APC SERRATED OUTING AND THE 2015 ELECTIONS
ith the registration of APC by INEC, February 6, 2013, there was some relieve across the country that there would be an alternative political party of which Nigerians could align with; on principles; along an ideological political leanings; fusing the mushroom political parties; a balance of power sharing among Nigerian politicians. It was with very strong thought that it would pave way for a true democracy to take solid root in Nigeria; as the practitioners fall in line with an average model, practiced in successful democracy around the world.
From left, former Lagos State deputy governor, Prince Abiodun Ogunleye; former Lagos Action Congress of Nigeira (ACN) chairman, Chief Henry Ajomale; Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State; his deputy, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire and others at the formal inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) flag in Lagos, on Thursday.
We also believed that the Party (APC) had finally broken the parochial boundaries of tribal and regional politics, so also politics of bitterness and violence. As APC grows, those who were enticed to the party by the same thought, particularly from the North and South East, such as late Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, Alhaji Gali Na’Aba, Alhaji Lawal Kaita, Alhaji Mohammed Shata, Amb. Yahaya Kwande, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, Otumba Fashawe, Senator Ben Obi, Chief Dubem Onyia Alhaji Atahiru Bafarawa, Senator Ali Modu Sherriff, PDP, Alhaji Shekarau made their ways back to PDP.
Atiku has been in and out of APC. Just like the defection of the serving Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, Tuesday, October 29, 2014, to the acceptance of APC.
Unfortunately, little has APC shown to sustain that excitement among the populace, as it has turned to be cult of opinionated bedbugs.
Nigerian ‘democracy’ has become a laughing stock across the Universe by the latest Tambuwal’s singular act, representing the Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency of Sokoto State in the House of Representatives. The minority group in the House, APC, Tuesday, October 29, 2014, wholeheartedly accepted the speaker’s announcement of his membership of APC at the floor of the House. The duplicitous APC would not allow its Minority leader to keep his position, if, and when, he defects to another political party. APC would demand the individual to drop the Party’s mandate and go his way.
Tambuwal’s action makes a mockery of Nigeria democracy and makes an average Nigerian politician a nuisance. Unfortunately, an average Nigerian Politician is immodest. He refused to step down from his Speakership, or even resign. Most Nigerian politicians are morally bankrupt, as they want to remain perpetually in power, until something happens.
The usual practice, in a civilized society, is for the majority party to produce the Speaker. Since the Speaker has defected to a minority party, apparently, he no longer enjoys the confidence of the PDP majority party. In the USA, when Democrats lost control of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi yielded the Speakership Seat to Republican John Buhner.
The outcome of his defection cumulated the APC members climbing the NASS Gate like squirrel climbing the palm tree shamefully searching for kernel
Nigeria had never recorded a successful merger of political parties. Unfortunately, APC attracted some other egotistic individuals to the party, running away from being accountable to Nigerians. Its consequences started with its key leader controlling the States under the administration of APC, to the leader’s advantages. With the developments within APC, we could observe that it is growing into a one-man show.
Meanwhile the estranged pioneer member of the APC, Chief Tom Ikimi, attributed his grouse with the party to the tyrannical approach to leadership by some of the leaders of the APC, including Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. If Tinubu says, APC is not being managed as a personal party, disagreeable by his body languages; should enjoy his wealth, and manage politics from a closed distance.
APC seemed to have a true democratic convention, despite all manoeuvring, at least to teach the PDP person how to do things right. However, the make-believe APC convention may have no solution to offer the anti democratic tendencies we see in the country.
We were made to believe that there is no single individual that has influence that is more political in the South-West than Bola Tinubu. His utterances have not been helping APC controlled states as they are facing very serious challenges. The trouncing of Ekiti State to the promoter of ‘Stomach Infrastructure’ harmonized APC leader’s pronouncement of “Rig and Roast” election; and that all Yoruba Obas, with exception of three, Oba of Lagos, Awujale of Ijebu land, and yet to be mentioned the third Oba, are “useless and Sell Out”; equating with “Do or Die” of a PDP sector. APC has collapsed in some states such as Adamawa; it is in distress in Edo, Ogun, and Oyo. Lagos, Nassarawa, and Osun gave stood to be moved.
One of the failed areas of APC is by arrogating to itself as an opposition party in the Presidential democracy, alien to the American style of Presidential democracy. There is a difference between the OPPOSITION and OPPOSING party in the Presidential system.
The baton of leadership changes hands from time to time, from one Party to the other, purposely to provide alternative policies for their people. Nonetheless any party that is not in the central in the Presidential democracy should not see itself as being an “opposition” party.
APC myopically and spinelessly opposes every single policy of the Central Government, in the American Presidential arrangement. In other words, APC counters every single move of the central government, leading its followers erroneously.
Ironically the Macabre or Kabuki dance started shortly after APC registration and the assembly of egocentric individuals that are looking for safe-nets in their quests to keep on enslaving their people, is another defective way of APC.
