BY BENEDICT NWACHUKWU, ABUJA
All seems not well with the ruling All Progressives Congress. A concerned stakeholder who pleaded anonymity observed on Thursday that “It is like our party is swimming in sharks-infested waters. Every day the party must explain one thing or another. The latest is the Delta High Court ruling. It doesn’t bode well for a ruling party.”
The party last week shunned the agitation of members who were protesting the conduct of the nationwide July 31, Ward Congresses. Thepaerty chose to ratify the comprehensive report of the Appeals Committee and ordered the swearing-in of the winners with immediate effect.
The Mai Mala Buni’s Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, following the recommendations of the Appeals Committee, gave the approval for the inauguration of the winners of the controversial congresses during a meeting at the Buhari House national secretariat of the party in Abuja last Wednesday.
To further prove its disregard for the petitioners and their petitions, the Buni-led CECPC ordered that the party should proceed with the conduct of the remaining congresses beginning with the nationwide Local Government Congresses that took place on Saturday, 4th of this month.
States like Kwara, Imo, Osun, Delta and Akwa Ibom were some of the major areas where the results of the congresses were contested and rejected by some aggrieved members who are spoiling for war with the party hierarchy.
While some have dragged the party to court, some said they will dump the party for a better organised one where members’ rights are not trampled upon.
The case in Delta took a serious dimension as a High Court ruled in favour of the protesting party and even allegedly made far-reaching pronouncements on the status of Buni led Committee. The party spent the whole of Thursday explaining the import of the ruling to the press and public.
In the case, a High Court sitting in Asaba, on Wednesday, allegedly restrained Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State along with other members from acting or parading themselves as the All Progressives Congress, APC, Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, CECPC until the determination of a substantive suit before the court.
“States like Kwara, Imo, Osun, Delta and Akwa Ibom were some of the major areas where the results of the congresses were contested and rejected by some aggrieved members who are spoiling for war with the party hierarchy”
The presiding Judge, Justice Onome Marshal Umukoro stopped the scheduled September 4, 2021 APC Local Government Congress in the state.
APC Deputy Chairman, Olorogun Elvis Ayomanor leading other officials of the Delta APC had approached the Court to challenge the outcome of the Ward Congress in the State.
In the ex-parte motion by the Claimants/ Applicants, lead counsel Daubry Ebipade Richard prayed the Court to grant the seven-point reliefs sought, adding that going ahead with the Saturday, September 4 Local Government Congress in Delta State, would cause more damage to his clients.
Principal among the reliefs sought by the Claimants/Applicants was “An order of interim injunction of this Honourable Court restraining the 2nd – 14th Defendants/Respondents from further acting or parading themselves as the members of the Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the 1st Defendant pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice already filed and served in the suit.
The ruling party, no doubt, like its counterpart the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party is buffeted by a whirlwind of troubles. The situation, according to a stakeholder, is comparable to “stepping out of one trouble only to get into another.”
Though the party has been harvesting defectors from the PDP, it is clear that it stands the risk of mass defection if it fails to allow wisdom prevail in handling the aggrieved members and find a way to pacify them.
The Executive Director of Adopt a Goal for Development Initiative and co-convener Centre for Liberty, Dare Atoyebi, in his reaction said what is happening in APC can be termed a common sickness affecting the political parties which is lack of internal democracy.
“The party APC is not an institution rather a gathering of persons who don’t believe in the rule of law and due processes but rather the rule of men who can buy off everybody in the party to have their way because they have the resources. This is the same problem with PDP and that was the reason the sickness threatening to kill PDP is also warming up to destroy the APC and other parties.
“It is not an affair of the ruling APC only. It was the same thing that has made the PDP a house of commotion, APGA is suffering from it. APC has a constitution, but are they following it in running the affairs of the party? That is another issue,” he said.
But the APC is undaunted. The CECPC, despite the court injunction restraining the party from conducting further congresses, went ahead with the inauguration of the committee for the LG Congresses at the party’s national headquarters.
