On May 31, 2022, shortly before his departure to Spain, President Muhammadu Buhari met with the 22 governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress. The main agenda was to brainstorm on the forthcoming APC national convention to elect its presidential flagbearer. The president told the governors the qualities he wants in his successor.
He wants a leader who can hold the nation as a united entity; a leader who can secure the nation from terrorism, insurgency and other violent crimes which have been holding down the nation from attaining her destiny. These qualities fit perfectly into what Nigeria needs at the crucial bend of our nationhood.
Many commentators have lenl their support for or vent their anger at the position of Mr President. While the antagonists are of the view that such position is fascism in a democratic garb, others want the president to allow the delegates to elect a candidate of their choice; neither of the schools of thought was wrong nor right. What is wrong is to have a president who cannot solve the problems of insecurity, division and economic retrogression. What is right is to get our choice right.
The dollarisation of the PDP national convention was not only a sham, but also a shame of a nation. It was a shambolic display of where we were before 2015 and where they want us to be from 2023. Rather than being a competition of idealistic measures to lift our nation, it became a competition of dollars, a competition of who had stolen more to buy his way to steal even more.
Any great leader wants another great successor. Every democracy confers some privileges on a few to determine the leadership of the nation. The president understands the challenges he has faced and he knows those who can rise above those challenges. He is the leader of the party and of the nation. Our party should therefore show the character of fairness by listening to the president who is committed to the greatness of our nation.
Mr President is an adherent of democratic ethos, therefore, his recommendation is subject to consideration by the different organs of the party. Despite being a former military leader, President Buhari has distinguished himself as a consensus builder, bringing minds into agreement for the common purpose of building a great nation. He is for no particular person because he is for everybody. He is in the league of leaders who earn respect on the podium of integrity. He can be trusted with the onerous task of recommending a suitable successwho will advance the progressives strides.
In our various states, governors are leaders of the party. They are at a vintage position to secure their second term or determine who succeeds them. While some governors keep their plans to their chests, others announce their preferred successors. Many of them have justifiable reasons for their choices. They want a successor who will build on their achievements. If governors could do it, why not the president?
The hysteria that greeted the president’s position is a reflection of the political hypocrisy in our polity. Some of those who hailed the choice of Senator Abdullahi Adamu a few months ago are the same condemning, albeit secretly, the thinking of Mr President to have a say in who succeeds him. Many of those sponsoring the hues have installed their successors in the state or got an almost free ticket for their second terms or to the Senate.
The bloom era of our party is over. From 2023, we must deliver the fruits of the labour we have put in since 2015. Nigerians want to see an end to insecurity, ethnic tension, poverty, medical tourism abroad, incessant industrial action in the academic world, power failure and other maladies bedeviling our nation. We have a president who will look out for a successor to harvest what he has planted for the past seven years. No one has better information on all the gladiators than Mr President. He knows the contenders even more than they know themselves.
The President is not planning to ‘appoint’ his successor. All he wants is recommend a candidate who in his words, “can win election”. There are people who cannot win election but they can procure tickets. We need someone with the tenacity of purpose and capable of winning the 2023 presidential election. Whoever emerges as APC flagbearer will still have to slug out with the candidates of the other political parties before the Nigerian electorate.
As a keen follower of President Buhari, I have no doubt that he would not want to oversee a presidential primary where the winner would be determined by his or her financial warchest. The president was not rich in 2015 and 2019, yet the Nigerians voted for him against those who have stolen enough for their 3rd generation. The MKO Abiola Stadium dollar rain should not be allowed to happen in a party whose cardinal ideology is anti-corruption.
Even in more established democracies of the world, incumbent Presidents play a key role in identifying, developing and supporting their successors. It is a culture supported by the drive for sustainability and excellence.
With the situation in our party where both the leaders and the intermediate leaders are all jostling for the presidency, there is a huge responsibility on the president’s shoulders to melt the ice with the heat of justice and fairness in order not to leave our party in a fractious and chaotic state ahead of an election we must win.
May we have a peaceful convention!
Fanwo is a Lokoja-based APC chieftain.
