APC ward congresses: Disruptions, violence and bumpy road to 2019

The carry-overs of protracted internal wrangling plaguing the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), in virtually all the states of the federation, resonated last week during the party’s ward congresses held across the nation. KEHINDE OSASONA and TAYE ODEWALE x-ray the exercise
Apart from the fact that elections remained inconclusive in many states, it was characterized by violence, killings, manipulations and protests, and threat of defections which inevitably discredit not just the exercise but the APC. Will decorum ever return to the ruling party before 2019?
Trouble foreseen Before the much-awaited All Progressives Congress (APC) ward congress that was slated for last week across the states of the federation, expectation was very high by party faithful especially aspirants willing to occupy various offices.
Eventually, the congress was held amidst skepticism. Following the marred exercise across the states, the national leadership of the party is now licking its wounds and ruing the unfortunate controversies which have trailed what ordinarily was supposed to be a simple exercise. Before hand, political pundits had described as ‘fragile peace’ the not-too impressive atmosphere pervading in the ruling party’s firmament.
Pre-congress brouhaha Before the ward congress, President Muhammadu Buhari had saddled a national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, with the responsibility of reconciling all aggrieved party members across the country having sensed that his party might play to the gallery if the various internal disputes across the States is not put on check. President Muhammadu Buhari has designated Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to lead the consultation, reconciliation and confidence building efforts as part of ongoing efforts to improve cohesion within the APC. “The assignment will involve resolving disagreements among party members, party leadership and political office holders in some states of the federation”, he said.
The step, it was believed, was meant to put the party in better stead ahead of the governorship elections holding in Ekiti and Osun States this year as well as the 2019 general elections. President Buhari particularly mentioned some states in his statement. “Prominent among the states where there are disagreements among the APC leaders and political office holders are Kano, Oyo, Rivers, Kogi, Kaduna, Zamfara and Osun States among others.
“In Kano, there is a disagreement between the state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, and his predecessor, Rabiu Kwankwaso. In Rivers State, there is also a disagreement between the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and Senator Magnus Abe. “In Osun State, the governor, Rauf Aregbesola and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Lasun, are also not in good terms. In Kaduna State, there is crisis between the state governor, Nasir ElRufai and Senator Shehu Sani. “A similar scenario is playing out in Zamfara between the state governor, Abdulaziz Yari, and Senator Kabir Marafa. Also in Kogi State, the state governor, Yahaya Bello, is at loggerheads with Senator Dino Melaye. “In Oyo State, there is a friction between the state governor, Abiola Ajimobi, and the Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu.
Oyegun as APC’s albatross Asiwaju Tinubu had reportedly accused the party’s national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, of undermining his peace efforts. Tinubu’s allegations were contained in an eight-page letter, dated February 21, 2018, titled, “actions and conduct weakening the party from within’’. He said the spirit of a new and better Nigeria that guided the party to the unprecedented electoral success had been steadily replaced by “the bankrupt and clueless ways that brought the PDP low.”
Specifically, Tinubu, in the letter, gave insight into what he discussed with the members of the party’s National Working Committee, at a meeting about a week ago and what in specific terms; the party’s national chairman did or was doing to undermine the assignment given to him by Buhari. “You (Odigie-Oyegun) promised unalloyed support for my mission. Consonant with that vow, you said you would provide all information at your disposal and you vowed to act as a liaison between me and the state party chapters.” “Unfortunately, the spirit of understanding and of cooperative undertaking to revive the party seems not to have lived beyond the temporal confi nes of that meeting.
I assure anyone who cares to know that this positive spirit of cooperation did not meet its demise at my hands.” Explaining further, Tinubu observed that the party could only resolve its current deficiencies in an unbiased, neutral manner that would allow it to strengthen internal democracy, internal institutions, and processes.
“In our discussion, you personally mentioned Kogi, Kaduna, Kano and Adamawa states as places afflicted by serious party issues. Given your assessment, these are states where I believe cooperation between you and I should have been intense and detailed. Instead, you have taken it as your personal mission to thwart my presidential assignment in these key states.”
“In Kogi, you rushed to the state to unilaterally inaugurate new state chapter officials parallel to the officials already heading the state chapter of the party.” “While this may place you in a significant affinity with those parallel officials you handpicked, this machination suggests no improvement in the welfare of the party in Kogi or at the national level. This usurpation of authority exacerbates conflict and confusion; it does not resolve them.” “It is my understanding that your dissolution of the duly constituted state executives and the hurried naming of the above-mentioned caretaker group were not approved by the NWC.
This arrogation of power sets you at variance with the members of the NWC as evidenced by the National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi’s, statement condemning your improper and unusual action.”
