There are indications that the ruling All Progressives Congress, which has been battling various challenges in recent time, may not recover from what is being termed as the lingering political ‘hangover’ before the general election.
Like a newborn baby, APC was welcomed into the political turf some three years ago when it positioned itself as a party with answers to Nigeria’s various problems.
Seeing the degree of seriousness that was paraded with the party and its presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, who is believed to be a person with no record of corruption, the party was given the backing it needed to sweep the then ruling party Peoples Democratic Party away.
While the opposition party is busy consulting around the country with its presidential candidate, former vice president Atiku Abubakar, APC stalwarts are busy tackling themselves over personal interest
But disappointedly, after being given the chance to test its clout, the party was discovered to have no solution to the masses’ problem. To many Nigerians, the option of the party was seen as a ‘black market’ as many have been totally disappointed.
Following this, Nigerians have been divided on whether to return the party or the opposition to power in 2019.
Apart from this, the recent internal wrangling besieging the ruling party is another factor that would determine its fate in the coming general elections.
APC stalwarts nationally are now smarting from the confusion trailing the recently-concluded primaries . The aftermath of the exercise, without doubt, has degenerated into a serious quagmire which some political pundits believe is already a hangover for the party.
According to them, while the opposition party is busy consulting around the country with its presidential candidate, former vice president Atiku Abubakar, APC stalwarts are busy tackling themselves over personal interest.
For instance, the party’s national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has been at loggerhead with some governors of the party over the recently conducted primary election. Among the governors are Gov. Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun and Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha. The rage between the party stalwarts, according to sources, has begun to degenerate into affliction for the party ahead of the general elections.
It was also gathered that the development had made the ruling party’s camp divided, especially in states where their governors have an issue with Oshiomhole.
Meanwhile, Oshiomhole’s recent questioning by the men of the Department of State Service is also believed to be another indictment on the party as it braces up for the coming general elections. The development has led to integrity question for him on whether he is capable to pilot the party’s ship victoriously in 2019.
What is happening in our party is what happens in every political party. But I can tell you that that is not an internal wrangling and our chance to come back in 2019 in brighter. Nigerians know what they want and I am sure they wouldn’t pick an option to go back into hardship of 16 years they had faced in the past
Meanwhile, political stalwarts in the country have been expressing doubt on the chances of APC coming back in the coming general elections. They believe that the party has been distracted from doing what will make the masses to reconsider it for a second term.
A chieftain of APC in Bauchi State, Alhamdu Shagaya, said President Buhari, Governor of the state, Abdullahi Abubakar and other candidates of the party will lose the 2019 election over alleged failure to conduct the party primaries in the state.
Shagaya accused the Bauchi governor of betrayal, saying “I’m confident to open up that Dogara, Aminu Tukur and late Senator Ali Wakili, apart from us, were very instrumental to the emergence of Governor Abubakar as Bauchi State Governor in the 2015 election.
“However, I have with me documents showing the accord made to us if he wins the governorship.”
The state assembly aspirant maintained that APC primary election was a fraud due to irregularities, and advised the party to embrace internal democracy or risk being voted out of power in 2019.
“If the party deliberately failed to entertain complaints brought to it by aggrieved aspirants, it will definitely spell doom for the APC. It is a reflection of how PDP lost to it in 2015,” he warned.
Shagaya blamed the APC national chairman and APC governors responsible for all the party’s woes, lamenting that APC aspirants were duped and denied the chance to contest in 2019 as candidates.
He warned that President Buhari would not survive the 2019 election, stressing that the APC is being plagued by the lack of justice.
Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption , has said that APC may lose power in 2019 if the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole’s rift with the governors from the party is not resolved.
Sagay said the APC leadership could not afford to lose the election to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and advised the APC National Working Committee to resolve the crisis in the party.
“I will urge the party to think of the consequences.
“We need to be pragmatic on this issue and, also, they have to think of the future. If they do anything now and go against the government or the party, it will not bode well at all. So, we have to be pragmatic about these things.
“The election is around the corner. If they don’t listen to each other, the consequences are that the party may lose power.
“If we stick to principles and you lose power, you are out of power and all the indiscipline and mis-governance we experienced under the PDP will come and haunt us,” he said.
Immediate past governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, said the 2019 presidential election will not be a contest between the PDP and President Buhari, but “a straight fight between the president and Nigerians who are tired of his
misrule”.
Fayose through his media aide, Lere Olayinka, said President Buhari will have Nigerians to contend with in 2019 and not the PDP or other opposition parties alone.
“The international community has said corruption under Buhari is worse than in time past. Nigerians themselves know that murderous herdsmen have joined Boko Haram under Buhari and the economy, which was booming under Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, went into recession under Buhari and has remained comatose,” Fayose said.
He added: “For Nigerians, the 2019 election is not about political parties, particularly as it affects Buhari’s presidency.
“The election will be Nigerians versus Buhari and not PDP versus Buhari or PDP versus APC, especially knowing how negatively Buhari has impacted the lives of Nigerians.
“Buhari has damaged Nigeria. He has damaged the lives of an uncountable number of Nigerians. The suffering and untold hardship he has brought on Nigeria and Nigerians is unprecedented.
“Most importantly, he has destroyed the trust of Nigerians in the ballot box and the people can’t wait to send him packing so that they can get their country back.
“In 2019, the same shocker of 2015 will be witnessed and it will be a rude shock for those who believed in their mastery of election rigging to remain in
power.”
Meanwhile, the national publicity secretary of APC, Mr Yekini Nabena, has said the party stands every chance to retain power in 2019. He also added that the party is not in any way going through internal wrangling.
“What is happening in our party is what happens in every political party. But I can tell you that that is not an internal wrangling and our chance to come back in 2019 in brighter. Nigerians know what they want and I am sure they wouldn’t pick an option to go back into hardship of 16 years they had faced in the past,”
Nabena said.
