I’m not greatly enamoured by the style of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). I feel there’s too much hypocrisy around it. Unlike the PDP which, we all know, was ‘sharing the money’, the APC is not sharing any money. But I can swear by Amadioha’s left foot that money is still being stolen – if not by the politicians, then, by the civil servants to whom we have since abandoned the running of the country.
In fact, in the build-up to the last elections, Alhaji Sule Lamido, the then governor of Jigawa State, had raised one fear: That Nigeria was between the devil and the deep blue sea; that whoever emerged president between Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari notwithstanding, Nigeria would be the loser for it. His summation stemmed from the fact that the campaigns were based on outright blackmail, hate and threats. He said both men appeared to be seeking the office for purely selfish ambition – not necessarily to steal money, but just to occupy the office. None seemed to have dispassionately addressed his mind to the major problems confronting Nigeria. The preoccupation was just to grab power.
Lamido’s words were rather prophetic.
Now, like under Jonathan, there appears to be this seeming cluelessness on how to confront the problems. The simple task of forming a government is becoming insurmountable. Meanwhile, there is so much anger and hunger in the land – even within the ruling party. Only last week, I asked myself: Who is really happy in APC? The president? The governors? Tinubu? Saraki? Amaechi? The lawmakers? The South-east? South-west? The five governors who joined from PDP? Just who? The anger and frustration is worse outside government. Importers can’t import, manufacturers are stranded, employers are toying with retrenching workers, bankers and investors are all futilely trying to read the president’s body language. In spite of bailout, state governments still owe workers and pensioners the stipends we call salary. Three square meals have become a luxury in many homes. And to make matters worse, we, like the North Koreans, can’t talk – unless it is to hero-worship the supreme leader. If he says Treasury Single Account is the way to go, we all begin to sing the praise of TSA. Of course, it does not matter if none of us praising the policy to high heavens today runs a single account regime in our private dealings. And while they are at it, the rest of us are starving to death.
A few days ago, I spoke to Lamido again and he assured me that PDP was still ruling Nigeria. How? His explanation was simple: The opposition was only able to defeat the PDP in 2015 after PDP joined the opposition. So, basically, PDP (Team A) defeated PDP (Team B) – for, on the average, more than 70 per cent of those today accusing the PDP of 16 years of misrule were in the same PDP for, at least, 10 of those 16 years.
But I disagree with him that PDP is still in power. For if it were so, there would since have emerged a stop-gap measure to address the current hunger and economic stalemate ravaging the land, even as the politicians continue to run around rudderless.
Of course, I’m not in doubt that things will improve with the new approach to managing our economy by the new administration. I’m just worried that our situation is now being likened to the proverbial life assurance policy, which basically forces you to live poor and die rich. Haba! Shouldn’t we be alive to reap the future fruits of our today’s unofficial austerity measures and sacrifice? Won’t this belt-tightening thing kill us before the benefits begin to mature? I’m sure if it were a PDP government, we’d by now be contemplating a few palliative measures to cushion the effect of the current hardship in the land. But it’s not so with APC. They presume that we should all understand what they’re trying to do for us – to secure our future. But how many of the robbers, touts and other social miscreants that daily storm our homes or accost us in the traffic gridlock are ready to listen to this our impressive economic postulations? How do we explain to the red-eyed traffic robber that the pockets of we, the motorists, are just as empty as theirs? How do we explain to them (and convince them not to pull the trigger on us) that we are not trying to play smart by going about without any money in our wallets and refusing to ‘settle’ them as we used to do? Hungry, angry, desperate and vicious! Those are increasingly becoming a second nature of our people today.
That is why I’m missing PDP. If they were the ones in charge, by now, they’d have conjured up one reason to share money, to put some money in our pockets and keep us from starving. Because they know it is not all of us that understand this dogon turenci about FDI, exchange window, Cash call, GDP, rising and falling inflation, stock index (whether bullish or bearish), forex customer verification portals, interbank rate, overnight cash, MPC, etc. We just want to eat, pay our children’s school fees, commute from point A to point B with relative ease, and sleep with our two eyes closed – irrespective of whether or not they give us light or increase the tariff on the power they have yet to supply. But even these most basic needs are now shrouded in mystery, hypocrisy and propaganda.
The hypocrisy I see in APC runs very deep. For instance, although I’m not one of those who insist the current anti-corruption war is selective, I have still managed to come to one conclusion: If you steal and remain in PDP, then you’re a thief. But if you steal in APC, or in PDP but cross over to the APC with your loot, then you’re a saint.
Despite this distrust of APC, however, I once wrote on this same space that I did not believe Rotimi Amaechi lost the elections in Rivers State by as wide a margin as the results would have us believe. There were just too many things that did not add up – and the situation was not helped by the seeming desperation of the then first family to take Rivers. In fact, the governorship battle was not really between Nyesom Wike and Dakuku Peterside; it was between Amaechi and Jonathan. The presidential ballot was no different. You’d almost think it was Amaechi (and not Muhammadu Buhari) that was running against Jonathan.
APC is already in control of Imo and Edo (even if Oshiomhole’s state can boast of only a few gallons of crude oil deposit), so rather than falling for the allegation that the APC was desperate to take control of an oil-producing state, I feel that the then ruling PDP took things for granted in Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Delta (which, ideally, were supposed to be their own version of ‘swing states’). That explained why Godspower Orubebe was almost running berserk when it appeared Attahiru Jega’s INEC was going to cancel the result from Rivers State.
But while PDP was busy tweaking things in its swing states, it forgot that APC also had its own swing states. So, while APC was tweaking things in Kano, Sokoto and so many North-east and North-west states, unmonitored, it was, at the same time, giving PDP very close-marking in the states where the PDP was traditionally popular and could, therefore, rig with relative ease. The result was that while APC collected evidence of PDP’s rigging, PDP collected no evidence of APC’s rigging. So, from Day One, I knew it would be easier to upturn the results in states won by PDP than those states won by APC.
Now, I wouldn’t vouch that the Amaechi machinery, could have swung Rivers for APC in the last general elections, but I can swear that he could, at least, have split the votes right across the middle. But the PDP simply overdid things. And now that the APC is in power at the centre, coupled with Amaechi’s successful screening for ministerial appointment, the odds have again swung in his favour in Rivers in the event of a re-run. But then, Nyesom Wike (who has never been a push-over in the politics of Rivers State) has assured that he would complete his tenure. More exciting days are definitely ahead – and I’m not just talking about the planned appeal of the verdict.

