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Commonsense With Danjuma: APC And Buhari’s Presidency – Matters Arising (1) by nesta007(m): 4:16pm On Nov 24, 2014 |
I had settled down to a plate of Nkwobi and a bottle of Malt drink. As I ate, I hummed to the music of Highlife maestro; E.T Mensa, pouring out from Mama Rebecca’s very old but audible sound system. It was Friday evening and this was our neighborhood version of TGIF. Two of the very young patrons entered and sat down on my table. I use the word; ‘young’ to describe those patrons between the ages of 30 and 35. I have been told that the economic situation of the country is the reason they have become patrons at the local area bar, as this is all they can afford, but that is talk for another day. This evening, as they sat and gave Patience; the service girl cum waitress, their orders, one of them shocked me by referring to me as ‘common ma’. I was indeed very surprised as I had not the slightest inkling that they were interested in the socio-political issues within the country, never mind that they had knowledge of this column. Follow Us @SkytrendNews On Twitter My surprise was complete when the other of them said; “So, as you have severally outlined the inadequacies of APC as a real alternative to Nigerians, and you have also pointed out that Goodluck Jonathan has not performed based on his pre-election promises, now that Mohammadu Buhari has declared his intentions to contest, do you think they have a chance and what does Buhari and the APC need to do to put them in pole position?” I called out to Patience; I needed another bottle of Malt drink as I explained thus; There are several things that, I think, are wrong with the APC, add these to the two things that, I think, are wrong with Buhari’s person and image, and we have a party that seemingly has the support of majority but ends up losing the elections. Be Our Fan On Facebook The first thing that, I see, wrong with the APC is Lai Mohammed. From the AD, to the ACN and now the APC, the continuation of Lai Mohammed as the face of the APC is a huge mistake for the following reasons; already, the public perception is that the APC is an ACN /Bola Tinubu controlled party. That the erstwhile spokesperson of the ACN is still the spokesperson of the APC only serves to reinforce this perception. Lai Mohammed’s style is reactive and in contrast to what party a party that professes to be progressive should be putting forward. The majority of Nigerian voters are under the age of 55 and thus the language of the spokesperson must be the language this group understands and identifies with and Lai Mohammed does not even begin to fit these criteria, just as he doesn’t fall into the ideal age group. Lai Mohammed is also Muslim in a party that is already being labeled as a Muslim party. The APC urgently needs a spokesperson that is young and looks and acts it and being Christian will be a huge advantage. This person must be pro-active; identifying the many problems affecting Nigerians, bringing these to the fore in press conferences, and proffering the solutions that the APC will give to these problems. The second thing that, I see, that needs to be done, is for Bola Tinubu to retreat deep into the background. Irrespective of the great job done in Lagos state, which is the poster state of the APC, there is no doubt as to the intense corruption and nepotism which is the hallmark of Tinubu’s style and many Nigerians are extremely wary of allowing such on a federal level. To this end, the party needs to be seen or perceived to be distancing itself from the person of Bola Tinubu and this will only happen if Tinubu retreats into the background and let the party chairman, spokesperson and the flag bearers be the faces of the party. The third thing that, I think, is needed is a detailed and comprehensive party manifesto. The APC needs a comprehensive document that lists our most pressing problems with detailed explanations the solutions the party intend to effect, complete with solution schedules. This document should be translated into all the major languages and made easily available. This will be a real game changer for Nigerians; away from the usual ’10 point agenda’ documents that we always get shoved in our faces and which the parties, upon failure, can easily point fingers at previous governments, as is the present situation. Fourth; in a radical move from the norm, the APC seems to be gearing up to have real primaries. For a party that extols its progress qualities, to be seen to encourage internal democracy is absolutely vital to any claims it makes as regards the development of our young democracy. There are unconfirmed reports of several APC politicians currently stockpiling weapons in readiness for the primaries and in a bid to avert the violence; the party hierarchy is contemplating a return to its usual ‘selection’ process. As good a move as this may be to the party hierarchy in staving of violence and internal strife, it will be a wrong move in their quest to achieve the greater goal. The party hierarchy should instead commence investigations into determining their members who are guilty of such unacceptable behavior and to publicly dismiss such persons from the party. This will further send the positive message to Nigerians that; the APC is not a do or die party, as any party that actually means to serve the people and not itself, should be.The APC urgently needs a spokesperson that is young and looks and acts it and being Christian will be a huge advantage. This person must be pro-active; identifying the many problems affecting Nigerians, bringing these to the fore in press conferences, and proffering the solutions that the APC will give to these problems. The second thing that, I see, that needs to be done, is for Bola Tinubu to retreat deep into the background. Irrespective of the great job done in Lagos state, which is the poster state of the APC, there is no doubt as to the intense corruption and nepotism which is the hallmark of Tinubu’s style and many Nigerians are extremely wary of allowing such on a federal level. To this end, the party needs to be seen or perceived to be distancing itself from the person of Bola Tinubu and this will only happen if Tinubu retreats into the background and let the party chairman, spokesperson and the flag bearers be the faces of the party. The third thing that, I think, is needed is a detailed and comprehensive party manifesto. The APC needs a comprehensive document that lists our most pressing problems with detailed explanations the solutions the party intend to effect, complete with solution schedules. This document should be translated into all the major languages and made easily available. This will be a real game changer for Nigerians; away from the usual ’10 point agenda’ documents that we always get shoved in our faces and which the parties, upon failure, can easily point fingers at previous governments, as is the present situation. Fourth; in a radical move from the norm, the APC seems to be gearing up to have real primaries. For a party that extols its progress qualities, to be seen to encourage internal democracy is absolutely vital to any claims it makes as regards the development of our young democracy. There are unconfirmed reports of several APC politicians currently stockpiling weapons in readiness for the primaries and in a bid to avert the violence; the party hierarchy is contemplating a return to its usual ‘selection’ process. As good a move as this may be to the party hierarchy in staving of violence and internal strife, it will be a wrong move in their quest to achieve the greater goal. The party hierarchy should instead commence investigations into determining their members who are guilty of such unacceptable behavior and to publicly dismiss such persons from the party. This will further send the positive message to Nigerians that; the APC is not a do or die party, as any party that actually means to serve the people and not itself, should be. |
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