It was the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), HE, Mai Mala Buni, Governor of Yobe State who first sounded the alarm at the inaugural ceremony of the APC Membership Registration and Revalidation Committee where he warned that “the Party would not hesitate to deal decisively with anybody or group who attempts to frustrate or otherwise subvert the exercise for any reasons”.
Shortly after, HE, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger state at the inaugural ceremony of the APC States Membership and Revalidation Committee again warned that “the Party will not tolerate hijacking of the process and any form of domination by any individual or group”.
As an information processor and manager, the foregoing statements from both Party leaders no doubt pertained to threats to the health and hegemony of the party and perhaps a momentous concern over another round of bickering and in-fighting within the party. Both statements were made within one week of the 20th – 27th January, 2021. Since then, I have pondered and watched curiously for the source of the potential existential threat to APC.
Only yesterday, Baba Bisi Akande, former Governor of Osun state and premier interim Chairman of APC let the cat out of the bag when he fired a salvo at the Party and its National leadership. Baba Akande’s statements captured on National TV was most uncomplimentary coming from one who was a founding National Chairman and active participant in budding and nurturing the party.
Speaking to journalists in his country home of Ila Orogun at the event of the Party’s membership registration and revalidation exercise, Chief Akande faulted the leadership of the Party’s CECPC for invalidating and shelving aside APC’s original membership register which he alleged was produced in 2014 at a whooping cost of 1Billion Naira at a time that the Party had no money of its own. He claimed that the register captured details of every member. While admitting that the 2014 register lacked present day technological trappings, he contended that it could still serve as the foundation, having done so in the last two election seasons for strengthening the Party towards 2023 as envisaged. The former APC National Chairman said jettisoning the old register was an aberration that provoked ugly public perception of the Party as a spent thrift delightful in waste and squandering of resources. He denounced the creation of party membership register every election season and erroneously likened party membership registration to a National population census statutorily conducted after every decade. In the contrary, Chief Akande forgot that Party membership registration is a statutory and continuous exercise. He said the on-going party membership registration was unnecessary, indefensible and an exercise in futility particularly where it does not work to produce a successor for President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.
Not done castigating the Party for its decision to undertake a fresh membership registration exercise, the former APC chief turned his attention to the leadership of the Party describing the Caretaker Committee as an abnormality with the tendency to cause problems for the party in future. He described as nomadic the avoidable shuttle between Abuja and Yobe by the Chairman of a National political Party. He further made disapproving comments over the tenure of the CTC scathingly insinuating the tendency of the Committee to assume the character and disposition of sit-tight leaders in Africa. He maliciously concluded that “aberrant authorities always end up in contempt and disgrace”.
Like a river that has burst its banks spewing debris on its path, Chief Bisi Akande’s outburst has exposed the hidden malice, contempt and agitation against Governor Buni’s National Caretaker Committee and perhaps, his objections, alongside his accomplices to the policies and actions taken by the CTC to strengthen and move the Party forward. In a recent article provoked by the warnings earlier mentioned and published on the 24th of January, 2021 titled; “Tares of the Enemy” I asked; “who are these enemies whom the press simply refer to as “mischievous persons”? And answered thus; “They are party leaders and chieftains, erstwhile party functionaries, obstinate and recalcitrant members who have either lost out in the power game or fearful of losing their misconceived self-entitled status in the party following the restructuring exercise embarked upon by the CECPC”. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.
Why did Chief Akande have to wait this long? Why did Baba Akande play along since June, 25th 2020 when the Caretaker Committee was constituted? Why did he not raise objection to the contraption in the Party administration. Discerning minds are miffed and curious to hear Baba come out to speak of the Caretaker Committee as an aberration at the wake of the Party’s membership registration and revalidation drive. An African proverb states thus; “when you see a toad leap or jump frighteningly at noon, it is certain something is chasing or after it”. Is anything chasing Baba Bisi Akande and his collaborators that is yet unknown or not seen?
Let me briefly address some of the issues raised by Chief Akande. How is the Caretaker Committee an aberration or abnormality? Is the CTC not a creation of the Party’s NEC considering the provisions of Article 13.3 (ii) of the APC Constitution (October 2014 As Amended)? I know as a fact that the law is not infinite. That is, it does not see nor conceive of every situation or circumstance. Obviously, it is in such challenging situation that the doctrine of necessity evolved as an intermediary or transitional measure to address knotty legal challenges. It is unimaginable that the very persons who in their avarice and disposition for power mongering rendered the party administration difficult and unmanageable are the ones talking about the rule of law. Even though they are themselves allergic to playing by the rules.
The Chief alleged that a whooping sum of 1Billion Naira was spent in 2014 to create a party membership register when APC had no money. He didn’t mention who funded it. He admitted the register lacked modern technological trappings though it served the Party in two election cycles. Baba may have forgotten that in 2018, the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole led NWC attempted a digitalized membership registration which in the opinion of many was inconclusive and absolute failure. Baba may not have noted that Comrade Oshiomhole’s membership registration exercise was done in 2018; barely 4 years after the one he conducted in 2014. It did not matter then that like a national population census, Oshiomhole did not wait ten years before conducting his own membership registration exercise.
As a party chieftain vested with the privileges he enjoys till date, Baba did not query Comrade Oshiomhole’s intent in 2018, he didn’t say the exercise was unnecessary, he didn’t chastise the Comrade Chairman and former Governor for financial imprudence, APC didn’t suffer any ugly perception because there was more than enough money to fritter away in 2018 and there were no concerns that the exercise shall create future problems for the Party. Haba! Baba, kilode?
What’s your grouse with Buni who could pass or be taken for a son? Is this all about politics? Regardless of the risk and sacrifices he makes to contribute his quota to our national development, you in a most unflustered manner rigidly described his regular shuttle between Yobe and Abuja as nomadic; how terrible that is. Why don’t you take off the lump from your eyes before you attempt to remove the peck in another’s eye? I am referring to the political ambition of your collaborators. Seat tight syndrome! Who is mocking who? You forgot that it is the insatiable lust for power, indiscipline and recalcitrant political tendencies of your cohorts that made a way for the emergence of the CTC. If your cohorts had played by the rules and not flaunt the toga of their political savviness, we would not be where we are today.
Interestingly, the tenure of the CTC ends in June 2021 upon the completion of their assignment with the conduct of the National Convention at which point a new leadership of the Party shall emerge. Unless there is something amiss that others don’t see that has caused the toad to leap at noon, I request of our revered Chief Bisi Akande, a former state governor and founding Chairman of our great Party, a statesman per excellence to say it the way it is rather than surreptitiously use his hands to destroy the house he helped to build by the public ridicule and chastisement of the Party and its leadership.
The warning by the two leaders of the Party may therefore not be unconnected with clandestine anti-party activities inimical to the interest of the Party traceable to persons who may share similar sentiments with Chief Akande but are either timid or incapable of coming out to publicly air their grievances.
Edet Eyo Bassey is a former Publicity Secretary, APC, Akwa Ibom Chapter.
05 – 02 – 2021