By Terese Tse
The battle for supremacy among political gladiators characterised the All Progressives Congress, APC, Ward Congresses held recently across the country. The situation gave rise to parallel congresses with imposition of candidates and other irregularities. These controversies obviously threatened the fate of the party in retaining its status as the ruling political party after 2023 elections.
Results from the states, however, presented a mixed bag. While many claimed it was free, fair and peaceful, others cried been shortchanged up by party members who felt they have firmer grip on the soul of the APC.
Congresses nevertheless did not hold in Anambra and Zamfara States. In Anambra, it was due to the disagreement over the last governorship primary while in Zamfara State, the party decided to suspend the exercise due to leadership crisis which followed the defection of Governor Mohammed Matawalle from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and subsequent dissolution of the caretaker committee.
In Abia State, the party had parallel congresses. The congresses came barely two days after the party reaffirmed the suspension of its chieftain in the state, Ikechi Emenike. Mr Emenike is fingered as leader of the faction, challenging the Donatus Nwankpa led executive committee.
In Ogun State, the brewing crisis of All Progressives Congress (APC), again reared it’s ugly head during the party’s ward congresses held in all the 236 wards across the state. Just as members of the party loyal to the immediate past Governor and Senator representing Ogun Central, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun held its congresses, members loyal to the incumbent Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun also held a separate congress.
In the Rivers State chapter of the party, allies of Senator Magnus Abe faction accused the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi of masterminding the exclusion of their supporters from participating in the exercise. It was alleged that the Minister, Amaechi said anybody who is with Senator Abe is no longer a member of the APC, therefore, not entitled to any opportunity or privilege within the party.
Ekiti State was not different as the congresses witnessed a clash between supporters of Governor Kayode Fayemi and supporters of Asiwaji Bola Tinubu.
What happened in Niger state was the reflection of other states like Kwara, Kebbi, Abia, Imo, Kaduna, Adamawa, Sokoto, Gombe and Delta States, among others. It is all a matter of one faction rejecting the outcome of the elections and calling for fresh exercise.
Closer home, the Benue APC experience was not different. Here, it became a confrontation between Emmanuel Jime, the former governorship candidate of the party in the 2019 election and the Minister of Inter-Govermental Affairs and Special Duties, Senator George Akume. Jime accused the Minister of hijacking all nomination forms for the party congresses to the exclusion of his loyalists.
Meanwhile, the Minister had barely few days to the Congresses confessed publicly of failing the people by imposing leaders on them. He promised at an expanded caucus meeting that he will no longer choose leaders for the saying, “all of us are better than one of us”. Sadly, the congresses could not hold on the 31st of July as scheduled. The Congresses were resheduled for 1st August and were, again, marred by violence and snatching of election materials.
One case to point at was in Gwer Local Government where out of the 14 wards, only Mbabur Council Ward was given a clean bill for the exercise.
The situation was reported worse in the Southern part of the state as one of the party’s stakeholders in the area, Elder John Iyah lamented that highly placed officials of the party hand picked the ward officials even before the congresses, describing the exercise as “Kangaroo Congresses “.
In Otukpo-Ohimini Federal Constituency, there was disagreement between the faction of Alh Usman Abubakar aka Young Alhaji with Mohammed Ada alias Ochacho on one hand and the Member representing Otukpo-Ohimini, Blessing Onuh with the Zonal Chairman, Muhammad Hassan on the other.
Loyalists of Ameh Ebute and Agbo Ameh also clashed in Okpokwu Local Government where it was gathered that the names of the officials that emerged after the congresses were different from those who participated in the exercise. So was the case in Ado, Obi, Oju and other local governments in the area.
A former chieftain of the party who bore the party’s flag for House of Representatives Makurdi/Guma federal constituency seat in the 2019 elections, Hon. Terhide Utaan, dumped the party for PDP in the middle of the exercise. He said the purported ward congresses of the APC have finally buried the party in Benue State. According to him, 243 persons who bought forms to contest for various positions in the failed congresses were locked out by the party.
The outcome of these congresses has obviously thrown the party with negative implications as the 2023 general elections is fast approaching. It may be confirming what some members of the party like Senator Rochas Okorocha earlier said, that the only string holding the party together is President Muhammadu Buhari. Okorocha prophesied that the party would disintegrate after Buhari’s administration.
Commenting on the developments, Comrade Solomon Faeren Atir, who doubles as the President and Founder of APC Youth League and National Director of the Youth Affairs of Buhari Support Group Centre said, “internal crisis is not a strange experience to any political party, there are a lot of interests and wishes but the national working committee of the party is doing everything to come up with resolutions that would be for the best interest of the party”.
Elder Abur Nyikwagh, a retired director in the state in his reaction said, “the irregularities were driven more by individuals who want to lift their selfish interests above the interest of the party. Jime saw the need for him to join hands with Akume to give stability to the party in state but some bad people misinterpreted this genuine move to Akume which generated some misunderstandings but everything is going to be alright”.
On his part, Comrade Kenneth Ankor, a member of the Benue APC Youth Council expressed optimism that the party still have enough time to put its house in order for future elections.