However, the Media is comfortably using the world Opposition to delude the people. In another added incident, Nigerian media has its way of sidetracking any outbreak of piece of news as it sped on the train when it also misled the country and the rest of the world the agreement between the disgruntled members of the PDP under the name nPDP, and APC.
The current situations in Nigeria today, December 2014, especially with the Boko Haram mutinous activities, the abduction of girls, with the apparent conversion to Islam, could be beyond APC control, today, December 2014, nevertheless, I smell a big rat.
Ironically, Nigerian style of politics is turning away from playing the game in a cultured comportment, and might have reached its final goalpost of well principled approach in addressing the issues affecting an average Nigerian. Nigerians should outgrow the crude politics. Instead of the parties addressing the key issues affecting the country, they resolve into loutish advances. Both APC and PDP have domestic housekeeping job to do; one could be neater than the other.
APC openly declared its disagreement to a culture of Internal Party Democracy, through the imposition of candidates at the expense of its members. Akande honorably stepped aside, possibly of age, or the fact that APC started going to a wrong direction against the principled initial route.
The call for Revolution by Tinubu is bloodcurdling; as if Nigeria has not learnt from the 2011 election results’ negative reactions which are yet to be resolved in 2014. Even the proposed use of Ekiti and Osun elections to be on the platform of ‘rig and roast’ style of importing Boko Haram’s modish to the south, did not go APC way.
Some of the APC controlled States are doing well in responding to the yearnings of the people. Aregbesola narrowly escaped, PDP fielded putrid candidate. His religion bigotry, which he cleverly reversed, almost cost him his second term bid.
Lagos:
Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, the most popular governor in the country, is referred to as the benchmark of governance. Babatunde Fashola has demonstrated his intellectual application in governance without being political.
The Edo APC Governor, Adam Oshiomhole, the former President of the Nigerian Labor Congress, has been off track his style of governance, radicalism, the Labor Union style of getting Government’s attention with some demands. He ridiculed his subjects at will, instead of helping them, which he would not tolerate as the Labor Union President.
He made a mockery of a market woman, a widower, just for asking what the market women need. Oshiomhole remarked if he was responsible for the death of her husband and she could join her husband wherever he was. Thereafter he made a ‘fishing bait’ of about N2million to the poor woman, as a way of helping her. The money the Governor ought to have spent on the demand of the market women.
In another development, Oshiomhole disgraced another female teacher, who he portrayed as a flabby to be a teacher as she was unable to read; which could have been handled privately. He made it sound as if the poor female teacher was responsible for the poor education standard in Nigeria. We should not shy away from the factors responsible for the poor education standard in Nigeria.
To correct poor deteriorating standard of Education would require everyone, most especially the government, to design and implement apolitical, intelligent, practicable strategic approaches, not his politically motivated reprehensible and thwarting acts of the Governor.
Could it be that Oshimole is against women and out to disgrace them in all aspects of their life?
Another APC nephrite Governor whose mandate is to engage in politics of ‘vengeance’; ‘your chicken spills my coffee and I will break its eggs’, for failing to win the Governorship against his predecessor in 2007 elections. He practically, physically, psychologically, emotionally, religiously demolished most policies of his predecessor, now (2014) focussing his re-election campaign on the personalities of his predecessor.
He pathetically confessed, September 17, 2014, that he forged a document that made Gbenga Daniel a citizen of Ijebu Remo; Ogun State; which Daniel considers an insult. Oba Ogunsowo declared that Otunba Gbenga Daniel was a freeborn of Makun in Sagamu and of the Ojelobaye family origin.
When Amosun admitted he falsified his state of origin, he is guilty of fraud and deceived Ogun citizens, especially good peoples of the historical town of Sagamu; as well as a taboo, and effrontery on the traditional institutions in the land; especially the thrones of the Akarigbo of Remo land; as well as the Ewusi of Makun in Remo Kingdom; all people that he attested to the fact that Otunba Gbenga Daniel is an indigene of the State. Definitely, Amosun’s whole life; mandate papers to be the governor of the State; the way he became the candidate for ACN now APC; the politically infested road network, that would never be completed; the promises on any entitlement payments; or being good to the civil servants, that would never smell their entitlements, if, and when, Amosun regains the second term; are all FALSE.
Amosun, admittance of forging a document made him a fraudulent leader, admitting to the commitment of a fraud, would never lead into a fair administration in Ogun State; and his administration lacks some integrity. He is fraudulent by his acceptance to have forged that document.
What a dim-witted, tactless statement from a sitting Governor with no moral turpitude to state that he assisted someone to defraud.
In a civilized environment, your State of origin would matter less if and when you have lived, worked, paid taxes in the state for years and even have properties there. That is one of the issues tackled by the just concluded National Conference.
His focus on OGD for the 2015 as if his governance is all about the man that had successfully completed his two terms in Ogun State, believe it or not. Is OGD the object of Ogun State that he is campaigning about? What a vengeance Governor. Therefore, the 2015 election is between Amosun and Daniel as he is having some sleepless nights over how his deceitful programs would be consumed by Ogun Citizens. Definitely, he wants to defeat the ghost at the 2015 elections.
