As the teething issues bedeviling cohesion and proper organization of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), some concerned stakeholders of the party are of the view that, the party must urgently put its house in order if it must redeem its image and save the faith that the generality of the people of Nigeria have for it.
Accordingly, the APC must reinvent its identity for a sustainable existence and deepened management of its electoral victory.
It is lucid to assert that, the party as it is, presently is not well governed.Its internal democracy appears, porous, poor, spongy and deserves urgent attention of President Muhammadu Buhari and other well-meaning members, as well as stakeholders to come to its rescue.
While all the opposition parties are fighting hard to put their houses in order, and trying hard to reposition themselves, it is indeed a pity that our party, the APC is in disarray.
Ordinarily, the party is supposed to be the vehicle of our identity, while the members on the other hand should have been the chief promoters and drivers of the party.
But regrettably, the present circumstance facing us as the ruling party where the generality of our members are ostracized, rendered idle and redundant after facilitating the victory of the party is not acceptable in any democratic setting as nobody is expected to bite the finger that fed him.
However, it obviously appears that, we are not taking cue from the experience of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), whose electoral values dwindled and led to their oblivion after ruling the country for 16 years.
It seems we are also not taking advantage of our foundation which was based on a rainbow coalition during which the various opposition parties came together to form a united front aimed at decimating the then ruling PDP.
It is on record that, the APC is a coalition of ACN, ANPP, CPC, a faction of APGA and the PDP.
It is expedient to note that, our members, particularly those who worked for the success of the party in the last general elections and other successive elections should be adequately empowered.
We require new leadership approach for the party and new membership drive ought to be reengineered for the pregnant future ahead of us as a nation.
For instance, our party, without due consultations deliberately decided to play with its destiny in Kogi State after the death of its candidate, Prince Abubakar Audu. The party replaced Prince Abubakar with a candidate that hibernated and was with PDP during the governorship electioneering campaign.
Today, APC plays second fiddle and appears not to be in control of the state as the imposed governor; Yahaya Bello is relating mostly with the PDP and has chosen his cabinet members from the opposition.
Governor Bello has made Kogi APC a technical opposition party and has sold out hard earned electoral birthright due to his seasoned romance with the opposition leaving the people that swayed the victory of the party in the gallery.
His poor performance is also a stigma to the integrity of APC, while his unattractive affairs with kogites is inimical to the future of the party in the state.Today, not up to one third of the civil servants have received monthly salaries and pensioners are not even having any attention while teachers are out of schools since February. The bailout fund of 20 billion has not been utilised for the need.
In Kogi state now, our people are crying for stomach security mainly. Hospitals are filled up as a result of illnesses and death rate is on astronomic proportions. The infantile governor embark more on jamborees and things of no priority interest to the welfare of the people.
APC has therefore placed an avoidable burden on kogites while the only hope of the people now is the supreme court.
But if what the governor’ s aides and appendages are anything to be serious, that they can buy the decision of the apex Court, then we are in hell in Kogi state. I hope the judiciary will live up to the expectations of the generality of the people.
As I continue to ponder over the state of affairs with my political party, I wish to conclude at this juncture that the question of the readiness of our party to correct inherent anomalies and sustain electoral victory towards consolidating our status as the ruling party has become a critical matter for emergency appraisal.
– Dr. Tom Ohikere, Former Commissioner for Information, Kogi State.
