The crisis in the National Assembly over the election
of Principal Officers by the new dominant political
party (APC) wasn’t an experience the party’s leaders
could have bargained for. A once robust opposition
party, APC has suddenly found itself in a crisis of a
magnitude it never imagined.
All its officially endorsed candidates have lost out in
the election of principal officers, a development the
party national officials found embarrassing,
especially the emergence of Mr. Ekweremadu as
Deputy Senate President. For an opposition party
occupying power at the centre for the first time since
1999, the outcome of the election of principal officers
was like a fly in the party’s ointment.
Background
Both the Senate President Bukola Saraki and House
Speaker Dogara have been accused of betrayal by
their party leaders for allegedly going behind their
backs, displacing party candidates endorsed at the
mock selection of candidates. Senator Saraki is a
great political strategist in his own right. It is,
therefore, wrong to accuse him acting someone
else’s script.
While the party went to bed hoping that everything
would go according to plan, Bukola was already
working on four cylinders to clinch the Senate
Presidency.
However, when the APC leaders woke up from their
slumber, relying on the naive assumption that party
supremacy was enough to produce the principal
officers of their choice or approval, Saraki had
already clinched the coveted seat of the Senate
President with the support of his APC backers and
PDP votes. His rival Lawan didn’t work hard enough
to win the election in his own right without reliance
on party endorsement.
But Senator Saraki didn’t join politics for the sake of
it. Underrating his ambition to become Senate
President was, therefore, naïve and unrealistic. When
Saraki led PDP defectors into APC, he didn’t do so for
the sake of it either. He did so to protect his political
interest. After the APC was elected into power, what
did the party leaders offer him in return for
abandoning his ambition to become Senate
President?
Saraki and other members of the New PDP that
defected from the former ruling party apparently felt
sidelined after the party’s victory. If the APC leaders
didn’t offer Saraki concession to become Senate
President, what compensation did they offer him
instead? Politics is a struggle for power by like-
minded people united by common interests.
It is naïve to assume that Saraki merely joined APC to
help it capture power, and that is all! All stakeholders
in the opposition alliance have strategic political
interests to protect. If they had no interests to
protect, they would not have invested their political
capital in the opposition project to capture power.
Looking for scapegoats
Singling out any individual for vilification and smear
campaign by hatchet writers is another mistake the
party leaders have made. As a political analyst that
keenly follows events since 1999, I know as a fact that
inventing enemies doesn’t help any political party or
leader.
When Saraki emerged as Senate President, one
would have expected the APC national leaders to say
“where did we go wrong? How can we undo the
damage to save the party unity?” instead, we started
reading sponsored stories, blaming former Vice
President Atiku Abubakar and others for the
emergence of the new National Assembly leadership.
The suggestion by one of the hatchet writers that
Atiku “could do anything for the highest bidder” is
preposterous. Although I have been Atiku’s critic
since he left ACN back to PDP, I am not convinced
that he could have been bought over by Saraki.
It is even insulting to the intelligence of Nigerians
that a man with extensive connections in Nigerian
politics like Senator Saraki would need to ride the
back of Atiku to realize his ambition to become
Senate President. Neither Saraki, nor Dogara is
Atiku’s political associate, let alone being his protégé.
Just like Atiku, Saraki was a former Presidential
aspirant in his own right. Did Saraki need Atiku to
attain his ambition as Senate President? I have not
come across any cogent argument to establish a link
between Saraki’s emergence as Senate President and
Atiku’s hidden hands.
Before the APC national convention in Lagos, the
party leaders had wanted to produce a presidential
candidate by consensus or adoption. It was only
record that Atiku advised the party to allow open and
free primaries. The outcome of the presidential
primaries had boosted APC’s democratic credentials
because of the transparency of the election.
As a result, even those that initially resisted Atiku’s
suggestion for open primaries eventually appreciated
the wisdom of his advice. Even though he didn’t get
the ticket, Atiku kept his words to respect the
outcome and congratulate the winner.
He not only congratulated Buhari, he also kept his
promise to hand over his media team at the disposal
of the former APC Presidential candidate. That
Malam Garba Shehu became President Buhari’s
Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity is a
testimony of the commitment of the Atiku Media
office to the Buhari campaign.
It is also record that Atiku was running diplomatic
shuttle to lobby for Nigeria’s candidate for the
Presidency of African Development, Dr. Adesina. The
passion with which the Atiku media team members
including its current Head, Paul Ibe (who took over
from Garba Shehu) had served the Buhari media
campaign was so incredible that some were
suggesting whether they would ever go back to Atiku.
Dangers of blame games
The biggest task before the APC national leaders is to
abandon the blame games against any imagined
“enemy” or “saboteur”, and begin an urgent process
of reconciliation and healing. Learning the lessons
from the mistakes that were made is more important
than looking for someone else to blame.
Leaders should look for solutions to a problem
rather than looking for someone to blame, especially
innocent people.
As a major first step, the issue of party supremacy
must be addressed within the context of the
separation of powers. Imposing leaders on
legislators is not a wise step. As Mahmud Jega, the
Daily Trust’s Monday columnist observed, the issue
of zoning offices should have been concluded long
before the elections. He said the APC leaders didn’t
pay attention to the issue until after the election.
In fact, even former Kano State Governor,
Kwankwaso had warned the party to deal the issue of
zoning in time to avoid intrigues and complications
that could arise. His advice was apparently silently
ignored.
At this point, the APC leaders must forget about
bickering and the blame game, and take
responsibility for what happened in order to
preserve the unity of the party.

Worefaaa na dem sabi.......u ds freemanan don start again abi?

Misternas89:
Worefaaa na dem sabi.......u ds freemanan don start again abi?

Evening Mate... Adim loyal

Good

Freemanan:

Evening Mate... Adim loyal

U dey always compete wit me na, Shey na robot u sef be lyk introvert?

Freemanan:

Evening Mate... Adim loyal

U dey always compete wit me na, Shey na robot u sef be lyk introvert?

Misternas89:

U dey always compete wit me na, Shey na robot u sef be lyk introvert?

Ndi efulefu

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