The confusion that trailed the choice of presidential candidate by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for next year’s election has further exposed the underbellies of political parties on party supremacy, writes KUNLE ODEREMI.
A simple definition of a political party given by experts is that it is a group of persons organised to acquire and exercise political power. The members are presumed to have shared ideals and ideas. And part of their decisions to come together is to win elections, form government and determine and influence public programmes and policies. In effect, the members of a party have agreed to common rules and regulations, values and ideals, all of which are encapsulated in form of a manifesto and an article of faith called Constitution. The latter sets the procedures for conflict resolution, discipline and sanctioning of erring members. Top of such self-regulatory mechanisms also include recognition of party supremacy.
Somehow, the intensity of the battle for the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) brought to the fore those ideals, values and in particular the place of party supremacy in political parties. There was flagrant disregard for some of those traditional values and ideals with the machinery of the party almost hijacked by governors and the executive arm of government at the centre. The scenario that played out during the party’s national convention in February repeated itself. The choice of national chairman by the APC was a one-man show. The executive arm of government had imposed a candidate on the party whereas there were 15 aspirants jostled for the position. The rest of the main stakeholders and power brokers were forced to ‘swallow’ the choice of President Muhammadu Buhari. Other power centers became powerless and pawns in the hands of the executive arm of the ruling party. Machiavellian tactics became the overriding factors over laid-down party constitution and electoral law. Lots of other APC faithful were made to undergo harrowing experience and trauma due to the activities of members of a clique in the Presidency behind the manipulation of the process for the choice of the standard-bearer of the party for the February 25, 2023 presidential election. Frequently mentioned names said to be part of the clique are Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, who was thee running mate to the late Chief MKO Abiola, the winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election that was annulled by the Babangida regime and Mallam Mamman Daura, who is a nephew of President Buhari; Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the incumbent APC national chairman. It will be recalled that a number of party chieftains, among them, governors and lawmakers had spoken vehemently against the plot to foist Senator Adamu on the party as chairman. Their opposition was based on his perceived unrepentant loyalty and partisanship towards the North. It was believed that he was bound to sustain the mentality in the course of events that would culminate into the conduct of party primary, especially for the choice of candidate for the presidential poll. The clique that propped him up for the position of national chairman of APC ignored the protest and demands for a level-playing field and neutral aspirant among thev14 other contestants. The primary motive of the clique is to maintain the status quo beyond 2023, in spite of strident call and demand for power shift to the southern part of the country.
Governors
There is no constitutional role for the platform of governors. Yet, it has become a veritable platform for governors to exert awesome influence, power and railroad processes in parties and the level of government. There have been instance of the governors insisting on one of them being on the ballot with little or no regard for genuine contest as clearly spelt out in the constitution of the party and the electoral Act. The incredible power and influence of the governors was once underscored by former president Olusegun Obasanjo who described them as emperors whose words are laws. President Muhammadu Buhari also corroborated the analogy when he pleaded with the APC governors to give him the privilege of anointing a consensus candidate of the party for the presidential election next year. He premised his position on perceived imposition of preferred choice of the governors on who succeeds them by apparently manipulating the processes that threw up candidates for the next governorship election in the country. But his plea came under threat from the governors, especially from the North who insisted on overriding him in the intense power struggle for the soul of the APC. They stood their ground on the need to have a very significant input into who emerges as the standard-bearer of the party.
Presidency
The arm of government has never pretended on its mission to play the leading role in the presidential primary. It has taken deft moves to shortchange the roadmap, custom and traditions for electing candidates. Its pretence on adherence of extant rules created vacuums and booby traps for the less perceptive among the main gladiators in the APC.
The contest for the post of national chairman became chaotic and unpredictable up to the last minute of the last APC convention to elect a new set of national officers. Key state actors decided to subvert the rules, deploying state machinery to promote parochial agenda. Months after the gross abuse of process, the race for the ticket of the party for the presidential election kick-started as a money-spinner, with applicants falling heads over heels for nomination and expression of interest forms. Nonetheless, the presidency kept all in suspense over which it wanted to go. The APC leadership became a lame duck in the face of the executive undue interference and pranks over what was strictly a party affair. Thus, the bumpy road to the presidential primary became landmines for the aspirants with consequences of disparate positions by caucuses, camps of the individual aspirants. However, a few concerned party leaders, stood up against the erosion of the powers of the party with the North-West deputy national chairman, Salihu Lukman the most vocal against the perceived shenanigan going on in the party by way of undermining its supremacy. The outrage provoked by the announcement by the national chairman, Abdullahi Adamu that the president of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan as the anointed candidate of the president further exposed the contradictions in the ruling party. Apparently scared that the situation could explode and consume the APC, to the executive branch of government again acted wanly through a statement that only massaged the ego of the powers-that-be and their foot soldiers and other arrowheads of the hatchet job.
Party supremacy
Senator Abba Ali, is the chairman of the National Governing Council of the African Peer Review Mechanism. He is also a stalwart of the APC. He once expressed serious concern over the reign of impunity as regards to party supremacy in a democracy. He canvassed for a change of attitude from the leaders and elders of various political parties in Nigeria to allow supremacy of political party on members for democracy to thrive. He found appalling whereby individuals become superior to political parties. Senator Ali made the declaration in Katsina shortly after he was turbanned Turakin Katsina by the Emir of Katsina, Dr Abdulmumin Usman. Senator Ali, who was a member of the erstwhile APC Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, said though democracy had come to stay in Nigeria, party chieftains should allow party supremacy over party members. He stated: ”My advice for my colleagues in politics and in various political parties is that as we approach the 2023 general election, we should all allow supremacy of political parties over party members. A situation where an individual, after his or her election, runs the party or government like a personal property retards growth of democracy. Parties should be supreme and party members, irrespective of status should bow to parties. Democracy has come to stay in Nigeria but allowing party supremacy will see to the further growth of democracy in our country.”
The views of a legal luminary, Malachy Ugwummadu, on the subject matter is also instructive. Ugwummadu, who is also a rights activist, underscored the importance of party supremacy and discipline in party cohesion and stability. “Party discipline and party supremacy are twin determinant factors that provide effective guide for party cohesion and coordination towards set goals and objectives. These cardinal ingredients of party politics have eluded most political formations in Nigeria in recent history and in many ways have led to their failures and defeats at elections.”
The submission of most experts is that party members elected into public office, including the president and governors, should lead by example to restore normalcy on the issue of party supremacy; that they should be ready to subject themselves to the rules that apply to other stakeholders in the party regardless of their status. No one should be treated as a scared cow since the rules remain the same. According to a Dr Wale Oloyede, a political scientist, ”Party supremacy implies an obligation by the party to operate by its rules of engagement and arbitrariness. This presupposes the existence of internal democracy in the running of parties. It also implies a sense of proper, purposeful and thorough planning and organisation such that guarantee the right of members and engender confidence and trust and loyalty.”
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