party based lingering controversial issues within the party.
According to findings, the stalwarts’ reasons for wanting to dump the APC vary, and are especially based on what many of them described as the prevailing circumstances within the party.
Those who, according to The Point’s latest findings, are on the verge of dumping the APC, and may rock the “Buhari for President” camp, are:
Falae at Alao-Akala’s house: There is a need for us to be together to save Nigeria and restore democracy, by bringing about a new hope for fulfillment. We are optimistic that every Nigerian that wants the nation to be saved will join hands with us in this effort
ALAO-AKALA
The recent visit of the National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, Chief Olu Falae, to Otunba Christopher Alao-Akala, a former governor of Oyo State, seemed to have confirmed the prediction by political analysts that the ex-governor, who had barely spent a year in the APC, was on his way out of the party.
Although Akala, along with his deputy while in government, Segun Arapaja, recently defected to the APC, it was gathered that he had since realised that the political calculus in the state arm of the APC would not favour him, especially, as the governor of the state, Abiola Ajimobi, was opting for another candidate to succeed him.
A chieftain of the party, who is also a loyalist to the former governor, Oyetunji Dele, told our correspondent, “From the look of things, Chief Alao-Akala may move on from APC, but I cannot say where he is going. Although the SDP has approached him, I don’t know his decision; but I feel he will be given the ticket there.”
The former governor had earlier dumped the Peoples Democratic Party after a disagreement with the national leaders, over the conduct of the state’s primaries and what he described as imposition of candidates.
Falae was accompanied to Alao-Akala’s house by other SDP leaders, including a former Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran; Ambassador Yemi Farounbi, Dr. Olu Agunloye, Taiwo Akeju, Chief Kola Balogun and Princess Oyeronke Akinlolu.
In his address, Falae said, “Nigerians who believe in national unity, justice, equity and progress must come together and rescue the nation from its present position.
“There is a need for us to be together to save Nigeria and restore democracy, by bringing about a new hope for fulfillment. We are optimistic that every Nigerian that wants the nation to be saved will join hands with us in this effort.”
Alao-Akala said he was flattered by the visit of Falae and other SDP leaders, describing the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation as a respected statesman.
He said he would get back to the party after consulting with his loyalists on the issue.
SENATOR SHEHU SANI
The fiery and controversial senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District at the National Assembly has had a running and unending battle with the leadership of the party and the governor of his state, Nasir el-Rufai, who was also elected on the platform of the APC.
Sani is known to have repeatedly and massively criticised the Buhari-led APC government and has never hidden his disdain and distraught for the party whenever the APC falters. Perhaps, he is the single, most critical individual of the Buhari’s administration, apart from Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State, who is in the opposition.
His criticisms of the Buhari administration have pitched him against Governor el-Rufai, who many see as the most formidable of all Buhari’s foot-soldiers and trusted allies.
The crisis between the audacious senator and el-Rufai reached a crescendo recently when the embattled senator was invited by the police over a murder case and Sani promptly responded that he was finally being framed up by the governor to facilitate his ouster, due to his relentless struggles for the common good of the generality of the populace.
There were times efforts were made to recall the daring senator but the recall process was aborted midway. Even though Sani still remains a serving senator on the platform of the APC, political enthusiasts posit that it is only a matter of time, before the senator pulls out of the party.
SENATOR DINO MELAYE
The senator representing Kogi West at the National Assembly and the Chairman of the Senate Committee on FCT has been dogged with several controversies since the commencement of the 8th Assembly.
Largely seen as loquacious and flamboyant, Melaye has been at the centre of most of the disagreements and upheavals witnessed in the Senate lately, pitching himself against the authorities of his party
in the process.
His unrestrained exuberance is a major flaw and this has heightened the brows, fights and disagreements among his party members. Melaye has a major tiff with the Inspector-General of Police who accused him of gun-running, has had scores to settle with Yahaya Bello, the APC governor of his State (Kogi) and has had a major fight with Remi Tinubu, the wife of the APC National Leader, Bola Tinubu.
He also has a big case to answer with the Nigeria Police, which has arrested him and is hell-bent on prosecuting the Kogi State senator. This, it would seem, is an indication that Melaye may have stepped on the toes of some powerful forces within and out the party and with the the bitter pills the senator has had to swallow from his recent experience with the police, the senator may just be on his way out of the party.
SENATOR RABIU KWANKWASO
Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso is the senator representing Kano Central in the National Assembly under the All Progressive Congress, and a two-time governor of Kano
State.
He is a heavyweight in the leadership of the APC with a growing number of followers and has a strong ambition to become Nigeria’s next president. Kwankwaso pulled the strings and surprised everyone when he defeated the like of Atiku Abubakar in the last APC presidential primaries, when he emerged the runner-up to President Muhammadu
Buhari.
Even with this feat, Kwankwaso nearly dumped the party for not emerging as the party’s presidential flagbearer. He has managed to endure the three years of Buhari’s administration with the faint belief that he will be a favourite candidate to lead the APC to victory in the 2019 general
election.
Now that Buhari has declared his intention to run for a second term in office and his candidacy is being pushed everywhere, speculations are high that the Kano State-born politician will be defecting from the party to another party to actualise his presidential ambition.
HAJIA AISHA ALHASSAN
Hajia Aisha Alhassan, the current Minister of Women Affairs and former APC gubernatorial candidate in the 2015 general election in Taraba State has courted many
controversies.
As a minister in the Buhari administration, Mama Taraba, as she is fondly called, had said she would be supporting an Atiku presidency against her current principal, if the former decides to run for president.
This was a move many saw as disloyalty to president Buhari, her current employer, thus advocating for her sack. But Alhassan who was very close to becoming the first female governor of Taraba, has not hidden where her interest lies. She has continued to fraternise with the former VP and the PDP, and many have argued it is only a matter of time before she defects to the PDP
BUKOLA SARAKI
If there is any politician in the ruling APC that is under strong suspicion of plotting to ditch the party ahead of the 2019 general elections, it is the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki. After crossing over from the PDP to the APC, along with his political godson in Kwara State, Governor Ahmed Abdulfatah, Saraki has had turbulent moments in
the APC.
When the APC swept the 2015 general elections in which Saraki returned to the Senate, he successfully arm-twisted the APC circus, led by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and he was elected Senate President, apparently through the help of PDP senators and some of his loyalists in
the APC.
Soon after, Saraki was taken to the Code of Conduct Bureau over alleged false declaration of assets. He was eventually discharged and acquitted. But the Federal Government appealed against the judgement and finally, the Appeal Court ordered a re-trial of Saraki.
Sources close to the senator said he was sorely displeased with the treatment meted out to him by the Buhari administration.
