Ganduje and burden of restoring order in APC

In the months preceding the recent general elections and afterwards, there was a crisis of confidence in the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the national level. At a time, the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led National Executive Committee (NEC) became so unpopular within party ranks and unsure of its future. To the discerning, it was only a matter of time before the carpet would be pulled from under its feet.

Soon as Adamu and his co-travellers in the exco were shown the exit door, to pave the way for the progressive arm of the party to take charge and work in tandem with President Bola Tinubu in achieving his Renewed Hope Agenda, a new order seems to have enveloped the ruling party.

With few months in the saddle, the leadership style and democratic approach of the new national chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to solving issues seem to be melting many a heart of party faithful, even though they admit that much still needs to be done to assuage the feelings of aggrieved party stalwarts across the country.

Specifically, a party source noted that Ganduje’s democratic approach has galvanized renewed interest, not only within the ranks of the national working committee (NWC) but among party stalwarts, non-party members, the business community and diplomats, in the affairs of the party.

He cited a recent example of the ambassador of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Jon Tong Chol, who is among the deluge of foreign visitors who have thronged the party secretariat, and also particularly sought partnership between the APC and the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea.

“This is in sharp contrast to what some party stalwarts refer to as the autocratic and laissez-faire styles of three of Ganduje’s predecessors – Senator Abdullahi Adamu, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and Governor Mai Mala Buni whose approaches were blamed for the crisis that rocked the party before now.

“Aside from pledging to open full-fledged and functional offices of the party in all 8,813 wards in the country, the Ganduje-led NWC, which have hosted dozens of support groups pushing to be carried along in appointments into boards and parastatals of governments, have made bold statements on the ways and means of repositioning the party.

“The Kano-born politician appears to be putting in place measures aimed at ensuring the return of party supremacy as was witnessed in the era of Chief Adisa Akinloye in the second Republic,” he said.

In addition to his moves across party lines, reaching out to aggrieved members of the party to mend fences, Ganduje is also seen as a stabilising factor for the President Tinubu-led administration after participating in the series of meetings with the Comrade Joe Ajaero-led Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in a last ditch effort to avert nationwide strike action over the hardship faced by workers as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy.

When faced with his first baptism of fire over contestations among top notchers of the party on the replacement of vacant seats in the NWC, he found a way of navigating the murky waters of party administration for peace to reign.

Ganduje, who was forced to stay away from the national secretariat to avoid incurring the wrath of angry supporters, had to find a way of appeasing Governor Yahaya Bello with the seat of North Central Zone occupied by Isyaku Ismail, as the seat of the deputy national publicity secretary was reserved for Duro Meseko, believed to have been sponsored as part of the bargain.

Promising to breath life into the party, he pledged to carry along all those that lost out in the contest to fill the vacant seats in their respective states.

Speaking during the inauguration of the six newly-elected members of the national working committee (NWC) in Abuja, he assured that the party would avail itself to dialogue and consultations on any issue of utmost importance to the supporters of the party.

He added: “What is of utmost importance is that we would make the party a strong institution of our government. We have also resolved to make the party active throughout the year. The party need to be active and robust beyond electioneering period.

“The party will have functional offices at the ward, local government, states, zonal and national offices. We believe you will be able to abide by all these reforms.

“With all that occurred before your election, we have achieved complete dialogue, we have also deepened dialogue and widened it. It has become our culture. It shows that we are not dictators in APC.

“We believe in dialogue and discussion. That does not mean everybody must agree. Even at that, we take the views of those who disagree so that in the end they are fully accommodated.”

With barely five months in the saddle, the significant inroads recorded by Ganduje in reconciling the warring groups in Imo state has been adduced as a major factor in the sweeping victory recorded by Governor Hope Uzodinma in the recently held governorship poll in the state.

Ganduje followed through the peace brokered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his Vice, Kashim Shettima at the presidential villa by reconciling Governor Uzodinma and the Senator Rochas Okorocha-led group to actualise the party victory in the governorship poll.

While the Ganduje-led NWC is still savouring the electoral feat recorded in the election of Ahmed Usman Ododo as Governor of Kogi state, the party is still rueing the loss of the recently held Bayelsa governorship poll to the incumbent Governor Douye Diri of the opposition PDP.

