The recent conundrum that is raging in the National Secretariat of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC is likely going to leave in its wake a party left in the hands of one man, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to dictate who gets what like he was doing in Lagos before he became President, and still doing
By Miracle Egbo
Abdullahi Adamu, the ousted National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC recently when he visited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa was in his political elements. He beamed smiles as he sauntered out of the office of President Tinubu. Analysts of body language were quickly dissecting his countenance to mean pretentious because the marching order given to him by his host is enough to cause political headache for him.
It was gathered that when Adamu sauntered into the office of President Tinubu, he was accosted by allegation that he could not account for the monies that the party raised through the sale of forms to all the political office seekers especially the presidential forms sales which was alleged to have fetched the party billions of naira. The embattled former National Chairman, it was learned, feebly defended how the money was used but his explanation was not satisfactory to Tinubu who without mincing word told him to go and resign to avoid public embarrassment. Few days after the meeting, Adamu tendered his resignation letter as the National Chairman of the party.
Adamu is not alone in the financial heist foisted on his party. The national Secretary of the party Iyiola Omisore was fingered in the sleaze that was allegedly the order of the day at the National Secretariat of the party. He was told, according information at the disposal of this medium, to turn his resignation letter as the National Secretary of the party with immediate effect, which he did.
Beyond the resignation of the National Officers of the party lies the squabble that would ensue in the party. The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN wing of the party vowed that every trace of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC wing of the party believed to be the political pawn of the former President Mohammadu Buhari must be shown the door as it affects the National Officers of the party. The vow of the ACN wing of the party absolutely controlled by President Tinubu appears to have been made good with the resolution that Abdullahi Ganduje, former governor of Kano State at the National Executive Committee meeting chaired by the out gone Acting National Chairman, Kyari resolved that Ganduje should be coroneted as the National Chairman of the ruling party at the instance of Tinubu. To prove that the national officers would come from the defunct ACN, the immediate spokesperson of the 9th Senate, Senator Basiru Ajibola who is from Osun State and a notorious sidekick of Tinubu has equally been coronated as the successor of Omisore, and the duo has taken charge of the running of the affairs of the National Secretariat of the ruling party on the behest of Tinubu.
One of the national officers of the party, National Vice Chairman, North West, Salihu Mohammed Lukman, has equally tendered his resignation letter. In his letter dated July 26, 2023, Lukman averred that his resignation was hinged on the fact that the party has become a shadow of itself as it affects democratic values.
“I hereby kindly resign my position as National Vice Chairman, North West of our great party, All Progressives Congress, APC. My resignation is with immediate effect which becomes necessary given my conviction that the atmosphere in the party is completely at variance with the founding vision of forming a progressive party. Rather than remaining in the leadership of the party and become a source of distraction for leaders and especially for the young government of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, it is better to excuse myself and take time off from politics.
“ I will however retain my membership of the party in the hope that our leaders especially President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will retract from acts that will be unjust and illegal, which is crucial to any claim of being democratic or progressive whether as politician or a patriotic Nigerian.
“I wish to convey my sincere gratitude to our leaders in Kaduna especially Mallam Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai for finding me worthy of nomination to serve at the highest level of the party’s leadership. I do hope all our leaders will appreciate that I am left with no option in the circumstance. I wish the party and all our leaders, especially President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu all the best and will continue to give my modest support towards the success of the party from the background”, Lukman pledged
Observed some angry members of the party, the coronation of the former governor of Kano State, Ganduje is the beginning of what is going to destroy the party. According to them, handing over the affairs of the party to the former governor of Kano State is going to impugn whatever political progress made so far by the party in the country. The members who would not want their names on print said that President Tinubu is foisting Ganduje as the National Chairman at the peril of the party, that legitimacy and democratic norms are scarce commodity. They are of the opinion that the democratic ethos that formed the vision of forming the party has taken a flight long time ago.
Information at the disposal of Tentacle revealed that some of the members of the party at the National Assembly are already planning mass defection due largely to the imposition of Ganduje, who they said is a sad commentary on the image of the party. An informed source added that the mission of Tinubu pocketing the party would have been achieved if his Man Friday becomes the National Chairman of the party, and it appears the die-hard followers of President Tinubu have coronate the former governor of Kano State in well attended party meeting in Abuja on Thursday, August 3, 2023. The who is who in the party were seen groveling before the new National Chairman, Ganduje. What is not clear at the time of filing this report is whether other wings of the party would not give a fight in the bid to stop the reign of Ganduje.
It was gathered that some of the members are not happy the way and manner they were dumped the moment Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC made Tinubu the President of Nigeria. They are of the opinion that they were not considered for any position in the cabinet of Tinubu, action they argued is discouraging. Even the national offices of the party are now being allegedly reserved for the cronies of Tinubu who contributed little or nothing in making the INEC to coronate Tinubu as the President of the country. An informed source maintained that war is brewing in the party that has multifaceted problems ravaging it, and whether the party will survive would be determined by the way they manage the brewing crisis. Other political parties that converged to form the ruling party which felt marginalized in the distribution of the national offices of the party are spoiling for war by its leaders who are of the opinion that APC is now the extension of Tinubu’s estate, a development they said is inimical to the well being of the party in future.
Whatever is the case, analysts said that the ruling party is in for a long battle of its soul by the different parties that came together to form it, who will win the battle would only be determined by time.
