Tasks before Oshiomhole and APC’s new executives

“I want to assure everyone here that despite a few lingering issues with the congresses in some states, our great party will emerge stronger after this convention. The unresolved cases we have is the price we have to pay for success, as everyone wants to be associated with a winning team. I am imploring all those with grievances to keep faith with the party until we put things right.”

 President Muhammadu Buhari at the All Progressives Congress convention held on June 23, 2018

Hearty congratulations to all the newly elected National Working Committee members of the All Progressives Congress under the leadership of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.  I also felicitate with all the newly elected State, Local Government and Ward Executive Committee members of the party. Indeed, the  Governor Badaru Abubakar-led Convention Committee did a good job by ensuring a hitch free exercise. It is also heartwarming that the 7,200 delegates that elected the 65 member new NWC largely behaved themselves with the exception of the delegates from Delta State, who engaged in free-for-all while President Buhari  addressed the convention.

I was privileged to be among the three distinguished panelists that analysed the 2018 APC convention live from the studio of the Nigerian Television Authority Headquarters in Abuja last Saturday. Co-panelists were Hon. Emmanuel Okeme from Kogi State and Prof. Oka Martin Obono from Cross Rivers State. The moderator was Omini Odein, an ace broadcaster with the NTA. As we sat in the studio receiving live feeds from the Eagles Square venue of the convention and watching the interviews of NTA reporters with some APC chieftains, I was deep in thought about the future of Nigeria’s democracy.

The APC convention was historic in many senses. Beyond the razzmatazz of the music, cultural display, colourful attires of the delegates and the speeches, that convention was the first since the party won the 2015 elections to become the governing party and the second since it was formed in February 2013. If the decision of the National Executive Committee of the party on February 27, 2018 had not been rescinded on the advice of the President on March 27, 2018, the congresses and the convention would not have been.

Recall that on that day in February, the APC NEC voted to extend the tenure of the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun led NWC and other executive positions for one year, beginning from this month of June. What led to that controversial decision was the cracks within the party, which had necessitated Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s reconciliation committee set up by President Buhari on February 6, 2018. The extension of the tenure was allegedly to give Tinubu’s committee sufficient time to do its job. Better reason, however, prevailed a month after President Buhari rightly observed and appealed to NEC to rescind that decision because it is undemocratic and unconstitutional.

It would be recalled that the APC Ward, Local Government and State Congresses were held on May 5, 12 and 19, respectively. The exercise, although largely successful, witnessed widespread allegations of imposition of candidates, lack of level playing field, violence and parallel congresses. Party office was vandalised in Imo State, court was attacked in Rivers State and deaths were recorded in Delta and Lagos States. Even, raising fund for the congresses and convention was embroiled in controversy as each of the 24 APC state governors were taxed N250m each, which was ingeniously labeled as the backlog of their membership fees. It is noteworthy that some of the aggrieved candidates that felt short-changed during the congresses have approached courts to seek redress. On a lighter note, the APC has reportedly adopted the tag of being a “governing party” rather than being referred to as the “ruling party”. It has also allegedly changed its slogan from “Change” to “Progress”.

Last Saturday’s APC Convention was serially postponed until it eventually held last Saturday, June 23, 2018. Luckily, there was no paralleled convention, no walk-out by any aggrieved party chieftain and no ugly security breaches in the mode of terrorist attack.  There was also no loss of life. Now, all the ward, local government and state party executives have been inaugurated. Likewise, the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee has also been sworn-in.  With all the party structures in place, it’s now time for the new executives to swing into action.

Chief Audu Ogbeh, incumbent Minster of Agriculture and former chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party said something very instructive at the APC convention ground. He opined that while the physics of the party has been achieved, the chemistry of the party is yet to jell. By this, he meant that while the three legacy parties – Action Congress of Nigeria, Congress for Progressive Change and All Nigerian Peoples Party – have been able to merge to form APC, the party is yet to become organic. It is yet to be cohesive. Members are still viewing themselves as though still in their former parties. Thus, one of the major tasks before Oshiomhole and his lieutenants in the NWC is to unite the party and make members internalise its philosophy.

Many have said the former governor of Edo State and Nigerian Labour Congress President should embark on the reconciliation move with aggrieved party members. I don’t think that is Oshiomhole’s beat. He should rather ensure that the Tinubu committee is well resourced to achieve the task set for it by President Buhari since February. Aside that, Oshiomhole also needs to liaise with the presidential committee led by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to meet with aggrieved new PDP members in the APC to ensure that the grouse and grievances of the nPDP led by Alhaji Kawu Baraje are resolved.  The APC should not be under the delusion that it cannot hemorrhage like the PDP did in 2014 going into 2015 elections. It should rather preempt and prevent such from happening.

Oshiomhole led NWC also have to give APC credible membership register. Nigerians will like to know the true membership strength of the ruling party. What is the number of APC members in each ward, LGA, state and nationwide? What is the gender configuration? How many members of the party are youths between the ages of 18 and 35? How many Persons with Disabilities are in the party?

I appreciate the fact that three PWDs, including Hon. James Lalu, who is the chairman of Plateau State Disability Commission were members of the Convention Planning Committee. I will also like to know how many PWDs are among the newly elected party executives across the country. How many women and youths are among the new party executives? I suggest that the APC should embark on biometric registration of its members and ensure that all of them have their Permanent Membership Cards.

Oshiomhole and his NWC must find a creative way of ensuring that party members pay their dues and other legitimate fees as at when due.  The party under him must respect political finance regulations and ensure the submission of all party finance reports to the Independent National Electoral Commission. The APC Constitution and Manifesto must be made available to party members to ensure their proper understanding of the ideals of the party.

The APC, like other 67 political parties, will be conducting party primaries later this year. The governing party must ensure a credible and exemplary candidate nomination process. The party’s campaigns under the new leadership must be devoid of hate speeches, character assassination and inflammatory comments. It must be strictly issue based. The party under Oshiomhole must be a pace setter. It must constantly liaise with the executive and legislative arm and mediate promptly on any brewing crises. Delivery of dividends of democracy must be paramount under the new APC leadership.