Not all our members share progressive ideals, APC spokesman laments

National publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mallam Lanre Isa-Onilu has identified lack of uniform ideology and shared vision at the formative stage of the erstwhile main opposition party, as responsible for the crisis dogging its activities.

Tribune Online findings revealed that the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party, the Action Congress of Nigeria, Congress for Progressive Change and a splinter group of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA) coalesced to form the APC.

Mallam Isa-Onilu lamented that certain chieftains of the APC holding elective offices and appointive positions were lacking in the progressive ideology to drive good governance.

He said: “I would put the painful outcomes broadly under two reasons. One is indiscipline on the part of some members of our party in most of the states. The second reason is that the party leadership did not do much between 2015 and 2018 to move the party from being an amalgam of different political parties to become a truly blended progressive political party.”

Exonerating the present national working committee led by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole from the electoral misfortune the ruling party suffered in the last general elections, Onilu argued that the immediate past national chairman of the party, Odigie Oyegun did not seize the initiative to embark on the necessary reforms to instil sanity in the party and inspire confidence of its ordinary faithful.

“You would recall that it was under that leadership that some impudent members of APC called the bluff of the party by imposing themselves on the National Assembly as leaders contrary to the position of the party. Where was the party? Where was the discipline when this happened? It would be difficult to calculate what lack of courage to assert the party supremacy cost APC over that period. The consequences of the inaction of the party were unimaginable. We all saw the consequences on governance as the National Assembly practically held our government to ransom.

The impunity, which President Muhammadu Buhari has rightly described as lack of patriotism, constituted an unfortunate hindrance to the smooth running of government.

“The leadership under Chief Oyegun, with due respect to him, condoned all sorts of acts of indiscipline from certain members. It is not surprising that the current National Working Committee inherited such a huge mess, where the party was struggling to differentiate itself from the delinquent PDP. We all know that PDP was practically dead following the devastating defeat of 2015. The PDP bounced back not because the party has changed its insidious way or did anything different, but because APC did not live up to expectations.

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“It goes without saying that when an organisation is unable to enforce its own rules, it would suffer the consequences sooner than later. We should not be ashamed to say that our party’s leadership under Chief Oyegun lacked the courage required to confront the pockets of political despots who could not operate by the party’s rules”

The party spokesman dismissed the claim of a member of its national leadership, Senator Lawan Shuaibu who in a recent letter accused Comrade Oshiomhole of excluding other members of the NWC in the administration of the party.

Isa-Onilu told newsmen that those opposed to Comrade Oshiomhole’s vision to reform the ruling party, discard the old order and instil party supremacy were instigating crisis at its national secretariat.

“We expect members who have different agenda to join their kind in PDP. We will welcome with open arms, those who share our progressive ideals so that by 2022, we will have a party whose members are true progressives.”

“When he [Senator Lawal Shuaib] alleged that the National Chairman is running the party like a sole administrator, does that mean the rest of us are incompetent? I doubt if he would have many members of the NWC supporting him in this. The ability to face up to the challenges and to take responsibility for mistakes are important qualities of a leader. If the NWC had taken any action that did not produce the desired result, it would be plain cowardice to look for a scapegoat or pass on the blame to another person.

“Since the Comrade Oshiomhole-led NWC came to office, we have been doing our best to institutionalise the best ideals of progressive politics.

We understand that we must bring everyone under the fold of the party, where all of us would be subject to our party’s rules and conventions. We understand that impunity can provide temporary advantage and even successes. But ultimately, those successes would be short-lived. PDP is a living example of the inherent calamity of impunity. The PDP era brought calamity to the country and ultimately led to the loss of power. What I read from that letter is a call to continue along that trend. With due respect, that is not what APC stands for.”