APC, nPDP cold war: The waiting game continues

Ahead of the 2019 general elections, the biggest challenge of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), appears not to be the opposition parties smarting for an alliance against it, but the internal dissension within its ranks. Its recently conducted ward, local and state congresses have compounded the war of attrition among its chieftains battling for the control of the party structures ahead of the primaries where those seeking for elective offices on its platform are expected to emerge.

The APC is at war against itself. A group of combatants within with no pretence to draw blood within the fractured party are members of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party. The nPDP is one of the power blocks that coalesced into the formation of the APC.

At its formative stage, the erstwhile main opposition party, the APC was made up of members of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, (ACN), All Nigerian Peoples Party, (ANPP), Congress for Progressives Change, (CPC),  a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA),  some serving PDP governors and serving federal lawmakers (operating under the aegis of NewPDP).

Findings revealed that Aliyu Wamakko, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Abdul Fatah Ahmed, then sitting governors of Sokoto, Kano and Kwara states, respectively dumped the erstwhile ruling party, the PDP for the APC in 2014 ahead of the 2015 general elections. Also in the team were Murtala Nyako, Rotimi  Amaechi and Seidu Dakingari, former governors of Adamawa, Rivers and Kebbi states, respectively. Other chieftains of the PDP who defected to the APC were Aminu Tambuwal, as sitting Speaker of House of Representatives, Senator Bukola Saraki and former vice-president, Atiku Abubakar.

Penultimate week, the group took to the public domain, the perceived marginalisation of its bloc within the amorphous APC. In a petition dated April 27, 2018 and signed by former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, ( PDP)  Alhaji Kawu Baraje and former Osun State governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola,  chairman and secretary of the nPDP, respectively,  they accused President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration of marginalising its members in the distribution of party patronage and policy contributions

Stretching the claim of its marginalisation further, the nPDP  declared that apart from being denied party patronage, there has been general lack of consultation, non recognition and even persecution of former nPDP members and leaders by the party and government.

The petition  which detailed the perceived alienation and victimisation of the nPDP reads in part: “Our grievances include: In the constitution of the Federal Executive Council, (FEC) the nPDP bloc was generally sidelined as virtually no position was conceded to it. The only member of FEC that belonged to former nPDP bloc comes from a state that contributed virtually no vote to the APC in the 2015 presidential elections.

“There has been no significant patronage and appointments to executive positions in various governmental agencies such as Chief Executives and Directors of government agencies and parastatals as members of our bloc of the party continue to helplessly watch as those positions are shared by the erstwhile CPC, ACN, ANPP and even APGA blocs of the party and those who have no party at all.

“In appointments into boards or various government agencies, very few former nPDP members were patronised. These are however not commensurate with our contributions to the growth and victory of the party. When members of the former New PDP bloc showed interest in running for the offices of President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives, they were subjected to a vicious and relentless political opposition as if they were not legitimate members of the APC family.”

Nigerian Tribune checks revealed that the incumbent President, Muhammadu Buhari and his deputy, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, were both chieftains of the defunct CPC and the ACN, respectively. The duo of Senator Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara who emerged as Senate President and Speaker of House of Representatives,  although  members of the nPDP,  both clinched the exalted offices,  in a daring confrontation with  settled candidates for the offices by certain power blocs, particularly for the office of  the Senate President.

When President Buhari removed Mr Babchir Lawal, a former stalwart of the defunct CPC as Secretary to the Government of the Federation, (SGF), he was replaced by a chieftain of the defunct ACN, Boss Mustapha.

The group in its petition demanded for audience with the national working committee of the party to address their grievances before the 2019 general elections.

“Arising from the issues outlined above, amongst others, we request for an urgent meeting with the leader of the party, and the party executive leadership to find lasting solutions to the issues raised so as to prepare the party as a fighting force to deliver more pungently on its manifesto and face the 2019 general elections with even greater commitment. The meeting will also enable us to work out modalities to ensure a level playing field for all in the congresses and convention of the APC.

Enters faction:

The attempt to polarise the group, through the formation of a parallel faction led by former Nasarawa State governor, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and former chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jubrin has not dampened the morale of its members.

The faction in a separate petition dated, May 14, 2018 and addressed to APC national chairman, Odigie Oyegun, faulted the claim of marginalisation leveled against the present administration by the Alhaji Baraje faction.

The faction submitted that members of the defunct nPDP were to emerge as Senate  President, Speaker of House of Representatives and subsequently rewarded their associates with juicy committee positions both in the Red and Green chambers of the National Assembly.

“ Mr chairman, for the purpose of correcting the misleading contents of the letter and setting the records straight,  it is pertinent that we provide some facts on some of the issues raised in the letter. Government at the federal level is not only the executive branch in isolation. It includes the legislature as well. The APC government deliberately or not has a balance of power among the various parties and groups that merged to form the APC at the federal level.

“All of these offices control enormous amount of patronage and instruments of reward. It is strange that we did not see any qualms when the Senate President and Speaker dispensed about 200 appointments including committee chairmen without asking for nomination from Mr President, Vice President, the APC as a party, Senator Bola Tinubu as party leader, Baba Bisi Akande pioneer national chairman and a host of others. Is that not marginalisation? If we the nPDP did not view that as marginalisation, then we do not have the moral justification to accuse the President if he appoints his ministers without seeking for our nominees.”

APC NWC mends fences?

The party on Monday gave indication that it was anxious to placate the defunct nPDP by acceding to its request for an audience. At the end of the meeting held at the party national secretariat, the APC deputy national chairman, Senator Lawal Shuaibu said the grievances of the group were genuine and the party leadership was determined to address them.

He said: “We have not yet resolved. They wrote a letter to us, they are party men, they have grievances, we looked at the letter, their grievances are genuine. And they requested a meeting within seven days and before the seven days expired, I called them and they were not ready to come, they said we should shift the meeting till today, which we did.

“So, we are listening to them, we have listened to them and we are taking up their matter seriously, we will address it. We don’t ignore our people except if you don’t send your grievances to the party, but if you send, we will always address your grievances.”

While leader of the group, Alhaji Baraje described the meeting as fruitful and a good start, a party source told Nigerian Tribune that both parties were engaged in battle of wits:  a cat and mouse game. He revealed that the nPDP has actually opened discussion with the PDP leadership led by Prince Uche Secondus with an understanding to return to their former political haven.