There seems to be trouble within the All Progressives Congress (APC) from different angles, threatening to tear the party apart. Bola Tinubu has been given a herculean task of reconciling aggrieved members of the party across board. The big question is: where does he begin?
In Kaduna State, Tinubu has his work clearly cut out. The feud between Governor Nasir El-Rufai and Senator Shehu Sani is getting messier. It would be very difficult for Tinubu to reconcile two people who have different interests. Sani has never hidden his disdain for policies of Governor Nasir El-rufai ‘s administration. It seems the two just can’t agree on anything.
The crisis within the APC in Kaduna is not just about El-Rufai and Senator Sani. There are two factions of the APC in the state. Sani and El-Rufai belong to the opposing camps of the party in the state.
Most of the heavy weights are in Sani’s camp. It means Tinubu not only needs to reconcile Governor El-Rufai with Senator Sani but Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, APC National Vice Chairman for North West, Inuwa Abdulkadir, whose house that served as the secretariat of the Sen. Sani faction of the party was recently demolished by the Governor, Alhaji Isa Ahiru, Alhaji Tijani Ramalan and Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed.
In neighbouring Kano State, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and his predecessor, Senator Ibrahim Musa Kwankwaso, recently became sworn enemies. They have been political rivals for quite some time but the situation has degenerated to the level that there is a slogan for both camps saying “Kano ba sulhu” meaning no reconciliation in Kano.
Tinubu would have to convince them to work together for the interest of the party. But the problem is that these politicians have their selfish interests. For instance, Kwankwaso has his eyes on the presidency while Ganduje is not in support. Kwankwaso also has his governorship candidate for 2019 while Ganduje is vying for a second term. Whether Tinubu’s reconciliatory moves can make them shelve their ambitions is a big challenge.
Kogi State is the worst in terms of party crisis. Many of those who secured electoral victory for President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 were abandoned by the party. They are not being recognized. Their problem is also compounded by Governor Yahaya Bello who many say has failed to carry members of the APC along.
Trouble started when he lost the APC governorship primaries to the late Prince Abubakar Audu. Instead of campaigning for Audu who was his party member, Bello embarked on anti-party activities by campaigning for then Governor, Idris Wada of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Unknowing to Bello, he would stand to be the biggest beneficiary of Audu’s demise.
As soon as Audu died, Bello was chosen to replace him. This made most members of the APC furious. It was a bitter pill to swallow. In addition to that, the young governor did not deem it fit to call aggrieved members together to make peace. He was instead, said to have gone ahead to insult those who stood against him in the power tussle between him and Mr. James Abiodun Faleke, Audu’s running mate.
Tinubu himself is not pleased with Bello’s ways. He was in support of Faleke to emerge as governor in place of Audu. There is also a bitter rivalry between Senator Dino Melaye and Governor Bello. The duo may be irreconcilable.
In Rivers State, the relationship between Minister of Transport Rotimi Amaechi and Senator Magnus Abe has turned sour. Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and Senator Ararume are also not in good terms.
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In Oyo State, the conflict between Communications Minister, Adebayo Shittu and Governor Abiola Ajimobi, has become public knowledge, as has the conflict between former Governor of Gombe, Danjuma Goje and former Deputy Speaker Bayero Nafada.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s state, Katsina is not left out as Governor Aminu Masari and several party leaders in the state have forged an alliance against him.
Tinubu himself is at daggers drawn with some members of the party. Therefore, there are those who think he must first and foremost reconcile himself with some party members before he begins the job proper. They are Senate President, Bukola Saraki, his former protege, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, Solid Minerals Minister, Kayode Fayemi, and the party’s national chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun.
To make matters worse, last week, Tinubu wrote to Buhari, accusing Oyegun of sabotaging the reconciliation process. Copies of the letter were also made available to the Vice President, Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives.
His letter read in part, “Disappointment greeted me when I discovered that you had swiftly acted in contravention of the spirit of our discussions. Instead of being a bulwark of support as promised, you positioned yourself in active opposition to the goal of resuscitating the progressive and democratic nature of APC.”
That itself is a setback for the reconciliatory efforts of President Buhari. It is one of the reasons some members of the party were opposed to Tinubu being appointed for that critical task. They are questioning if Tinubu is the right man for the job.
The concern for some members of the party is that 2019 is around the corner and time is of the essence here. If all hands are not on deck to put the APC back on track, it may be too late.