Congress fall-out and matters arising As predicted by keen followers of political happenings in the country, protest, boycott, and parallel voting marred a number of congresses held across the country last weekend.
There were blame games here and there between the various actors dwelling in APC’s muddy political waters in virtually all the states. More worrisome was the fact that the national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, was conspicuously absent during the exercise in his ward in Edo State. By his conduct, the embattled chairman may have proven right some party faithful who had earlier accused him of planning to split the ruling party to suit a sinister purpose. They hinged their reasons on a lot of factors among which is his being bitter about his inability to stage a come-back as the party chairman.
Gory tales across the States In Ekiti State, the APC Primary was Suspended Indefinitely due to clash of interest between actors in the state. Violence erupted at the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium venue of the exercise following the fisticuff s that erupted during the congress which Governor, Alhaji Tanko Al-Makura. In the middle of the exercise, it was reported that agent of some governorship contenders had accused security agents of compromising the voting process to favour the Minister of Solid Minerals Development and former governor of the state, Kayode Fayemi. Two aspirants, Hon. Bimbo Daramola, and former Speaker, Hon. Femi Bamisile, unanimously agreed at the meeting that the primary should be suspended indefinitely.
According to Daramola, “There was an issue somewhere about the exercise and they raised observation about sharp practices that had compromised the process, which led to protest and the feeling was that the process should be suspended to avoid bloodshed.” On allegations that a wide lead by Fayemi had prompted the underlying protests, Daramola said, “I don’t believe that is correct. The results have not been counted, so that was an assumption. “Ekiti APC is not in any way fractured. We are one big family. If Fayemi defeats us, we are all going to back him, because the party is supreme. But this must come through a free, fair and credible process.”
Anambra State, not any better Similarly, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in last year’s governorship election in Anambra, Dr Tony Nwoye had accused Senator Chris Ngige of plot to hijack the party in the state. Nwoye explained that Ngige usurped the functions of the Congress committee by stating that ward congreses held on Saturday when it did not.
He said, “Some of you here worked against me during that election, but my joy is that I lost the election and they lost too, because they have not risen themselves. “We have failed as a party because we do not have any position in Anambra, but It will not work for people to put this party in their pocket so that they can write election results in their houses. “I will not let Ngige take the function of the panel.
We have a panel that is supposed to conduct that congress, and they just came here today (Sunday), whereas you are trying to tell us that elections have been held yesterday. How can Ngige be the one to conduct the congress when there is a committee? Meanwhile, Senator Ngige who took offence over what he described as personal attack on his person by Nwoye had equally explained that there was no trouble in the party, describing it as a brotherly affair.
In furtherance of the position taken by President Muhammadu Buhari in March this year at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that Congresses and Convention should be held by the party to elect its new executives from the ward to national level, the party last Saturday started the process from the ward level with gale of crises across the states.
Governors, party chieftains at war The crises which were mostly generated by age long disagreements between governors and party chieftains in states where the party is in control of power and struggle to hijack party machineries in states where the party does not have a sitting governor, bedevilled the conduct of ward congress of the party from 20 out of the 36 states across the federation.
Expectedly one of such crises was the one that happened in Zamfara State arising from old differences cum rivalries between the Governor of the state , Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari and Senator Kabiru Marafa (APC Zamfara Central). While the Governor on Sunday declared the ward congresses exercise in the state across the 147 wards as peaceful and successful, the Senator said no Congress was conducted in any of the wards. Marafa in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday said unlike most other states of the federation, ward congress of the party did not take place in any of the 147 wards in the state last Saturday. According to him, local government congress will only hold if the ward congress is conducted by the Ambassador Dauda Danladi-led ward and local government Congress committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Contrary to the announcement by the Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, Marafa said there was no consensus in Zamfara rather the people of the state were deceived by the committee. “We will block them from conducting the local government Congress because there was no ward congress. Let them come back and conduct the election. “When I met with Ambassador Danladi at a hotel, he told me there was a problem in Zamfara that he came to the state thinking that there would be consensus.
He told me that he came with 1400 forms as against the 4,704 ward executive positions. We have 147 wards and each has 32 executives”. To resolve the issue, Ambassador Danladi promised to organize a stakeholders’ meeting but it was not to be for reasons best known to him and the Governor. “Rather than organising this, he went ahead to supervise a kangaroo and shameful process staking his good name and hard earned integrity.