It is obvious that Amosun would continue his mandate in Ogun State as a personal avenue, too personal, for some reasons best known to him. He should be informed that most of the world problems started as personal matters that those involved, refused to resolve, and gradually became an issue for the community, State, Nation, and International. The Iraq-USA conflict started as personal matter between Bush’s family and that of Sadam Hussein. ISIS has decided to behead Americans and their British sympathizers.
Calling someone a bastard in this part of the world is uncivilized to say the least. Would this be his manifesto in helping the people of Ogun State with the air-conditioner installed in the fly-over pedestrian bridges in the tropical weather? What a DIVIDEND of DEMOCRACY!
Politics of bitterness is in affirmative to APC.
The Oyo executive could be somehow dancing among the barons of Oyo politics. Good or bad, the former Senator Teslim Balogun has won the PDP slot to challenge APC. Ajumobi would definitely find out the scheming of Oyo politics; Ibadan Royal ascension to the throne the hard way. We watch and see the real Oyo local politics, Oyo hardcore platform.
2015: I’m the poorest presidential aspirant – Buhari
APC has failed twice in its bids for the President by accepting two, not politically popular, that could not win presidential elections, Nuhu Ribadu and Abubakar Atiku. Each of them failed woefully even at their wards and states controlled by APC.
Against 2015, APC has given the ticket to General Buhari with his running mate, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who beats other potential candidates Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, Governor Fashola of Lagos State among other so many other speculation.
We will see how Buhari and his running mate would swim through the political storm in Nigeria while addressing his service to Nigeria under the late Gen Sanni Abacha; kept former president Shehu Shagari from court for corruption, but rather kept him in an air conditioned house arrest; while he put his VP in prison and jailed Jim Nwobodo, Bola Ige, Bisi Onabanjo, including Bisi Akande, late Abubakar Rimi and others? We will see how campaign goes as Buhari thinks that the Presidency is his birthright. He has contested thrice and failed woefully.
In as much as an average human being has the right to be whatever he or she chooses to be within the confines of the Constitution of his place of residence. Nigerians appreciate Buhari, the Katsina-born leader of the Congress for Progressive Change with millions of followers in the North, the General never tired or retired from the public service, would pick up whatever he forgot at the Presidency.
Buhari was on the ticket in 2003, 2007, and 2011, since the return of Nigeria democracy. Each outing was a failure for him. His third attempt gave birth to unprecedented political violence that touched on the unity Policy, the NYSC.
A strong school is of the opinion that the 2011 election disturbances escalated to the birth of Boko Haram, which is waxing stronger by the day, with the capture of several towns in the North Eastern part of the country, and the Central Government is clueless how to go about it.
We would tell whether Buhari is the most qualified individuals in the North, or, of Fulani origin, that could manage Nigerian affairs.
Regardless his failure on three occasions, since the 1999, Buhari coughed out N27.5 million to contest the Presidential ticket under APC in Nigeria without stealing. Buhari has to pity himself, as APC has declared its elective public positions for sale.
Is wealth the key factor for Buhari’s return to the 2015 Presidential ticket under APC? If he could possibly go to Aso Rock, and get rich like the rest of them normally do, his remorseful life could be better off, as poor people in the public service comes out wealthy. Time is not on Buhari’s side, making his dream comes true.
It won’t matter to an average Nigerian either Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian ticket as done in the 1993 Presidential elections. Its quest to field Muslim-Muslim ticket in the midst of Boko Haram insurgents that have resolved in turning human beings into Rams as a way of making ambiguous demands from the Government, with its indolence supporters asking the Government to grant them amnesty, would hurt APC.
In the State controlled by APC, most of its Governors are Muslims. The fear is that APC could turn to an Islamic political party with the strong goal of turning the country into Islam State.
Nonetheless, the latest religious divisive devise in the Nigeria political development has informed the choice of a Muslim-Christian ticket of APC, knocking out all other considerations, including Tinubu.
Can APC depend on Tinubu’s influence to win the Yoruba states despite the bringing in a man of God, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, to convince the South-West, despite his marriage to late Awo’s grand daughter?
What are the findings of the Department of State Services, DSS, at the Headquarters of APC in Lagos from the petition alleging “unwholesome activities” in the building located at No.10, Bola Ajbola Street, Allen Avenue, Ikeja, where it was alleged that “…those behind the activities were cloning INEC Permanent Voters Card with the intention of hacking into INEC data base, corrupting it and replacing them with their own data…”
Haba APC! Out of desperation?
Unfortunately, Nigerian political Parties ideology is self-centered and individual’s surviving kits; not in the interest of the country.
The political game to the 2015 election is on!
We would be right back with Buhari’s APC Presidential Ticket1! Private Universities be aware!!!
Does an average Nigerian Politician changes his Zebra Color?
Merry Christmas!
Femi Ajayi is a Professor of Policy, Management & Conflict Resolution, at Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State