To many watchers of Nigerian political events and developments, the rumour of a divided All Progressive Congress (APC) is becoming true. The recent boycott of Rotimi Akeredolu’s gubernatorial campaign by Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the party’s national leader, and his close allies, signified a house divided against itself. President Muhammadu Buhari was at the rally and vowed that the party’s standard bearer would win the election.
The former Lagos State governor, who had asked John Odigie-Oyegun, national chairman of the APC, to tender his resignation over alleged manipulation of election primaries that produced Akeredolu, ahead of his preferred candidate, Olusegun Abraham, seems to be enjoying the loyalty of south west governors under the party.
Rauf Aregbesola (Osun State), Abiola Ajumobi (Oyo State) and Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos State) appear to be on the same page with Tinubu. They also, like Tinubu, including Bisi Akande, the party’s former chairman, were absent as the President led other bigwigs to Ondo State. But Ibikunle Amosun, who is alleged to be one of the cabals influencing appointments in Aso Rock was present at the rally.
A source close to the APC chairman in Benin, disclosed to BDSUNDAY that Odigie-Oyegun, the former Edo State governor who got the party’s top job owing to Tinubu’s influence, found himself in a dilemma of loyalty between President Buhari, the constitutional head of the party who also as the saying goes, ‘holds the yam and the knife’ and Bola Tinubu, to whom he holds his current political relevance.
“In Nigerian politics, ruling party chairmen are first and foremost loyal to the president. The loyalty focus of chairman of political party in opposition is not the same focus as that of chairman of a ruling party. If a ruling party chairman wants to remain relevant in Nigeria he must not allow the president to doubt his loyalty. But I can tell you that both President Buhari and the chairman are trying their best to retain Tinubu in the party. Everyone knows his contribution to where the party is today. But there are bound to be disagreement sometimes, since we are from different political backgrounds,” the source said.
According to the source, who is a male, who was a commissioner in the immediate past Adams Oshiomhole-led Edo State Government, although the leadership of the APC was aware that the south west political juggernaut may have worked in favour of Olusola Oke, the governorship candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in the Ondo election, caution would still be applied in handling the alleged anti-party activities because the APC will still count on his influence comes 2019.
He said the party leadership understands that Tinubu has made multiple sacrifices to keep the APC together and President Buhari is making efforts at working on the strained relationship, particularly in the area of key government appointments which did not favour Tinubu, adding that should he decides to opt out of the party, it will be harder to market the APC due to the prevailing economic challenges confronting Nigerians since the party took over power at the centre.
But indications emerging from Tinubu’s camp show that his loyalists are not happy how the Jagaban is being sidelined in a government he midwived and how the south west is fast losing political relevance.
There were also some ill-feelings in some quarters that Tinubu may have lost some of his men to the President. Those listed to have been lost by Tinubu include Yemi Osinbajo, a former attorney-general of Lagos State under Tinubu as Governor, and now the vice president on the same ‘anointing’; Babatunde Raji Fashola, current minister of Power, Works and Housing, also came into political limelight when he served as Tinubu’s Chief of Staff and later succeeded him as governor of the state. Kayode Fayemi, former governor of Ekiti State, now minister of Mine and Steel Development, and Lai Mohamed, minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, who was spokesperson for Tinubu’s defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and later held the same position for the APC.
Tinubu, starting all over again
BDSUNDAY reliably gathered that Tinubu may have decided to restrategise by working with some of his loyalists in a bid to bring the South West back to relevance. He may also be considering a new coalition that would put him in his rightful position in the region.
Reacting to a protest last month at the APC national headquarters in Abuja by Odigie-Oyegun’s loyalists against Bola Tinubu, Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, said: “If Tinubu is allowed to be embarrassed and disgraced just the way our past leaders were humiliated by these same elements, the Yoruba nation would have been made to suffer for uprightness” addING that “humiliation of Tinubu is also humiliation of the Yoruba race”.
Governor Fayose did not mince words in addressing some figures that are now known as “former Tinubu’s boys-turned Buhari’s boys” as he said: “It is unfortunate that Tinubu is now being vilified in a party he invested heavily in and his fellow kinsmen that he brought up politically are part of this conspiracy. It should be noted that the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo was sent to jail by the conspiracy and collaboration of some Yorubas with the external aggressors. Those people that Asiwaju Tinubu made, but are now being used against him, should watch it.
“In their desperation, they have even tried to set him against the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo by insinuating that he tried to prevent his (Osinbajo’s) emergence as President Mohammadu Buhari’s running mate; this is sad. I therefore, condemn this conspiracy against Asiwaju Tinubu and I admonish those that are hoping to make political benefits from it to have a rethink.”
John Paden, a renowned foreign biographer, had written a biography of President Buhari, which was launched in Abuja recently wherein he insinuated that Osinbajo’s choice as Vice President was opposed by Tinubu; an attempt many said was to put the two political allies at a loggerhead.
“The Ondo primary was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. Tinubu has been losing political influence right from the constitution of the leadership of the National Assembly; the appointment of ministers and cabinet members; the Kogi governorship election and now Ondo State; his candidates were never accepted in all of these. But some of us saw this coming and I sometimes wonder if Tinubu did not see it coming”, Lucky Ovabor, Abuja-based political scientist told BDSUNDAY.
He noted that Tinubu was pushed to the wall by his party’s decision to go ahead even after an appeal panel set up by the APC to review the outcome of the Ondo primary recommended the conduct of a fresh primary but the leadership ignored the decision and still fielded Akeredolu as its flag bearer.
“Under such circumstance, it becomes natural for him to fight back. But I am excited about the development because it will make 2019 interesting for those who would be alive. It is going to be very interesting. The likes of Fayose, Iyiola Omisiore and others with the south west who do not like Buhari may team up with Tinubu. This signs are already there for us to see, unless APC do something fast to woo him (Tinubu) back,” Ovabor said.
Yinka Odumakin, publicity secretary, pan Yoruba Social Cultural Group, Afenifere, told BDSUNDAY that events unfolding in Nigeria’s political space would eventually lead to alignment of certain forces who are dissatisfied with the current regime while also agreeing that 2019 would be “politically very interesting”.
He said: “The Ondo State governorship election rally of the APC where Amosun of Ogun State was the only south west APC governor that attended is an indication of what to expect come 2019. There is definitely going to be alignment of forces due to events unfolding in the country”.
Odumakin, who foresees emergence of new political party or parties ahead of the 2019 general election, said by that time, the APC will longer be strong to win election like it did in 2015 when it unseated an incumbent president.
“It will be difficult for the APC to remain together with all these wrangling going on now. Even the PDP is also having serious wrangling. The two major parties are having internal issues which may lead to the formation of new ones. But the determinant factor in the 2019 general elections would be the state of the nation and of the economy. The current sorry condition of the economy would be a big issue for APC in 2019,” he said.
When asked to comment on the insinuation from the presidency that President Buhari would likely seek second term in office, he explained that what Garba Shehu said do not amount to saying the President will seek second term.
“What I read is Garba Shehu responding to Buba Galadima that Buhari would be abandoned by Nigerians in 2019. He was only saying that the President is still popular. That is not the same thing as saying the President would contest the 2019 election. You may say that is an insinuation or body language, but I don’t take things on the surface. Let’s wait until Buhari himself tells Nigerians he would be seeking second term in office,” Odumakin said.
NATHANIEL AKHIGBE
