Is APC Reinventing Self for Post-Buhari Politics?

Perhaps, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) approved a six-month extension for the Mai Mala Buni Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee in a bid to enable the party reinvent itself.

APC prides itself as being committed to a Nigeria that achieves its full potential and promise. ‘’We work towards a nation that is economically and socially vibrant, peaceful, just and secure; a nation where the blight of corruption is no longer tolerated in our political, business or civic affairs; a nation that invests in improving the livelihoods of its people and the places where we live; a nation that recognizes strength in its diversity; a nation where all citizens can earn a respectable living, provide for their families and contribute to the betterment of their communities; and nation of progress’’, the party says.

Under its watch, Nigeria is yet to experience enduring peace and security. The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been lashing out on it on the security situation of the country, describing as stunning, the attempt by the APC NEC to blame the citizenry for the manifest failure by President Muhammadu Buhari to secure life and property across our country and urges the party to accept its failures.

PDP asserts that APC should respond to Nigerians over its abysmal performance in governance instead of collapsing its structures and trying to indirectly use President Buhari as the scapegoat for their collective failure.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement says in dissolving its structures across the country, which is apparently a prelude to its reported name change, APC and its administration have validated the call by Nigerians across board that President Buhari should resign.

‘’APC should know that dissolving its structures alone cannot be the answer to its humongous atrocities and failures in government. Now that the APC NEC has indicted President Buhari by pointing to the need for national collaboration in tackling insecurity, which Mr. President had observed in the breach, by bluntly refusing to heed the calls by patriotic Nigerians, including the PDP, to rejig our security architecture, the call for his resignation has come across party, ethnic and class boundaries.

‘’Moreover, it is clear that it is the Buhari Presidency and the APC that have been politicizing insecurity and we therefore advise them to go back to their boardroom and reexamine themselves. Furthermore, while Nigerians are celebrating the exit of the APC following the collapse of its structure, the attempt to extend the tenure of its illegal national caretaker committee is an effort in futility as it amounts to building something on nothing.

‘’This is because the constitution of the APC does not provide for a national caretaker committee and the appointment of a sitting governor Bala Mai Buni, as its chairman is a nullity, being in breach of the 1999 Constitution, (as amended). As such, the APC, having dissolved its structure, has exited the political firmament and such brings to close its attempt at membership drive.

‘’Moreover, the NEC has no powers, under the APC constitution, to donate any administrative authority to a caretaker committee, which is alien to the their constitution. It is now manifest to all Nigerians that a party that cannot run its own internal affairs cannot be expected to run government in a country like Nigeria. This has shown why our nation, in the last five years, has been in circus under the APC.’’

Already, Kaduna State Government, an APC state, is bracing for community policing following the state of insecurity in the country. The state has commenced the screening of youths across the 23 local government areas of the state.

This was made public on Monday during a meeting with members of the National Assembly and traditional rulers from the northern and central senatorial zones in the state chaired by the Deputy Governor, Hadiza Balarabe.

During the meeting, the federal legislators led by the Senator representing Kaduna Central, Uba Sani renewed the call for the restructuring of the country’s security architecture, especially as it relates to the establishment of state and community policing, as a way of addressing the problem of insecurity in Kaduna state and other parts of the country.

While they also passed a vote of confidence on Governor Nasir El-Rufai on his efforts in addressing the security challenges in the state, Commissioner of Internal Security and that of local government Affairs Jafaru Sani also called for an overview of the security situation in Kaduna state, and efforts being made by the state government to tackle the security challenges.

The meeting later went into closed door, and after about three hours of deliberation, the lawmakers brief reporters on some of the immediate and long term resolutions reached. One of the first steps according to Uba Sani is the urgent need to recruit more youths as community policing constables, who will be sent to their respective communities.

As the meeting also resolves to engage traditional rulers as stakeholders in the community policing arrangement giving their closeness to the people at the grassroots, Sani also disclosed that he is working on a bill to restructure police architecture, to meet contemporary challenges, adding that if it scales through, the bill will create state police.

Disturbingly, two persons were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in two separate attacks at Aduwawa and Ogida areas of Benin City, the capital of Edo State on Tuesday. In the past few weeks, several cult-related killings have been recorded in the city.

In the first incident, the victim whose identity could not be ascertained, was shot dead in his residence at Obanor Street, off College Road, Aduwawa. The second gunshot victim, Ighodaro Edigin Osahon, was reportedly shot dead in his residence, along Mechanic Road, Ogida Quarters.

It was gathered that the gunmen stormed Osahon’s residence and met him where he was relaxing with his immediate family members and shot him at close range.

Osahon who hailed from Iguoshodin Nebudin community near Benin City, according to reports, had a disagreement with some persons in the locality. The elder brother of the deceased, Pastor Sunday Osahon, said the family members are in shock over the killing of one of the breadwinners in the family.

While he called on the police to investigate the circumstances surrounding the killing, with a view to bring the perpetrators to justice, Police Public Relations Officer for Zone 5, Tijani Momoh, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, confirmed the killing of Osahon, pointing out that two suspects have been arrested in connection with the murder.

Yet, APC in its commitment boasts:  ‘’Our party considers the Nigerian people as our nations greatest assets, and will do everything to protect and preserve human life and dignity. Our party upholds a Nigeria bound by the principle of freedom, justice, peace, unity and the rule of law. Our party upholds and respects ^very individual’s choice of faith under God. Our party has no tolerance for corruption and will manage Nigerian resources responsibly, with a commitment to accountability and the pursuit of the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

‘’Our party is committed to a strong system of government at the federal, state and local levels as the most effective vehicle for harnessing the diversity and preserving the unity of Nigeria. Our party rests on the foundation of democracy, fairness and the pursuit of opportunity for all citizens, predicated on economic productivity, fair competition and the bridging of inequalities. Our party pursues its objective of increasing economic opportunity, social welfare and progress through a government-led and private sector driven economy. Our party upholds and respects the interest of one person, one vote grounded in free and fair elections at all levels. Our party upholds and respects the interests
of Nigeria’s diverse ethnic groups that constitute our nation. Our party recognizes Nigeria’s strategic role on the African continent and commits to the pursuit of a foreign policy that promotes peace, security and our national interest.’’

But, the party provides very little of these commitments. PDP and concerned Nigerians have been criticising it for limiting social democracy, the welfare state, trade unionism, and social classes as agents of change. Since the Buhari administration has thrown these segments into crisis, what other institutions do we have to depend on?

APC seems to be thinking about forging a new model of politics for 2023. Undoubtedly, an active, devolved civil society can sustain the claim that the emerging new APC is inherently democratic.

The critique of the Buhari administration, in the emerging reformed APC view, is based on mistaken generalisations about a transitional phase in the evolution of ‘modern’ Nigeria. Some APCists are of the view that what is needed, is a reinvention of post-Buhari politics, corresponding to the demands of the EndSARS protesters.

The News Agency of Nigeria however, reported that the NEC also approved the dissolution of the party structures at the ward, state, and national levels. Governor Nasir El-Rufa’i of Kaduna confirmed the development, saying the NEC also approved the expulsion of former National Vice Chairman of the party in the South-South, Ntufam Hilliard-Eta.

The governor explained that Hilliard-Eta was dismissed from the party for refusing to withdraw the court case he instituted against the caretaker committee. He spoke alongside Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo, and his Ondo counterpart, Rotimi Akeredolu, condemning the recent call for the resignation of President Buhari by PDP over security challenges in parts of the country.

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