According to Greek legend of Achilles, his mother held him by the heel and dipped him in the River Styx, making him invulnerable everywhere except on his heel. He was later killed by an arrow wound to the heel. The crisis festering in the APC has been consistent and it stems from the party’s over-reliance on former governors to be its Chairman. Therein lay their vulnerability in an otherwise invulnerable Party. This has always been the Achilles heel of the All Progressives Party.
All APC chairmen from the time of Chief Bisi Akande to Adams Oshiomhole and now the most recent casualty Mai Mala Buni have always left unceremoniously leaving one form of crisis or another in their trail, they all have one common denominator, all have been governors of their respective states (except for Mai Mala Buni who is still serving), they all exhibit executive powers. However executive powers and Party administration are like oil and water, they do not mix. Taking charge of a Party as big as the APC requires astute administrative prowess, such administrative astuteness only comes from experience, experience from previous Party administrative positions.
Coming to terms with this past is very necessary for the All Progressives Congress Party in order to maintain an authentic platform that will stand the test of time. Those terms of settlement must be open, multidimensional and must project hope for voters as we approach 2023. The best man for the job must exude openness, must be free from any whiff of corruption allegation. A few of those contesting today have all been guest of the EFCC at one point in their political careers, it is true for Almakura and Abdullahi. This is very germane as whoever emerges as the Chairman must be free from any form of financial blackmail, must not be a prisoner of his past financial misdeeds.
The APC needs a bridge builder, one who can dine with the elders and in the same vane party with the youths, someone who can blend the old and the new together to produce policies that will appeal to both the young and the old. One who the youths can look up to and the elders can be proud of, someone who has handled the conflagration and chaos often synonymous with party politics.
Some of the aspirants presenting themselves today have been involved in unpopular anti-youth policies such as sponsoring the anti-social media bill in the Senate, a bill that is so anti-youth that it caused such an unpopular uproar within that same constituency that often provide the majority of the votes for the APC previous elections. Some of these aspirants are still in the Senate and it’s no secrete the youths know where they stand on that anti-social media bill.

In Nigeria, political parties hold sway over whether the system delivers the will of the people or the will of some people. So how a political party is organised plays a big role in the well being of the people. Putting round pegs in round holes and square pegs in square holes is one ingredient required to gain respect for a political party and ultimately votes, it’s what matters. The particular challenge that the APC face today isn’t about the lack of credible people to lead it, no, that they have. It is not about the number of wolves in sheep’s clothing, no, not that either – or the courage to launch new and beautiful policies to make Nigeria better. They have already crossed those bridges. The particular challenge that the APC face today is biting its silver bullet, delegates must have the will to elect a young, untainted core Party man (not those who have slept with the enemy, PDP before now), they must be willing to elect a bridge builder, one without any financial blackmail. The people must get someone in the saddle who is very experienced in party administration to moderate and modulate the Party policies for a better Nigeria. They must be willing to deviate from the norm of installing ex-governors as Party chairman.
Yes the APC must bite its silver bullet and get it right again for 2023.