Lingering APC Crisis Is Expected, Says Ugolor

Rev. David Ugolor is a public affair analyst, human rights crusader and the Executive Director; Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ). He spoke to ALEMMA-OZIORUVA ALIU in Benin City on the festering crisis in All Progressives Congress (APC) and how it is affecting governance. 

DON’T you think that the festering crisis in All Progressives Congress (APC) is affecting governance at all levels considering that the party is in control of national government now? One cannot really say that the ‘festering crisis’ within the APC is affecting governance in the country.

The current challenge facing the party is expected because the party was made up of so many interest groups, strange bed fellows (if you like) and individuals. What brought them together was the desire to wrest power from the PDP. That, they have achieved. What remains now is for power sharing among the amalgamated groups. I am sure that once they are done with the power sharing game, the current challenge would ease out and the actors would be better focused to deliver democratic dividends to Nigerians that elected them.

In any case, what appears to be affecting governance at the moment is the looting of treasury by the immediate past administration as both the federal government and a number of state governments have cried out to the whole world that they met empty treasuries in spite of the huge revenues generated from both oil and non-oil sectors of the economy.
 Immediately after election results were announced all contractors handling federal government infrastructural  projects fled their project sites and have not returned till date.

This is happening even when it is a globally accepted norm that government is a continuum.  The new government is unable to embark on new programmes and projects as at now because first they need to understand exactly what they inherited from the previous administration and fashion out their own policies and programmes to deliver the change promised Nigerians. Secondly, they need to mobilise the resources to implement such policies and programmes that would benefit Nigerians and bring credibility to the new government, because expectations are high. I am sure by now a lot of consultations are going on in spite of the crisis within the APC to come up with strategies to get critical governance issues sorted out.

Don’t you think it is a strategy by the party leaders to buy time over their seemingly alleged unpreparedness to provide the much promised change? From my submissions, the challenge within the APC cannot be equated to unpreparedness to deliver change. In any case, it is too early in the day to expect the new government to pound every nook and cranny of the country with promised change.

It is too early in the day to draw conclusions on any assessment of the new government. They need to be given some time to settle down, plan and implement some policies and programmes before any meaningful assessment can be done. Can you say that the APC government is disappointing Nigerians already? I cannot say the party is disappointing Nigerians because this is the first time they are coming to power and it is too early in the day to lament. What if by tomorrow you see bulldozers opening up rural areas, fixing roads.

What if in the next one year, there is appreciable improvement in electricity supply, and those who looted the nation’s treasury are made to cough out substantial part of their loot to finance development, what becomes of the pre-mature assessments of today? The ongoing quarrels amongst the party members are anticipated.

It is how they manage the crisis that will count at the end of the day. Have the party leaders done enough in finding solution to the crisis? The party leaders, I believe are doing their best. But they need to be given some time to sort these issues at stake out. Nigerians should not be apprehensive.

What is important is that both the party leaders and their antagonists within the party should put in place fairness, equity and justice in place.  Once these virtues or attributes are mainstreamed into their solution mechanisms, I believe they would have a headway.

In any case, what appears to be affecting governance at the moment is the looting of treasury by the immediate past administration as both the federal government and a number of state governments have cried out to the whole world that they met empty treasuries in spite of the huge revenues generated from both oil and non-oil sectors of the economy

Is it not a clear signal that the party is after political power, not governance? It is not clear that the party is after power, not governance. We need to give them some time, perhaps after two years,  you could make a mid-term assessment  of what the intention of the party was.