The New APC: As rejected stones become the corner stones!

The APC intrigue-filled and endorsement-driven ‘elective’ convention has come and gone. It came as ‘suspected bandits’ invaded the Kaduna airport and allegedly interrupted airline operations, and also bombed the Abuja-Kaduna rail track.

If in doubt, ask Peace Air and Nigerian Railway Corporation, both of which have suspended their Kaduna operations, or ask Lai Mohammed who has just declared on behalf of the Federal Government that Nigeria is at its safest state ever!

The ease and regularity with which our politicians change their party affiliations has been a source of concern to many Nigerians. This worrisome development led me to ask whether PDP, then the biggest party in Africa, and which would rule Nigeria for 60 years, was actually a party

The convention took place in an economic environment in which fuel sold at N220-N250 in the East, though the official price is still N162 and landing cost at ‘300 and something’ naira. However, our President who had declared that fuel subsidy was a fraud and who is the substantive Minister of Petroleum, ‘opened not his mouth.’

The price of gas has been fluctuating between N600 and N800, the exchange rate is furiously marching towards N700/$, and general level prices has been at its ‘maddest’ (though this is at variance with official figures), and yet Prof Osinbajo, under whose purview our economy lies is warming up for the presidential race.

ASUU has been on rolling strike for the past six weeks while SSANU and NASU have just ‘supported the motion’ but Dr Chris Ngige, the minister of labour, was at the convention with a presidential campaign motorcade.

Anyway, the convention held, with all the boastings about unparalleled performance, more promises and trading on horses (one day, there will be no horses to trade on!). Most observers readily noticed the breaking of heads and limbs, a usual feature of our political biosphere, which no longer embarrasses us.

Some noticed the beautiful lady from Cross-River who emerged as the youngest ever women leader in Nigeria. And I advise them not to be carried away by her beauty because she can sting when need be, as she did when she fought the FGN Covid and vaccine programme and policies on behalf of the Cross-River State government, though she eventually repented.

Others noticed the abundant sensitive electoral materials (beautiful sleek ladies, bags of naira and envelopes of $). Some observers were even happy that the convention eventually held, despite the monkeyshines that characterised its conception and planning.

However, a look at those now calling the shots at APC, who emerged from the ‘unity’ list hurriedly stitched together by PMB, APC Governors and party leadership, says all there is about our politics and democracy; politics without ideology-driven politicians and democracy without cultured democrats.

At the helm of APC affairs now are Abdulahi Adamu (chairman); Iyiola Omisore, secretary; Victor Giadom: V/chairman, South-South; Bate Edu, national women leader; Festus Faunter, deputy national secretary; Abubakar Maikafi, auditor; FNC Nwosu, welfare secretary; Chidi Duru, deputy national organising secretary; Ahmed el-Marzuk, legal adviser; Uguru Ofoka, treasurer; and, Mustapha Salihu and Muazu Bawa Rajau, national vice chairmen.

Other key contestants whose balls were probably squeezed and palms probably greased to procure their ‘stepping down’ included Ken Nnamani and Dogara. These are all members of the PDP alumni (Ademola Adam, Daily Gist), whom that native of Bourdillon with an Igbo-Name, Joe Igbokwe, described as ‘enemies and PDP invaders’; who are PDPians ‘in learning and character’’; what Abdulyassar Abdulhamid of Daily Trust described as ‘old wine in new bottle’ and which made Zebulum Agomuo of BusinessDay to ask if INEC had registered two PDPs without knowing it!

Foundation and faithful APC members have been weeping, wailing and gnashing their teeth but the winners are non-pulsed. The general conclusion is that either PDP used high-wire ‘witchery’ on APCians or that PMB has a strange, hidden agenda.

But as the debate and analysis was going on, an unknown internet warrior recalled that PDP also did serious transactions with their APC friends when their transfer window was open and went on to list former APC fellows now in charge at the PDP as Iyorcha Ayu(Chairman), Taofeek Arapaja and Umar Damagun (Deputy National Chairmen) Samuel Anywnwu (National Secretary) Ahmad Mohammed( Treasurer), Umar Bature( Organising Secretary), Kamaldeen Ajibede( Legal Adviser) Ibrahim Abdulahi( Deputy National Publicity Sec) and Ajara Wanka, Deputy National Women Leader).

On the sidelines of these developments is a reminder, which the PDP served on EFCC and APC, that its newly minted Unity National Chairman has 149 point EFCC case around his neck and the response by Shehu Garba, a Muslim who suddenly became a Bible-believing preacher, that Adamu has repented and that his sins are washed away. He further told all of us that Adamu, as a sinner who repented and lived the good life thenceforth is better than those who repented and then went back to their old ways. And this is an anti-corruption government.

Read also: APC convention, the night after…

The ease and regularity with which our politicians change their party affiliations has been a source of concern to many Nigerians. This worrisome development led me to ask whether PDP, then the biggest party in Africa, and which would rule Nigeria for 60 years, was actually a party. ( See: Ik Muo: ‘Excessive Cohesiveness, Groupthink & Conformity: A Case Study of The PDP & The Third-Term Project’ (Babcock Journal of Management & Social Sciences. July 2010 ,pp299-317) and Ik Muo: Is PDP Actually a Party? BusinessDay 10/9/13

I concluded then that PDP was not a political party and I quote. A political party is a group of people who share the same ideas about how the country should be governed.

It espouses an ideology which is translated into party manifesto with specific goals. It is made of like-minded people and even when there are some differences, the ideology becomes the glue that holds them together.

Based on the foregoing, I wish to state unequivocally that the PDP(and other similar contraptions there was no APC then)is not a political party. This is not necessarily because it lacks an ideology (apart from ruling Nigeria for the next 100 years) and has no manifesto (apart from being the largest party in Africa) but because it is not even a group!

PDP is not a group and can thus, not be a party. People who regarded themselves as members were at times not regarded as such by others; there had been visible lack of unanimity as to means and ends and the greatest opposition to the PDP since its creation has always come from within the PDP.

Furthermore, it has not been apparent that the party made efforts to maintain/strengthen itself; it was rather engaged in the strange practice of de-registering its members. The interdependence and commonality of values and norms are not visible while the actual goals of the group are hard to establish.

The party also has an incomprehensible leadership structure consisting of a chairman, a leader and other unclassified leaders (like Chris Uba & late Lamidu Adedibu in those days) who are more powerful than the official leaders.

The PDP members actually behave more like an aggregate (people who just found themselves at the same place) or a category (people with similar characteristics-insatiable greed).

And since there are no real differences, people port from their parties per second, a art in which Governor T.A Orji holds a gold medal, migrating from PPA to APGA to PDP within a matter of days! I am not a political analyst but as I argued above, PDP is not even a group and as such cannot be a party.

Since the members are driven by greed or fear, those who recently ported are merely grandstanding; like the political entrepreneurs that they are, they will negotiate a U-Turn whence the opportunities are bright! That was in 2013, 9 whole years ago!

As it was for PDP, so it is for APC and the rest of them. Those who ported and re-ported are now back but it is not the end; they would soon port again. As it was said in the BOOK, the rejected stones, who were mercilessly demonised and shamed have suddenly become the corner stones but this is not the Lords doing!

However, as a priest, prophet and king, I declare and decree that this will soon be over. With the recent sacking of Governor Umahi of Ebonyi state with his co-travellers, the bell tolls for all political prostitutes and transactional entrepreneurs who masquerade as our servants. It is time for the violent to take it by force; and it may be by judicial force!