Despite its growing acceptability within
the country’s political circle, all appears not to be well with the All
Progressives Congress as a crisis over power sharing and control is
brewing in the party.
Investigation by Saturday PUNCH
showed that the five governors, who defected to the APC from the Peoples
Democratic Party, were locked in a supremacy battle with some leaders
of the three political parties that merged to form the APC.
The parties that merged to form APC are
the Action Congress of Nigeria, All Nigeria Peoples Party and the
Congress for Progressive Change.
Saturday PUNCH’s investigations
in Abuja on Thursday showed that the looming crisis was threatening the
nationwide membership registration, which the party had scheduled for
early this year.
To forestall problem, however, the party has set up reconciliation committees in some of the affected states.
The governors, who left the PDP for the
APC, included Alhaji Muritala Nyako (Adamawa); Dr. Rabiu Kwankwanso
(Kano); Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto); Alhaji Abdufatah Ahmed (Kwara)
and Mr. Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers).
It was gathered that besides the
struggle for position between the defected governors and ‘old’ members
of the fast growing party, the APC was also contending with various
crises in the states it is currently controlling.
The tussle for power in the APC states
is principally between the governors and those who are against their
total control of the state party structure.
It was learnt that the problem had manifested in Kwara, Kano, Sokoto and Adamawa states among others.
Findings showed that the outcome of the
party’s reconciliation efforts would determine when the membership
registration would hold.
The defected PDP governors that are
said to be engaged in power struggle with old APC members include
Nyako, Kwankanso, Wamakko and Ahmed.
In Kwara State for instance, members of
the parties that merged to form the APC have described the leader of the
PDP defectors, Senator Bukola Saraki, as a burden instead of an asset
to the APC. Saraki is the political godfather of the state governor.
The members are of the opinion that the
party does not need Saraki to win elections in the state. A former
governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, Mr.
Dele Belgore, is the leader of the APC members opposed to Saraki’s
take-over of the party.
A leading member of the Belgore group, Rev. Bunmi Olusona, said this in a statement, in Ilorin on Thursday.
In the statement titled, “Issues before
the John Oyegun mediation committee,” Olusona stated, “We aver that we
do not need Bukola Saraki to win elections in Kwara. In fact, the
coming of Bukola Saraki is a huge burden on the Kwara APC.
“We now have a daunting task of
convincing Kwarans that we remain a part of their hope for change.
Without federal support, Bukola Saraki cannot win any election!
“We will never accept the leadership of
Bukola Saraki and we will never accept any arrangement that cedes the
party structure to any new entrant into the party.”
Another prominent member of the Belgore
group, Dr. Saad Omo-Iya, also explained the group’s stand in an
interview with one of our correspondents.
Omo-Iya said, “Saraki is a soloist and
(a) despot. Some of us cannot work with him. That is why we are in the
APC. Now that he has come to the APC, and it is being speculated that
APC has handed over the party structure to him, that means some
individuals own that party.
“It equally means that the party is no
longer a party. It is like a property of some individuals. That does
not really reflect democracy. Basically, looking at it, you can see that
there is no basis for further relations.”
He said that the structure of the party
should not be handed over to an individual, adding that registration of
members should be free and fair.
However, Mr. Yemi Afoloyan, a former state Secretary of the Saraki-led PDP faction, told Saturday PUNCH in an interview that claims that Saraki was a despot were untrue.
He described Saraki as a grass-roots
political leader, who stepped into the shoes of his revered father, the
late Chief Olusola Saraki.
Afolayan said, “One of the best things
for Kwarans and the APC in the state is the handing over of the APC’s
structure to Saraki. We have the election winning machinery and we win
and deliver wherever we go. We have come to the APC with an
election-winning machinery and we are sure the machinery will not fail.
“It will deliver anytime. Saraki has
not said he is going to the APC to take over everything. He believes in
egalitarian society. The door is open for integration of all the
stakeholders and shades of opinions.
“What is paramount in the mind of our leader, is the continued transformation and development of our dear State of Harmony.”
In an attempt to douse growing tension
between supporters of the Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau-led former members of
the ANPP and the Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, the national
headquarters of the party has set up a reconciliation committee headed
by the Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, and a former Speaker of
the House of Representatives, Aminu Masari.
Yari and Masari were given the task of
drawing up a workable arrangement to accommodate the two leaders and
their followers, and to prepare the ground for the party’s mobilisation
and registration of members scheduled to begin this month.
A party source confided in Saturday PUNCH that the situation in Kano was “a little complicated.”
The source, who pleaded anonymity, said:
“Members of the political parties that merged to form the APC are
suspicious of Kwankwaso.”