“They can’t therefore conduct any Local Govt Congress come Saturday 12th May 2018. If they insist on conducting one, for the avoidance of any doubt, we are going to mobilise and resist any illegality or imposition from any quarter or by anybody,” he threatened. But in a telephone conversation with the Blueprint, Ambassador Dauda Danladi debunked the Senator’s allegation. According to him, “APC ward congress held in all the 147 wards of Zamfara state last Saturday, the required foundation upon which the coming Saturday Local Government Congress of the party would be built. “No any problem with the exercise and we are forging ahead with the local government congress on Saturday “, he stressed.
Others like Zamfara As it was in Zamfara, so it seems to be in Imo State where the Governor of the State , Owelle Rocha’s Okorocha declared that there was no congress in the state last Saturday as against submissions made by many chieftains of the party in the state like Senators Benjamin Uwajumogu, Hope Uzodinma, Ifeanyi Ararume, the deputy governor of the state, Eze Madumere etc, who insisted that congresses held and were peaceful across the entire wards of the state.
But Okorocha held contrary view: the Congresses never held and went to discuss the issue with President Muhammadu Buhari in Daura on Sunday and ordered for the arrest of members of the electoral panel sent for the exercise by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party. Kaduna State was another flash point of such crises where the Governor, Nasir El- Rufai said the Congress held while his political rivals, the two APC senators from the state , i.e, Shehu Sani (Kaduna Central) and Suleiman Hunkuyi ( Kaduna North), described the entire exercise as a ruse.
“Every right thing APC member in Kaduna State knows that nothing called congress took place in any ward in Kaduna Central and by extension, Kaduna state as a whole last Saturday. “Going further by the party to conduct any of such congresses in any of the 23 local government Councils of the state this coming Saturday will amount to building something on nothing by it. Nigerians and the whole world are watching”, Shehu Sani said. Needless to say other states like Oyo, Rivers. Delta, Abia, Cross River, Gombe etc had their own doses of the crises. Feasting on APC’s travail While the brouhaha lasted, the main opposition party had through its spokesperson mocked the ruling party over the outcome of its congress across the states. While condemning the violence and bloodletting that characterized last Saturday’s All Progressives Congress (APC) ward congresses in various parts of the country, the PDP had in a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, called on stakeholders to do all that is necessary to make the electioneering process peaceful and orderly.
He said; “The PDP regrets the violence and calls on Nigerians, particularly political stakeholders, to make our political and electioneering processes across board, free of violence especially, as we approach the 2019 general elections. “Our party values the life of every single Nigerian and we implore all contenders, including political parties, to eschew desperation for power, especially in the face of loss of popularity and public support due to performance issues.
“Nigeria belongs to all of us and we seek a peaceful environment where the citizens are free to vote for candidates of their choice at all levels, particularly the Presidency,” “The party further sympathized with the families of those who lost their lives in the violence and pray for speedy recovery of the injured,” the statement explained further. Meanwhile, from Jigawa to Ebonyi, Cross-river, Adamawa….. the stories are the same and people are now beginning to ask if the centre can still hold as things are gradually fallen apart.
Though the party at the National level had directed all aggrieved party men to channel their complaints to Appeal committees set up for that purpose but the question is, would the appeal committees resolve the crises before the Local Government Congresses of the party taking place across the 774 local government councils in the country this Saturday or would the crises be left as they are till it get to the National Convention stage of the party?
Time will definitely tell Any respite in sight for APC? Condemning the outcome, after the event in Delta State, a chieftain of the People Democratic Party (PDP) had commented thus: “The outcome of the All Progressives Congress ward congresses across the country is a sign of system failure. The way the congress went suggest a prelude to the collapse of APC in 2019. “
The violence, killings and brutality that characterized the conduct and the outcome of the ward congress of the ruling APC is a sign of system failure within the structure of the party and the country if Nigerians allow the APC to come back in 2019. “This is just a prelude to the monumental collapse that will befall the APC if they go ahead with their planed national convention. “No doubt, the outcome of the APC ward congresses across the country is a manifestation of the level of division, injustice and lack of internal democracy which has been the hallmark of the ruling party since it conception till date and this goes to show that all is not well with the ruling party, which is a further prove that APC as a party can no longer be trusted by Nigerians for another four years, How can we trust a party that is divided against itself.”
Just after the primaries in Jigawa State chapter of the APC, there has been an appeal to all aggrieved members to help focus on how best to build the party in order to win the 2019 general elections. Addressing the members after the event, the chairman of the party, Ado Sani Kiri, explained that out of the officials elected from the 287 wards across the state, 70 per cent were elected through consensus, while the remaining positions were keenly contested.
Kirin went further to commend the conduct of his party faithful which led to the conduct of rancour-free congresses, saying that the success achieved could not be possible without their cooperation. But is not the thinking of those who felt dealt in by the sophistry of governors and Abuja-based politicians who they believe are desperate to take over the structures of the party with 2019 in view.