The national secretary, Senator John Akpanudoudehe, while inaugurating the committee dared the court by saying nothing will stop us from conducting the congresses.
What informed such comment, nobody can say. Could it be that the party has no respect for rule of law as alleged by political analysts?
The party has been grappling with internal crises in the last two months ranging from the choice of its candidate for the Anambra state governorship election where some aggrieved aspirants are in court challenging the emergence or choice of Andy Ubah as the flag bearer, the results of Wards Congresses which are being challenged by some states in court to the Supreme Court judgment on the Ondo state governorship election case where the party escaped defeat by whiskers.
The later sparked off division in the party among its ranks. It turned out to be a “war” between loyalists and perceived saboteurs in the house.
Remarkable, the letter written by the Minister of State, Labour and Productivity, Festus Keyamo, SAN advising the party to put on hold the congresses and the call for governor Buni’s stepping aside from the CECPC Chairmanship position to save the party from future losses in elections even after winning at the polls had wrankled theparty the most.
He counselled in his private letter to the party that “the NEC of the Party can urgently meet and consider and reconstitute the CECPC to exclude, not only Gov. Buni, but anyone holding any executive position in any government establishment as stipulated in Article 17 of the APC Constitution.
“In the alternative, the Board of Trustees of the Party, which includes Mr. President, can be activated to organise a National Convention in line with Article 13 of the APC Constitution where it is given such powers. Those powers can be delegated at the meeting to a Committee in line with the APC Constitution which will run the Party and plan the Convention. The new Exco can then plan for Congresses.”
His fears had an overwhelming support from the party’s Youth Movement led by Mohammed Audu. On the heels of Keyamo’s letter and observations, Mohammed Audu and his colleagues stormed the party’s secretariat to unequivocally demand the end of governor Buni-led CECPC to save the party.
Their protests were dismissed with a wave of the hand as the national secretary of the CECPC declared the party’s unshakable support for governor Buni’s leadership and the CECPC.
The APC have no doubt, made their teeming supporters and sympathizers felt all is well with the poaching of high profile members of the opposition PDP and boasted that the defections were possible because of the leadership qualities of governor Buni.
However, the crises rocking the party’s chapters in many of the states it is controlling speak to the contrary. Former governor of Imo state, Rochas Okorocha and the incumbent, Hope Uzodimma are battling for the soul of the party in the state.
The case in Delta state is tripartite. While the deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege and Keyamo are in a battle for control of the party, the defection of Senator Peter Nwaoboshi to the party created another leg of tussle to control the affairs of the party in the state.
Kwara state is not different from other crises ridden states of the party. The state is engulfed in a fire that can consume the party with Governor AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq and Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed at each other’s throat.
Governor Oyetola of Osun state claimed Rauf Aregbesola is his brother but the supporters of the two politicians are not seeing eyeball to eyeball.
Governor Matawalle of Zamfara State, who defected back to the party from the PDP recently, is battling to get hold of the structure of the party in the state but former governor Abdul’aziz Yari has opposed every moves.
The crisis in the Rivers state chapter has led the defection of one of the factional chairmen, Hon. Igho Iguma, who led high calibre members in throwing away the broom and pitching under the umbrella.
Speculations are rife that Okorocha and his loyalists are muting the idea of dumping the party for the PDP alongside Senator Ifeanyi Araraume and his followers.
The APC seems not bothered with the attendant crises as it continues to scout for PDP governors and lawmakers for recruitment.
An insider at the secretariat confided in The Point that the party’s target is to leave the opposition PDP with only five governors before governor Buni’s CECPC will conduct the national convention.
A source said the party will receive more governors into its fold in not a long distance time. “The party is happy with Buni. He is increasing the strength of the party nationwide by poaching his colleague governors and even lawmakers. This is what we need to retain power at the federal level. Those who are saying that he has overstayed his term are smoothly and secretly working against our party”.