They argued that even while in the PDP,
Kwankwaso scuttled attempts by Vice President Namadi Sambo to reconcile
him and other aggrieved party members.
“Sambo was in Kano twice and each time an agreement was reached, Kwankwaso’s group breached the terms,” the source added.
When contacted, the Director of Press to
Kano State governor, Baba Dantiye, said fears about Kwankwaso’s
commitment were misplaced.
“His only concern is the salvation of
this country. It is not about his interest; he is committed but it will
be unfortunate if they feel that way even before the committee starts
its work. His Excellency has an open mind and is ready to work with
everybody.”
Also speaking on the issue, Shekarau’s
spokesman, Sule Ya’u Sule, said, “We have always insisted on justice and
fairness to all. We are waiting for the committee to come.”
However, other chieftains of a faction
of the ANPP such as Alhaji Bashir Tofa and Senator Kabir Gaya among
others, have since pledged allegiance to Kwankwaso, recognising him as
the leader of the APC in the state.
The situation in Sokoto State is not
any different as loyalists of former governor Attahiru Bafarawa have
accused a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Bello Masari,
who heads the state reconciliation committee, of bias.
They insist that his actions have been tailored in favour of Governor Wamakko to the disadvantage of old members.
It was also learnt that there was a
power tussle between Nyako and a former governorship candidate of the
defunct Congress for Progressive Change in Adamawa State, Brig.-Gen.
Buba Marwa.
A source admitted that teething problems were bound to occur when a new party of APC’s magnitude is formed.
Marwa expressed confidence that the national leadership of the party was up to the task of dealing with the challenge.
He said this in a short message to one of our correspondents.
He said, “These teething problems will
come up but I am aware that the national hierarchy of the party is
attending to the issues and hopefully, will be resolved very soon. APC
stands for internal democracy any day.”
Fears being expressed by party members are not limited to northern states.
Some members of the National Assembly have also cautioned the party against allowing state governors to hijack the process.
Senator Adegbenga Kaka (APC, Ogun-East)
warned that any state governor, who attempts to hijack or manipulate the
party membership registration exercise would be doing so at a great
risk.
Kaka said any governor who attempted to do so would incur the wrath of party members.
He said, “No governor that is desirous
of building a virile party will ever attempt to hijack or manipulate the
registration of party members. They will not want to incur the wrath of
would-be-members. I still maintain that we are all equal until
registration is carried out. All intending members are equal no matter
how highly placed anybody may be.”
But the Publicity Secretary of the APC in Ogun State, Alhaji Sola Lawal, also dismissed such fears.
He said those expressing fears over the membership registration exercise were only crying wolf where none existed.
Lawal said it would be impossible for
any APC governor to manipulate or hijack the membership registration
process in his state due to the magnitude of the exercise.
He said, “There is no reason for anyone
to be apprehensive of the exercise. For one, the process is too open for
anyone to manipulate. Every polling booth constitutes registration
unit. In other words, prospective members of the party who vote in a
polling booth in general elections are expected to be bona fide party
members in that unit.
“It is therefore impossible to deny
anyone registration. The governor or anyone for that matter is not
capable of manipulating things in thousands of registration centres. It
will be lazy of anyone to hide behind fear of interference to fail in
doing what is right to mobilise supporters for the exercise. The field
is free.”
Also speaking on the issue, the Senator representing Oyo-South, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, allayed such fears.
The senator explained that the major task before the party at the moment was to register as many members as possible.
He said, “There are guidelines for party
registration. We will follow the rules in Oyo State. As it were, our
party is in the dominance in the state. The forthcoming registration of
new members is a collective effort. Everybody is involved.
“This is not the time to start talking
about someone using the exercise to hijack party structure. We are all
using our political strengths and popularity to get as many members as
possible from other parties so that we can retain our leadership
position in the state.”
Lanlehin said, “We are all mobilising
and sourcing for members now. We are fishing in the same water into the
same boat. It is after that that the leaders could be talking of having
those that will be loyal to them in the executive of the party during
the congress that will come up later.
“We are working out modalities for that
but it is not what you referred to as power tussle. It is just obvious
that as leader you will want to have loyalists among the executives of
the party but like I said it is not an issue that can lead to crisis at
all.”
Attempts to get the reaction of the
interim National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,
were unsuccessful as he did not pick our correspondents’ calls to his
phone.
Also, a text message sent to him was not replied as at the time of filing this report.
But in his reaction to some of the
issues raised, the former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct
CPC, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, said the apprehension among some people was
understandable.
He said, “All these apprehensions will
be taken care of. We understand the apprehension of people but we are
going to make sure there is real equality and that no person is unduly
marginalised in the scheme of things because we must build a party where
opportunities for all abound.”
Source: Punchng
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