APC:political party or coalition

Afolabi Olayinka

Finally it happened.APC became a registered political party on the 31st of July 2013 after many months of internal and external wrangling. Many eagerly searched the pages of the newspaper seeking the new name of one of the president’s aides who had vowed to change his name if the APC gets registered while others busied themselves with jubilation at the apparent dawn of a new era. Even the purported court case brought against the new party by an organization laying claim to the acronym APC and another brought against it by APGA over an alleged unsolicited use of its logo couldn’t dampen the celebratory mood. By now the celebrations are over and the real business is to begin: the business of dislodging the PDP from the highest position in the land.

It’s no longer news that Nigerians are tired of the People Democratic Party and have reformed its acronym to read Papa Deceive Pikin, People’s Destruction Party and so on. This only shows the level of frustration of the people at the 14year rule of the PDP. Not only has the PDP demonstrated its desire to filter away our collective patrimony, it has been brazen about it. Under President Obasanjo, there was corruption but only the anointed ones could have their fill without repercussions but under President Jonathan, the reverse has been the case. The corruption has become endemic and it seems every single government official received a memo that oga is distracted by so many things chiefly 2015 and so they can have a go at the treasury without fear. if trillions aren’t looted through subsidy claims, billions are stolen from the pension fund. If Honorable Members aren’t stuffing dollars into their caps, Senators are been fingered as been sponsors of terrorism.
All in all, the PDP has gotten worse in a few years and its apparent to even the “I voted Jonathan and not PDP” team that the time for change has come and that’s why the registration of the APC was celebrated by more than few.

The APC is here and now is the time to properly assess what the party stands for and if it will bring the desired change or just provide more of the same. If the happenings in Lagos, Ogun, Ekiti, Osun and Oyo are anything to go by, then we can expect better from the APC but their first hurdle will be to garner enough support from the grassroot which can enable them win the elections either at the first round or via a runoff.
It is important to skim through recent history to analyse similar coalitions. A case that readily comes to mind is that of the Rainbow Coalition in Kenya. In preparation of the 2002 elections, the National Alliance Party of Kenya allied itself with the Liberal Democratic Party to form the National Alliance of Rainbow Coalition (NARC). On December 27, 2002, NARC won a landslide victory over KANU. NARC presidential candidate Mwai Kibaki got 62% of the votes in the presidential elections, against only 31% for the KANU candidate, Uhuru Kenyatta. On December 30, 2002, Mwai Kibaki was sworn in as the third President of Kenya.

It is important to note that prior to 2002, Raila Odinga was a part of KANU and only left to form LDP when it became apparent that Daniel Arap Moi was more in favour of installing Uhuru Kenyatta ahead of him. Kibaki was consistently losing presidential elections and the most sensible thing was to align forces with themselves and with Charity Ngilu and Micheal Wamalwa. Kibaki became the preferred candidate and the new party beat Kenyatta at the polls. However just three years after, Kibaki will sack all LDP members in his cabinet and Odinga will announce his intentions to challenge Kibaki at the polls under the MDC. Ngilu was spared in Kibaki’s sacking spree but after announcing her support for Odinga, she was axed and that effectively marked the death of the Rainbow Coalition.
In the resulting 2007 election between the two, over 1000 Kenyans lost their lives and a UN mission led by Kofi Annan had to be drafted to solve the impasse with both parties agreeing to a coalition government with Odinga as Prime Minister. By 2013, Odinga again contested the elections and this time lost to a more experienced Uhuru Kenyatta. To the average Kenyan, the NARC was to be the piece of the puzzle that will make Kenya great but it ended up taking then backwards in so many areas. The stability enjoyed under Arap Moi’s long rule could have been built upon but the squabbling among the politicians ensured that capturing and retaining power came first before attending to the needs of the people.

The Kenyan example makes it important for Nigerians to not get carried away with the promise of a better tomorrow because APC is registered but rather to ask of the APC what it intends to offer and that will be demonstrated in its choice of a presidential candidate. Nigerians do not want change just for the sake of it, we rather want change that will reflect in our lives. Rumors making the rounds of the APC shopping for a northern candidate are not encouraging to advocates of change neither is it welcomed by those who had high hopes in the APC.