This is in spite effort by the Ganduje-led NWC to reconcile the governorship candidate, Timipre Sylva and aggrieved party stalwarts such as the Minister of State for Petroleum, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, and 2019 governorship candidate, David Lyon.

Ganduje’s intervention that led to the decision by Ondo state House of Assembly to suspend the impeachment proceedings against the state deputy governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa is still a reference point by progressive minded members of the party.

The APC Rivers state chapter crisis is intriguing, as the warring groups, split along the lines of the former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, took their quarrel to the national secretariat of the party in Abuja.

The pro-Rotimi Amaechi group, led by the Governorship candidate of the party in the 2023 poll, Chief Tonye Cole, particularly felt betrayed on the basis that their efforts over the years have not been rewarded under the current dispensation.

Alluding to the appointment of Wike as the FCT Minister, they wondered why those being rewarded are PDP members who spent huge state resources to undermine the prospects of the APC in Rivers State since 2013.

But the Chief Tony Okocha-led group loyal to Wike called on Ganduje to adhere to an existing court order, which allegedly endorsed the expulsion of the Amaechi-led group from the party.

“These group of persons who we liken to watermelon, with the characteristic feature of being “Green in the outside but red in the inside”, have long abandoned the APC, and are ‘ipso facto’ disqualified from speaking for the APC Rivers in any forum or fora,” he stressed.

“We pray Mr Chairman to discountenance the machinations of the pretenders, who via hues and cries and trumping up lies, want to negate the natural law that aptly recommends that ‘one reaps where one sows.’

“Those persons never supported the party nor are they sincerely happy that President Tinubu made it to the Presidency. The only group in APC Rivers State legitimate to seek compensation for the victory of APC/Tinubu in Rivers State, is the one here.

Please contact us through the leader of the political infantry in Rivers State, who is serving in the Federal Cabinet presently.”

Ganduje, who lamented the reverses suffered by the party due to series of litigation and crisis since the 2015 poll, expressed appreciation to the party stalwarts over the victory recorded by the party in the 2023 presidential poll.

Reiterating the resolve by the party to reclaim Rivers State, he said the goal would be achieved if the party stalwarts to bury their hatchets and resolve to work harmoniously with one another.

Describing Rivers state as one too important to be left out of the grips of the APC, Ganduje assured the group led by the governorship candidate of the party in the recently held poll, Tonye Cole, that he would address their grievances.

He, however, urged the stakeholders to put aside their differences and be magnanimous enough to accept new entrants into the party in the State.

When Ganduje finally resolved to inaugurate the new Rivers State Caretaker Committee of the party, led by Tony Okocha, it was obvious that he had resolved to give Wike, now at war with his anointed successor, Mr Siminalaye Fubara, the mandate to lead the charge in reclaiming the state for the APC.

Ganduje charged Okocha not to discriminate against anyone in the course of discharging his duties. “We expect you to put more life into the party. There’s no discrimination, you’re brothers in unity; regard yourselves as APC, APC and APC. You don’t belong to any group but the group of APC in Rivers State,” he said.

Meanwhile, the party’s resolve to hand over its structure to Wike’s loyalists is already paying dividends as 27 members of the Rivers state House of Assembly last week defected to the APC.

Aside from receiving no fewer than 26 chieftains of the New Nigeria People’s Party, including three governorship candidates, and the immediate past National Chairman of the party, Prof Rufa’i Alkali, who all defected to the APC, Ganduje has also received returnees from Bauchi, Zamfara, Kaduna and Kano state within the last four months.

Senator Halliru Dauda Jika, who was NNPP’s governorship candidate in Bauchi state in the 2023 poll described his return to the party as a step in the right direction going by the reformatory actions so far taken by Ganduje.

The APC chairman has also dropped the hint to establish a progressives institute to propagate the ideals of the APC-led administration after a team of scholars presented a proposal on the institute to members of the NWC of the party.

Reminiscing on how members of the legacy parties comprising the defunct ANPP, ACN, the new PDP, and a faction of APGA coalesced to form the APC in the build up to the 2015 poll, he expressed happiness that the APC has evolved over the years to become a very formidable political platform in the country.

He also disclosed plans to mark the 10th anniversary of the formation of the party in Abuja and simultaneously across the 36 states of the Federation.

