Twist and turns for APC

JOHNCHUKS ONUANYIM reports on how the All Progressives Congress (APC) has faired in the last two years that it has been in charge of the Federal Government

Today, May 29 marks two years the All Progressives Congress (APC) mounted the saddle of governance, as a ruling party, having won the April 28 2015 presidential election and governorship elections in 24 states.The party also won majority seats at the legislative arm of government, which makes the party to control the federal and states legislatures.

Having been registered as a political party in 2013, APC was determined to bring colour and candor into governance and party administration.

These were reflected in the party’s constitution and manifesto. The manifesto and constitution of the party mostly endeared it to the people to the extent that expectations were so high and defections to the party also increased.

Every geopolitical zone started feeling that APC was the way to go. In its constitution, APC had emphasized internal democracy and equal opportunities for members and other sundry issues that could be said to be lacking in other political parties that were in existence when APC was formed.

Also, in the manifesto was the issue of good governance and restructuring. In fact, the first paragraph of APC dwells on restructuring as it states: “Initiate action to amend our Constitution with a view to devolving powers, duties and responsibilities to states and local governments in order to entrench true Federalism and the Federal spirit.”

But not too long APC formed government, the tempo of the music changed. The true colour of Nigerian democrats and politicians started manifesting in the APC and its members.

Inauguration of the 8th National Assembly

The first acid test for APC as a ruling was the inauguration of the 8th National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari. In all ramification, it could be said that the APC as a political party failed that test as there was no harmony, peace and agreement in that inauguration.

As was expected, the President, who is the leader of the party, was going to inaugurate the Assembly after they might have elected presiding officers of the Assembly, who were supposedly to be APC legislators.Buhari could not carry out this function as party members plotted against each other on those who should be the presiding officers.

The APC, which believed in equal opportunity found itself trying to shut some persons out of their dreams of becoming presiding officers of the National Assembly.The battle for the Senate President was between Senators Bukola Saraki and Ahmed Lawan, with Senator Lawan backed by the leadership of APC.

For the House of Representatives, it was between Yakubu Dogora and Femi Gbajabiamila, with Gbajabiamila backed by the APC leadership. Unfortunately for the party’s leadership, it lost the politicking of electing the National Assembly presiding officers, with Senator Saraki and Hon Dogora emerging as Senate President and Speaker, House of Representatives respectively.

This politicking and lost to clinch the leadership of the National Assembly by some APC leaders in consonance with the National Working Committee (NWC) could be said to be the genesis of the problem of the party.

The most vilified in the crisis was the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

Composition of Federal Executive Council

It took the All Progressives Congress led administration six months to constitute the Federal Executive Council (FEC) even though the party and the outgoing government had set up committee to oversee the handover before May 29 2015.

Although there is no constitutional time frame for the composition of the federal cabinet by the president, the APC government wouldn’t have seen any reason why a government should delay six months to have this in place.

Beyond this, two years after, the APC government has not been able to constitute government properly as there are agencies without chief executives and board members. The inability of the APC to set up a proper apparatus of government has been seen by many Nigerians and the opposition parties as the reason for the slow running of government which have affected the wellbeing of Nigerians.

Budget passage/implementation

One of the major policies of past government that APC criticized was the passage of budget and its implementation by the then ruling party. But, with its majority in the National Assembly, the ruling party had found it difficult to pass budgets at the appropriate time.

In 2015, the party had argued that it didn’t prepare the budget, therefore needed more time to pass the budget but subsequent years also, the party had delayed in budget passage as the 2017 budget was just passed in the month of May. For that of 2016, it was passed in the month of March.

Party primaries/internal democracy

The major political ideology of the APC is the institutionalization of internal democracy, but not quite long APC came to power that the issue of internal democracy became a problem as witnessed in its recent governorship primaries in some states.

After the December 10, 2014 APC National Convention that produced Buhari as the presidential candidate of the party, APC’s other primaries have been characterised by lack of internal democracy. Since 2015, APC has conducted governorship primaries in Kogi, Bayelsa, Edo and Ondo states.

In all the primaries, no one could be said to have reflected the choice of party members.

Internal wrangling

Since APC is alleged to have violated some of its principles and constitutional provisions, the level of internal wrangling in the party has increased. Virtually in all APC controlled states, there is one problem or the other.

The problems are in different forms and shapes and they are as a result of battles to control the party’s machinery ahead of the 2019 elections.

Not quite long, the national leadership of the party set up factfinding and reconciliation committees for Kogi and Bauchi states to reconcile aggrieved members.

Upholding party.

constitution and manifesto Opposition political parties believe that the APC has not kept to its manifesto, while members of the party on the other hand believe that the letters of constitution of the party have not been kept. Interrogating these, the opening of APC manifesto states: “Initiate action to amend our Constitution with a view to devolving powers, duties and responsibilities to states and local governments in order to entrench true federalism and the federal spirit of strengthen other institutions.

”But APC and its members have opposed suggestions on restructuring for true federalism.

Also on infrastructure, security, education and health job creation among others, APC has not met its promises to Nigerians. For instance, the party stated that it would increase power generation to 20,000 megawatts within its four years, but two years down the line, power generation is less than 4,000 megawatts.

On security, the party stated that it would establish a Conflict Resolution Commission to help prevent, mitigate and resolve civil conflicts within the polity; bring permanent peace and solution to the Niger Delta and other conflict prone areas such as Plateau, Taraba, Bauchi, Borno and Abia in order to engender national unity and social harmony; initiate policies to ensure that Nigerians are free to live and work in any part of the country by removing state of origin, tribe, ethnic and religious affiliations and replace those with state of residence.

A look at what is happening in the country would definitely show that APC policies and manifesto are better in papers as the level of insecurity is still high. On the constitution, APC members believe that the party has not maximally operated its constitution to favour the members.

One member of the party that holds this view strongly is the suspended Deputy National Publicity Secretary of APC, Comrade Timi Frank. Frank is of the opinion that if the constitution of APC was put in proper use the party would not be undergoing the crisis it is undergoing today.

The issue of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) holding meetings, finances and others are areas that the party has violated its constitution.

Corruption

APC, its members and its government have also be found wanting on the issue of corruption. No doubt that its government has fought corruption, corruption is still found among its members and its government. For instance the Secretary to Government of the Federation and former APC National Vice Chairman, North East, Engr. Babachir Lawal has been suspended over alleged corrupt act.

He is alleged to have misappropriated funds meant for the Presidential Initiative for North East (PINE). Senator Shehu Sanni, representing Kaduna South captured the federal government’s treatment of corrupt government functionaries and non APC members as using insecticides and deodorant.

Relationship between APC and its government

The governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai captured aptly that there is no relationship between the government at the federal level and the party and to him, this is not health for governance. The Kaduna State governor is not alone in this view of APC not having a consonance relationship with the presidency in terms of governance. National Assembly members, governors and some other chieftains of the party have expressed concerns worries over the inability of the party’s NWC to advise to presidency properly on some issues.

In fact one of the reasons why some members are demanding for removal or resignation of APC national chairman is that he lacks courage to talk to the Presidency and insist on party supremacy. The party leadership has not been able to ensure party supremacy in all arms of government, thereby governance weak.It is believed that a strong and viable government comes from the supremacy of party leadership.