The crisis brewing in the All Progressives Congress, (APC) ahead of the November 16 governorship elections in Bayelsa and Kogi is posing serious threat to the resolve of the party to capture the ‘glory of all lands’ and retain the ‘confluence’ state.
This is albeit the conviction of the APC that nothing can stop it from taking over Bayelsa which has been under the control of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Kogi which has been under its control in the last four years.
Adams Oshiomhole, APC national chairman, while inaugurating the National Campaign Council for Bayelsa comprising, 10 governors, 3 former governors, 2 senators, 4 members of the House of Representatives, 5 ministers, 10 national officers, among other top party chieftains, told PDP to start packing out of the Bayelsa Government House as his party is taking over the realms of power.
Oshiomhole boasted that the people of Bayelsa have never really determined their leaders because their votes never counted but it is going to be a different ball game, come November 16.
“In Bayelsa, the heart of the people will be turned to elect a man that will make a difference; that will demonstrate that in a genuine democracy, very ordinary people who connect with their people, who understand and live with their people and share the joy, pain and aspirations of their people.
“The reaction of PDP shows they are in trouble. My very good friend, Governor Dickson is in trouble, but I assure him that his labour pains will soon be over by the time we win the election.
“We take these two elections very seriously, because we believe in the power of the ballot, we believe that the issues should be contested in a peaceful environment and not by the power of gunshots which has been the tradition of the opposition and we know that people want a change.
“Let me use this opportunity to assure the opposition that we are ready for campaigns, it is not a fight; it is not a war. The only thing we will insist on is that the votes must count because Bayelsans are not used to votes being counted. The PDP must know that and learn new tactics in winning votes and not fight wars,” he declared.
In the same vein, Chairman of the Kogi State Governorship Campaign Council, made up of 7 governors, 3 former governors, 2 senators, 4 members of the House of Representatives, 6 ministers, 12 national officers and other party stalwarts, Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State said his Committee would work towards the final burial of the PDP.
“After the flag-off, I will like to urge all members of the Campaign Council to relocate to Lokoja and remain there in preparation for the final burial and nailing of the coffin of the PDP”, el-Rufai charged.
While APC, particularly at the centre appears to be confident of victory and continued to map out strategies to have a successful outing in both Bayelsa and Kogi, it has obviously turned deaf ears to the internal wrangling that if overlooked would made its efforts futile.
In Bayelsa, former Minister of State for Agriculture, Heineken Lokpobiri, who participated in September 4 governorship primary election, has dragged APC before a Federal High Court in Yenagoa, seeking the nullification of the candidature of David Lyon.
Lokpobiri is praying the court to declare him winner of the controversial poll as he won the primary election with majority votes of 111, 439, and Aganaba Stephen came second with 5,426, Ebitimi Amgbare got third position with 638 votes while Lyon came fifth with 325 votes.
He also sought an order of perpetual injunction stopping the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), its officers, agents and privies from accepting or further accepting, publishing or further publishing Lyon as the flag bearer and barring the electoral body from excluding him as the APC governorship candidate for Bayelsa.
The governorship aspirant sought another order to stop Lyon from parading or further parading, presenting or further presenting himself as APC candidate and a similar order against INEC to stop it from accepting, recognising, or dealing with Lyon or putting his image on the ballot paper in the name of APC as the party’s governorship candidate.
Lokpobiri asked the court to compel INEC to treat him as the lawful candidate of APC and to accord him the rights and privileges as candidate of APC in the gubernatorial election.
Consequently, the court has fixed November 4, barely two weeks to the poll for commencement of hearing in a suit filed by Lokpobiri and nobody can predict the outcome, whether his prayers would be granted.
The suit, which APC seems to give no damn about, is capable of playing back the scenario in Zamfara where all candidates of the party were sacked after the February/March general election on grounds of acrimonious primaries, thereby awarding victory to PDP which came second during the polls, or in Rivers where such circumstances led the barring of party’s candidates from participating in the general election.
On the other hand, if Lokpobiri as former minister with political structures and support base decides to join forces with PDP as being speculated, it would be a herculean task for APC during the governorship polls.
This is more so that observers are of the opinion that some leaders of APC from Bayelsa were afraid that if Lokpobiri emerged the party’s candidate they would be deprived of APC leadership, considering the manner he became minister in 2015 shortly after jumping ship from PDP to APC, almost without their knowledge.
For Kogi where incumbent Governor Yahaya Bello, the APC governorship candidate seems to be enjoying the support of his co-contestants for the same ticket, all is still not well, especially with the recent removal of his ex-deputy, Simon Achuba who has been replaced by Edward Onoja, the immediate past Chief of Staff and running mate of the governor.
While APC appears silent on this ugly development, chances are that if Achuba who has indicated the intention to challenge his removal in court joins PDP whose candidate, Musa Wada is his kinsman from the Igala majority, Bello, a minority Ebira may be affected at the election.
Apart from being politically unwise to undermine the political clout of someone who has been Deputy Governor for almost four years, Achuba may be privy to some information that when leaked would add weight to the campaign against Bello who in the opinion of many has performed abysmally.
Already, the opposition is using the ouster of the former Deputy Governor to campaign against the governor as demonstrated by the House of Representatives minority caucus which warned the people of Kogi to brace up for a “more oppressive and rapacious mode of governance if Governor Bello and the APC were allowed to force a minority government on the people once again”.
The House Minority caucus led by Ndidi Elumelu (PDP, Delta), said its understanding of the government in Lugard House is that of one given to an unabashed, unrepentant, and a rapacious breach of the people’s will.
“The so-called removal of the Deputy Governor is the height of unhinged travesty. It is impunity taken too far. It is neither known to law nor the Constitution of Nigeria and cannot be allowed to stand.
“By the purported removal of the Deputy Governor despite a ‘not guilty’ verdict returned by the Impeachment Panel, it is self-evident that these people are no respecters of law. The travesty is of no consequence for it imposes a defacto and not a dejure Deputy on the people of Kogi State and can only be short-lived.
“The good news is that the blundering government will soon have its day in the court of public opinion on November 16 and we trust the people of Kogi to pass an overwhelming Vote of No Confidence in the government and remove the incompetent and overbearing minority contraption from their Government House”, the caucus maintained.
James Kwen, Abuja
