On 29th May 2015, a new government took over from the administration of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan with great expectations and fanfare both within and outside Nigeria. The excitement of the new administration was cut shot from the shock of Saraki and Ekweremadu emerging Senate President and Deputy Senate President respectively against the wish and plan of the party.
The disenchantment from Saraki-Ekweremadu’s adroit political move shocked the party into unofficial and unannounced one policy agenda, get both Ekweremadu and Saraki out by all means. The determination of APC led federal government to see the removal of Saraki and Ekweremadu triggered series of government distracting activities led by the executive branch which culminated in both Senate President, Saraki and Speaker House of Representative Dogara exiting the ruling party and joining the opposition. The promise by Mr. President to build one refinery every year for four years totaling four refineries, make a naira equal a dollar, reduce corruption, improve security and the economy and many other unachieved promises were all unattained and no apology or explanation given. Instead of delivering on the electioneering promises, President Buhari’s administration drove Nigeria further down into despair and difficult position.
Saraki, Ekweremadu and Dogara leadership of the National Assembly became objectified as political target, galvanizing APC into one mission. For a greater period of the last four years, they became the uniting factor for strange fellows that came together to form the party in 2014. The coming on board as APC chairman, Adams Oshiomole made fight against Saraki-Dogara led National Assembly his sole mission instead of working to melt the differences among strange groups that came together to form APC. When there is a common enemy among a disunited group, that common enemy plays a sort of uniting factor for them until that enemy is defeated or taking out then the postponed calamity rains down. APC from all indications is at this juncture having made sure Saraki did not return, Dogara a floor member and their toadies as the leaders of the national assembly. They have also cornered the judiciary, have the media intimidated into see, hear and speak no evil state in addition to polarized docile Nigerian people no government has had it this pocket locked up before. This is not a prophesy neither is it a prediction but a simple fact on human behavior. APC will cannibalize one another from the inside as their ‘enemy’ unifying factor is out of the way.
In the weeks and months to come, we will begin to see more of CPC, ACN, APGA, NPDP and other interest groups that came together to form APC. CPC has the president of the country, Senate president of the country while ACN has the speaker of House of Representatives and so forth. They do not just have these political backgrounds but still primarily have their allegiance to them before APC. Then there are the turn coats, those who have abandoned their political backgrounds for porridge or to escape being sent into political oblivion. The utterances attributed to Governor of Kaduna State Nasir El-Rufai directed at former Governor of Lagos state Bola Tinubu is one of the bellwethers of what is yet to come within APC. Governor El-Rufai is no new comer to controversy and political cannibalism. There has also been news of Tinubu’s camp working assiduously hard against the possibility of Ambode getting appointed as minister in President Buhari’s cabinet. This is exactly what he did to Fashola but this time around, it will definitely get a blow back as Tinubu’s enemy base has grown exponentially. The identity of those President Buhari will choose as ministers are locked in his chest at least that is what is out there in the media. But we all know that no one chooses his cabinet alone and those involved in his ministerial choice making are being called out by sections of the party to be discarded.
There is a very ripe possibility that APC will not form government after 2023 elections. This possibility is so rife from the looming implosion, loss of territories to the PDP, absence of Buhari by 2023, and ineffective government they are running since 2015 will compound their woes. There is no doubt that Tinubu’s presidential ambition is a big project for his opponents within APC to shoot down having succeeded in installing his lackeys in the national assembly. But his ambition has rattled many within APC into unnecessary early politicking. If the talk about power brokers in the north moving to PDP to achieve another northern president in 2023 is anything to go by, then APC victory is indeed a defeat to them in principle.
*** Obi Ebuka Onochie wrote via [email protected]
About the Author