Nigerians don’t want a northern president neither do they want a southern president, Nigerians simply want a Nigerian president who will ensure the fundamental rights listed in chapter IV of the constitution are honored. Nigerians want a president who will make their lives easier without compromising the unity of Nigeria. Nigerians want a president who will stamp out corruption. It is without doubt that there are men of integrity in the north who have given themselves in service to this nation like Muhammadu Buhari and Nasir Elrufai just to mention a few but it will be wrong for the APC to limit its search to the north. It’s time to do away with the idea of rotation and rather concentrate on who best to do the job. Its understandable that the Nigerian political climate demands such strategies to garner votes but we expect the APC to play politics to win but not employ politics when choosing those to do the job. The process of its primaries should be open and democratic giving all interested candidates a level playing field to present their plans to party faithfuls and Nigerians in general.

It is the hope of all Nigerians that the APC will get its act right and present us with candidates who will bring about the type of transformation been experienced in the south west states. Then we can start talking about having a sovereign national conference and debating the issues of full fiscal federalism once and for all. Its first test is to come in Anambra with Senator Chris Ngige been the governorship candidate.win or lose, Nigerians will be more interested in how the party conducts itself before, during and after the elections. This is an opportunity for the APC to show to Nigerians that it isn’t an aggregation of interests but rather an agent of change. It is important for the APC to prove that it is a political party and not a fragile coalition.

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a coalition does not need INEC registration

APC is a political party formed by the union of smaller parties. It is not a coalition

mikeansy: a coalition does not need INEC registration

APC is a political party formed by the union of smaller parties. It is not a coalition

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Nigerians are delighted that APC has come to stay. I will prefer coup to happen if its all about coalition. Nigerians are not waiting to see another party at the centre without a positive transformation. All I see is that All Progressives Congress, APC. Now its the dawn of a new beginning for Nigeria. If truly but truly the party has something different to offer, it should start telling Nigerians, NOW. Should i look too blunt to some and too blind to others, we are all children of Adam. Imperfection! If only what APC intends to achieve in power is to cage corruption, other things would fall in line, obediently... I guess Two party system will make Nigeria democracy more interesting if its welcome. However, It is predictable, I hate it though, that Dr. Jonathan would be the 1st Nigerian sitting president to be defeated at the polls.

babslamin: Nigerians are delighted that APC has come to stay. I will prefer coup to happen if its all about coalition. Nigerians are not waiting to see another party at the centre without a positive transformation. All I see is that All Progressives Congress, APC. Now its the dawn of a new beginning for Nigeria. If truly but truly the party has something different to offer, it should start telling Nigerians, NOW. Should i look too blunt to some and too blind to others, we are all children of Adam. Imperfection! If only what APC intends to achieve in power is to cage corruption, other things would fall in line, obediently... I guess Two party system will make Nigeria democracy more interesting if its welcome. However, It is predictable, I hate it though, that Dr. Jonathan would be the 1st Nigerian sitting president to be defeated at the polls.

goodluck been defeated at the polls should be more about the APC presenting itself as a viable altenative and not just about nigerians been tired of goodluck's version of "fresh air"

babslamin: Nigerians are delighted that APC has come to stay. I will prefer coup to happen if its all about coalition. Nigerians are not waiting to see another party at the centre without a positive transformation. All I see is that All Progressives Congress, APC. Now its the dawn of a new beginning for Nigeria. If truly but truly the party has something different to offer, it should start telling Nigerians, NOW. Should i look too blunt to some and too blind to others, we are all children of Adam. Imperfection! If only what APC intends to achieve in power is to cage corruption, other things would fall in line, obediently... I guess Two party system will make Nigeria democracy more interesting if its welcome. However, It is predictable, I hate it though, that Dr. Jonathan would be the 1st Nigerian sitting president to be defeated at the polls.

nobody wants a coup