History equips man with the ability to adjust to the present, plan well for the future, and, most importantly, avoid mistakes from the past. Snubbing lessons from history often results in regrets or woeful failure, especially in a competitive phenomenon like politics. This prelude admonishes the leadership of the Bauchi state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to at all cost avoid the reoccurrence of the infamous Zamfara state experience, in which all candidates that won elections under the APC were disqualified by law as a result of certain discrepancies that would have been avoided by the party leadership.
Blindfolded by greed, sentiment, and vengeance, the most powerful houses of Bauchi state APC are sailing the party’s board towards the ditch where the former Zamfara structure was buried despite overwhelmingly winning the 2019 elections. The current Bauchi state APC chairman emerged through a consensus that was largely decided by one group and was vehemently rejected by some stakeholders across the state, especially those who were not in favour of the acclaimed party leader. This can be easily contested in a court of law should someone or group decide to explore such an option.
Notwithstanding, local government elections were held and party leaders emerged after elections were won and lost between contestants under the supervision of designated stakeholders appointed by the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC). To the dismay of all lovers of justice, some people sat in the comfort of their living room, came up with a new list and submitted it to the authorities (party leadership and electoral umpire). That has caused a lot of disquiet across the state. From the beginning, nobody thought it would be considered because the election results should supersede any hand-made list of executives, regardless of where it comes from. Contrarily, that hand-made list enjoys more acceptability than the original election result, which is very injurious to the party and the people involved, in my opinion.
As a moralist whose pen knows no bounds in criticising anything that looks like injustice, the state party leader was not expected to be a party to such an abuse of due process. Unfortunately for his reputation, it turned out that the architects of all the disruption had his blessings and approval in whatever they did. This opens the door for defection out of the party where two sitting federal lawmakers were lost to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which stimulated a series of meetings in Bauchi and Abuja by the aggrieved members of the party.
They consulted, among other influential figures, the APC national chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the national party leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and, of course, Mallam Adamu Adamu, education minister Bauchi state APC leader. Still, the atmosphere is full of suspense, especially in the affected local government areas, because party members don’t know which structure would be okayed; the elected or the selected?
Let’s skip these stories and analyse the fate of Bauchi state APC if things remain as they are. At the end of this squabble, the most powerful group would satisfy their ego by frustrating their perceived rivals out of the party. That means no candidate ca win the gubernatorial election for the party regardless of connection, resources, or popularity because some influential members would leave for other platforms, some would opt for anti-party during elections, and the third and most dangerous option would be taking the party to court after the election on grounds of illegal party congress or operating with “selected” ward, local government, and state party executives during the primary elections. That would be an obituary for the Bauchi state APC!
Bauchi APC should understand the fact that our judicial system has been emboldened by the unprecedented Zamfara judgment. Such cases will no longer test the judges because they have a solid precedent to build their verdict upon. In a nutshell, Bauchi APC is following in the footsteps of Zamfara APC in 2019, and the same fate awaits them if the party leadership refuses to act. To win or lose at the polls would mean the same at last.
Speaking of winning the guber race against the incumbent, one doesn’t need rocket science to understand the fact that the APC has no chance of winning the election in Bauchi South without the help of the likes of Hon Yakubu Dogara, Wakilin Birni, Malam Yuguda, Isa Matori, Dr Dabo, and MA Abubakar, etc. The party cannot survive in Bauchi Central without Sen Haliru Jika, Uba Nana, Isah Hamma, Mansoor Manu, Ibrahim Makama, and Aliyu Bobbo, among others. Same with Bauchi North, the party cannot afford to lose the support of the likes of Amb. Tuggar, Arc. Audu Katagum, Hon Ibrahim Baba, Hon Garba Gololo, Hon Ghali Maji, Hon Tijjani Aliyu, Hon Ali Dan-iya, and a host of other governorship aspirants that may fall short of the party leader’s favour.
The only recommendation I will make is for those who call the shots in the party to drop any personal aggrandizement, let go of their whims and caprices, and give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, allowing real politics to unfold and letting the most popular aspirants get the tickets regardless of affiliation.
Adamu Bello Mai-Bodi,
NPA Quarters,
Apapa, Lagos state.