The Ganduje-led NWC has also constituted five Standing Committees comprising finance, publicity, establishment, intergovernmental, conflict and reconciliation.

APC’s national publicity secretary, Mr Felix Morka explained that the decision, which was in line with the party constitution, was aimed at repositioning the party.

However, the immediate past deputy national vice chairman North West, Dr Salihu Lukman remain unimpressed with Ganduje’s achievements.

Lukman, who resigned his position, accused Ganduje of playing garrison politics on the appointment of Okocha as chairman of the Rivers state chapter caretaker committee.

The Kaduna-born politician alleged that under Ganduje, the APC NWC has become abrasive as it takes decisions based on convenience without reference to provisions of the party’s constitution.

In a piece entitled: “End of Progressive Politics”, he noted: “This is the dirty politics at play in Rivers State. It is very shockingly coming from leaders of a party envisioned to be progressive. Ideally, progressive politicians are expected to be committed to issues of justice and equity.

“If anything, the decision of the NWC dissolving Rivers State executives at all levels confirm this reality. If allowed to stand, stage managed congresses will be organised to produce new party executives at all levels who will be loyal to Barr. Wike, the new APC leader in Rivers State.

“Accordingly, in 2027, Wike will produce the APC Governorship candidate for Rivers State. Since Wike has already fallen apart with the current Rivers State Governor, Chief Siminalayi Fubara, the prospect of Fubara coming to APC is foreclosed. Therefore, the strategy of APC in Rivers State for 2027 will be to further fragment the people of the state.

“Rather than working to unite political leaders in Rivers State, based on which APC being an envisioned progressive party will be seeking to unite Amaechi and Wike to be members of APC, President Asiwaju Tinubu’s garrison politics will only seek to take advantage of the current division between Chief Amaechi and Barr. Wike. In addition, Barr.

“Wike will have to incur the political cost of separating from his political godson, Chief Fubara. Even if Chief Fubara achieved all that needs to be achieved as Governor of Rivers State, President Asiwaju Tinubu’s garrison politics will emasculate him.

“For all these to be imagined under the leadership of President Asiwaju Tinubu, who is regarded to be a progressive politician and a descendant of Chief Awolowo will make Chief Awolowo to turn in his grave. Even Chief M. K. O Abiola have difficulty relating with many of the political decisions taken by President Asiwaju Tinubu in the last six months.

“At this rate, President Asiwaju Tinubu is practically pushing Nigerians to bid bye bye to progressive politics. With such reality, it simply means, the structures of APC in FCT will also be dissolved to produce new APC leaders at all levels of the party who will be loyal to Barr. Wike. And any state where APC is led by people who might have opposed President Asiwaju Tinubu will similarly be dissolved.

“Once the circle of imposing stooges as APC leaders at all levels is completed, which started with imposing Dr. Ganduje as National Chairman, the next level of imposition will spread to all other democratic institutions to guarantee the supremacy of garrison politics, which will then affirm all the political choices of APC under the leadership of President Asiwaju Tinubu, whatever that means.

“This is anything, but progressive politics. With a garrison brand of progressive politics, problems of political divisions in the country will be entrenched. Addressing challenges of marginalisation, inequality and above all welfare of citizens will not be a political priority.

“Something must be done urgently to arrest the current drift towards garrison politics in the name of progressive politics. It is either APC leaders take the needed steps to call both Dr. Ganduje, the APC NWC and President Asiwaju Tinubu to order by restoring constitutional order and returning the party to its founding vision of progressive politics, which should be about unity of party leaders and Nigerians, or the party can as well declare an end to progressive politics in Nigeria.

“So long as the decision of the NWC to dissolve all party executives in Rivers State at all levels is allowed to stand, it simply means that anyone who is alleged to have worked against President Asiwaju Tinubu during the 2023 elections is expelled from the party.

“With such declaration, the culture of imposition of candidates at all levels will take over APC. Consequently, elections will not be about the votes of citizens. Winners in elections will only be produced through rigging, vote buying and other manipulative strategies.

“The earlier every genuine APC leader come to terms with this new reality and begin the process of mobilisation both within the party and at wider levels of national political mobilisation, the better for the survival of democracy in country. A stitch in time, saves nine!”