Nothing dey ever satisfy una

even death come

una dey una way go heaven

Una go still complain the kind road wey una use waka comot for earth

u got a point

this is a long post

u don dey dream again OYA go take your drug

APC is ruining Nigeria and they are proud of doing so! How can a party be so engrossed in its own self inflicted afflictions while ignoring the alarming norse dive of the Nigeria's economy, unity, security, image etc

*spits on Buhari's bald head and continues listening to Wasiu Ayinde's OMO NAIJA*

Nice writeup

Poster just enjoys suffering. The fact that he is contemplating missing PDP instead of seeking a better alternative than APC if he thinks they are doing a bad job says it all.

Oh Lawd! Ain't All these true? Only short sighted grannies can't see beyond the lies and Harry Potter-esque cloak this administration is hiding and operating under.

APC has squandered the confidence Nigerians had in them on the alter of SILLY PROPAGANDA and unnecessary dirty, sectional and winner-grabs-all politicking

Ale evu otele evu? APC jema je duu!

Lalasticlala avec la fontpage mon ami?

Make una no mind my poor frensh o

The level of hypocrisy and propaganda in the APC govt even scare the devil himself

Una no give us job, we no complain but now way we enter biz una no wan still allow money to circulate..

This is the simple definition of truth..

If the OP is missing PDP let him do the need full and go back to 2014.

You are missing PDP because they are openly sharing our collective wealth

The OP must be insanly insensitive and corrupt by default. So you want APC to turn everything around in a few days

Chill joor

Go n look for dem

same here. am missing PDP.

If the like of protection seeker tonybarcanista is a pdp member..... I rather decamp to Apc

Yes, Tanoids and igbos are missing pdp! Smh!

Get a one way ticket out and don't come back until 3 and the half years time . Mere wailer! !!

Am still doing my own press up to release an article concerning devil APC ...... Everyone should watch out