Let me begin with the name of Allah, The Merciful, The Compassionate. As I promised you, I will divulge the truth which people refused to tell the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bauchi state chapter, Hon. Uba Ahmad Nana, since the defeat of the party’s governorship candidate in the 2019 general elections. I’m not among those who ascribed the party’s defeat to the chairman of the APC, but he too played a role to that effect.
My fellow party members, the truth must be told so far we want the party to regain its lost glory, and our prayer for the APC to recapture the governorship seat come 2023, it becomes imperative for us to highlight some of the drawbacks of the party leadership or chairmanship in particular. And it’s for this reason that I commit myself to enumerate some of the fatal mistakes or wrong doings of the APC chairman. It is also hoped that whatever comes out from this write-up would not be linked to our relationship to anybody, but as an opinion of independent mind with the sole aim of forging ahead to bolster the party, and not for self-aggrandizement.
The political wrong-doings of the state APC chairman: Many members of the party were apportioning blames on the state chairman in Bauchi for lackadaisical attitudes such as not looking at the APC as the coming together of like minds to pursue a common goal. Without coming together to form a formidable force, there wouldn’t be anything like a party to achieve any set objective. He has also failed to realise that in a political party or any reputable organisation, a leader must have enemies who would ensure that he/she did not succeed, and a leader must dance together with such enemies in order to succeed.
After the defeat of the APC in Bauchi, particularly the 2019 gubernatorial elections, the party chairman failed to carry on board party members, particularly the elected representatives at both state and federal legislatures, who would hold firm onto the party for its survival, as well as meeting the peripheral needs of party members while building it from strength to strength. He also failed to unite other stakeholders in running the affairs of the party.
The allegations of wrong-doings against both elective and appointive party members at both state and federal levels for not helping or patronising party members to ease livelihood, rest squarely with the state party chairman. It is evident his self-aggrandizement is fending only for himself to the detriment of the majority of party members. He is the only party member holding federal appointment as board chairman of Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina state. Up till this day, the party chairman has not assisted or came in handy to any state party executive.
The Bauchi state APC chairman also embarked on a mission, reminiscent of his ups and downs or shuttling after primary elections between the PDP, NNPP, PRP persuading the aggrieved but decamped members back to the fold of the APC.
It’s a fact that some APC members’ efforts culminated in the success of the PDP in Bauchi state, but who today are given the gumboots with the governor forming a government of family and friends in Bauchi, a bad superiority which made even those in the government onlookers in the scheme of things. Those aggrieved want to return to the APC but dissuaded by bad leadership.
The chairman has also perpetrated various atrocities as regards the illegality in the constitution of the party. He has bastardized the constitution of the APC by making some of its provisions ineffective. He failed to understand that the party constitution is being made to regulate the activities of the party, hence his bending of the party rules and regulations was one of the factors that broke the camel’s back.
The chairman has abandoned the state office of the party to the extent that one cannot say there is any opposition party in Bauchi. This action is also contravention of section 10 (b) of the party constitution, which provides that APC must have a functional office at every level of governance except at the polling units and senatorial districts. It is absolutely undesirable for a state like Bauchi which has an unparalleled APC followership to have its state office relegated to the residence of the party chairman (even if it’s functioning at that residence) or recourse to its national headquarters in Abuja for some of its activities to take place or perform which is a disgrace to the state office in Bauchi.
The non-staging of a state annual congress as provided for in the APC constitution as amended in 2014. Section 13.7 (iii) compels the state leadership of the party to make annual budgetary provision subject to the ratification of members of the state congress. Composition of the congress includes 12 formations as provided in section 12.7 of the party constitution, which includes members of board of trustees, leadership of the party at all levels in the state, elective and appointive party members at federal level, as provided for in section 11 (a) of the party constitution, stakeholders and party caucus as in sections 12.9 and 12.14 at state and local government levels, let alone wards level. In a nutshell, at no time has the chairman sat with any leadership of these party formations, let alone the presentation of any document for the attention or ratification during the six years of the state party chairman stewardship.
He also failed to open a corporate account of the party with any bank in the state for the past six years of his leadership, contrary to the provision of section 23 of the party constitution, which provides the party to open such an account at all its governance levels in the state. People of Bauchi state, especially APC members, would like to know in what ways, means, or procedure the financial transactions of the party running into hundreds of millions of naira are being carried out during the six-year period of Uba Ahmad Nana stewardship?
The failure of the APC leadership in Bauchi to carry along all its membership leaves much to be desired and this was the bane of its internal crises. This lackadaisical attitude of the APC leadership in the state is contrary to the provisions of sections 7 and 9.2 of the party constitution that gives equal rights and privileges of association in the party. The party constitution similarly provides for internal democracy, as no one was bestowed with monopoly of the party to suit his/her whims and caprices, and or dent the image of the party for selfish ends.
Now, what is the way forward? In my opinion, the state party chairman should call for an all-encompassing special meeting of party members and its stakeholders at state level to brainstorm on the way forward and chart a course to make the party not only formidable but also responsible.
Jibril writes from Bauchi
