At 81 years of age , I am not a novice in Nigerian politics . I have spent over six decades participating actively in politics . So , I know much about the trend of Nigerian politics . We can look at what is happening in the All Progressives Congress in different ways . At my level , I believe it is good for democratic practice in Nigeria . Whenever there is a controversy , Nigerians are scared , especially when the political party that is involved is the ruling party . People are scared that the crisis could destabilise the party . Are we supposed to have a party of sycophants that does not get destabilised ? The problem of Nigeria ’ s political party structure from evolution is lack of internal democracy .
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• Unongo Paul ( A former Minister of Steel )
have always said that the APC is not
I a political party . It is a congregation of political gamblers , people who came together with the intention to capture power for their selfish interests . That is why you would notice that the party is threatened each time the ambition of an individual leader of the party is threatened . The union is not a stable one as all the members are seeking different goals . There is no group agenda . Bola Tinubu ’ s agenda is personal ; John Odigie-Oyegun ’ s agenda for the party is personal . The same thing applies to the other leaders of the party . National agenda is minimal on the party ’ s programme .
I am not surprised that they have started fighting one another . I am not surprised that Tinubu is attacking Odigie-Oyegun . That should be expected from a party that is populated by people who feel it is their turn to loot the country .
It is in the interest of Nigeria for the party to disintegrate . It is also in the interest of Nigeria for the Peoples Democratic Party to disintegrate as
• Ann-Kio Briggs ( Human rights activist )
The people who make up the All Progressives Congress are not |
In relation to this , there is a phenomenon where a few people attempt to capture the structure of a political party and impose their will on the party .
Also , when two critical members of a political party in the persons of Bola Tinubu and John Odigie-Oyegun open up to the public , the assumption is that they must have discussed the issues at the highest level of the party over and over without reaching an agreement . The disagreement could be over the need to follow the party ’ s ideology .
Should the APC , the leftist party , suffer from the ills that the Peoples Democratic Party appears to have suffered from ? Should the leader of the party who suffered a lot to build the party sit down and watch the party being destroyed ? I think Tinubu might have weighed the fact that he is a national leader of the party ; he might have made failed attempts to resolve the issues internally before coming to the public . People might have said , “ Don ’ t disgrace the party .” But we should understand that a political party is not a religious organisation . It is an ideological creation of man to manage political affairs . And if the APC has deviated from its ideology , somebody has to draw our attention to that . Nigerians should not see this as a destabilisation but a struggle to restore internal democracy .
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• Femi Okurounmu ( A former senator / Chairman , Presidential Advisory Committee on 2014 National Conference )
well . This would lead to the emergence of new political parties that are focused on redeeming Nigeria . The two leading political parties are groups of looters . They do not have the interest of Nigerians at heart . They are only concerned about the interest of their leaders . Nigeria would experience the beginning of progress the day the two parties fall apart .
strangers to Nigerian politics . They are part of the people who have been manipulating the political system since 1960 . They are among those who have destroyed this country . They came to do what they have always done — deceive , confuse , lie and loot .
Unfortunately , to their own surprise , Nigerians who should have known better believed their lies . Where are we today ? We are on the verge of collapse as a nation . We are on the verge of a breakup . The APC has no place for Nigeria . Its only plan is for its leaders . Unfortunately for them , this is the very cause of their internal conflicts . They have no idea what to do with the country . Hence , they have resorted to internal wrangling .
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was the first person that called for the
I resignation of John Odigie-Oyegun as the national chairman of the party . That was when the problem at the National Assembly started . I , particularly , condemned the infamous mock election conducted to pick the leaders of the National Assembly . I called for the resignation of Odigie-Oyegun , but nobody took my complaint seriously . I also called for his resignation after the Bayelsa State governorship primary . But nobody listened to me . After the primary , I granted a press conference , warning that
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• Timi Frank ( Acting National Publicity Secretary , All Progressives Congress )
The All Progressives Congress is a coat of many colours . When you talk about party politics , you are referring to ideologies , foundations and regular meetings . At the national level , how many times has the APC met ? Even at state level , do they meet ? Does the APC understand party politics ? What statement has it issued on the recession facing the country ? What is its position on how it would be tackled ?
We do not have a provision for independent candidature in Nigeria ; every elected public officer comes from a political party . That shows the power of a political party . At the last general election , it was the political party and not the individual that was voted to every political office . So , a party must have an overwhelming influence on its members .
Today , the President , Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Reps are members of the APC . Why are they fighting one another ? You do not secure power just for the purpose
• Jubril Ogundimu ( Human rights activist )
The conflict in the All Progressives Congress is beyond the former governor of Lagos State , Bola Tinubu . The South- |
the APC would lose Bayelsa with Timipre Sylva as its candidate . I complained that the primary that produced Sylva was fraudulent . Indeed , we lost . A similar scenario is playing out in Ondo State today . I wished the party ’ s leaders listened to my recommendations after the Bayelsa primary .
When Alhaji Lai Mohammed was appointed minister , I was supposed to be made the substantive National Publicity Secretary . But Odigie-Oyegun denied me the right . I cried out but nobody listened to me . I said Odigie-Oyegun was not competent to continue as the national chairman of the party , but nobody listened to me .
Today , the national leaders have realised the enormity of my complaint . What I can tell Nigerians is that if nothing is done to remove Odigie-Oyegun , more harm would be done to the party . Long before now , I raised the alarm over the internal crisis in the party but Odigie-Oyegun countered by position . Now , we cannot hide the crisis . There is a crisis in Kano State . There is a crisis in kaduna State . There is a crisis in Edo State . There is a crisis in Kogi State . And the crises are deepening . Odigie- Oyegun has not demonstrated that he has the capacity to address any of the crises .
• Mayor Eze ( Ex-member , House of Reps )
of grabbing power . The challenge with the APC is ideological .
The Peoples Democratic Party would always sit down to discuss challenges no matter how bad the situation was . There might not be a solution at a single meeting . But after a series of meetings , they would begin to evolve a roadmap towards solving the crisis . But does the APC meet ? This is the root of its crisis .
West is vital to Nigerian politics ; it is the deciding factor . That is very clear .
What I believe is that some northern politicians are making attempts to reduce the influence of Tinubu in the South-West . That is the reason why Tinubu himself must be very careful .
The conflict is not about the National Chairman of the APC , John Odigie-Oyegun . Tinubu and Odigie-Oyegun belong to the same ideological bloc . So , they could not have had irresolvable misunderstandings . I believe some people are using the party ’ s national chairman against Tinubu . And more people who are loyal to Tinubu would be hijacked as the conflict unfolds .
Already , it is obvious that Tinubu is losing his grip on the South-West . The 2015 Lagos governorship election is a reference point — the APC won marginally . These are clear indications that people are working very hard to reduce the ex-governor ’ s influence . It is a battle for the soul of the Yoruba land .
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