Grassroot Crisis Affecting The National Body Still Trails The Congress

THE cracks on the walls of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, widened aftermath weekend’s ward congresses, across the country. Some party stakeholders are in a fight-to-finish for the control of the party’s soul in many states of the country.

While many states claimed it was free, fair and peaceful, others said participants and other stakeholders were shortchanged.

The congress did not hold in Anambra and Zamfara states due to the disagreement over the last governorship primary and leadership tussle.

In Kebbi, Abia, Imo, Ondo, Kaduna, Adamawa, Sokoto, Gombe and Delta states, the exercise was said to be without rancour.

In Niger State, one of the factions rejected the outcome, calling for a fresh exercise.

Kebbi State Governor and Chairman of Progressives’ Governors’ Forum (PGF), Atiku Bagudu, expressed delight at the peaceful conduct of the congresses. The governor, who spoke after the affirmation of the party’s new wards leaders at Nasarawa 2, his ward, said: “History has repeated itself as the party had at several times employed consensus and it worked well in the past.”

The Chairman of Birnin Kebbi Local Government Area, Aminu Sarkin Fada, congratulated the governor for the smooth conduct of the congress in his ward.

Leader of the monitoring committee from the party’s national secretariat, Dr. Osita Okechukwu, hailed Bagudu, major stakeholders and party members for their cooperation, solidarity and unity for the party’s progress.

The Chairman of the Ward Congress Committee for Abia State, Israel Sonny Goli, lauded the exercise’s successful conduct.

Following the intrigues that hallmarked the congresses, which claimed one life and injured many in Ekiti; parallel exercises in Lagos and Ogun, and bickering in Akwa Ibom, Osun and Delta, among other states, the pro and anti-Mai Mala Buni-led national leadership stakeholders, have returned to the trenches.

Whether or not Buni, who is the governor of Yobe State, should remain as the chairman of the APC National Caretaker and Convention Planning Committee is a question that is tearing the ruling party apart.

The 3:4 minority judgement of the Supreme Court in the Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State versus Eyitayo Jegede of the PDP, which said Buni should not hold elective and appointive positions at the same time going by the APC and 1999 constitutions is at issue.

This was the reason those opposed to Buni wanted the ward congresses postponed and a new leader appointed to organise it to avoid litigation that could hurt APC’s electoral fortunes in future as was witnessed in Rivers and Zamfara in 2019.

However, the party hierarchy insisted on proceeding with the ward congresses and read riot act to dissenters who hold parallel congresses or open parallel offices.

The contentious issue played out in the congresses as most of those opposed to Buni-led caretaker committee ‘’lost out” adding fodder to the festering crises in many states.

As it is, the congresses have invigorated the battle for the soul of APC in the states. In Akwa Ibom, the secretary of the caretaker committee, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Senator Ita Enang and Group Captain Sam Ewang, retd, have scores to settle.

In Delta, Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Mr. Festus Keyamo, and some leaders of the APC in Delta Central are squaring off against those led by Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege; and in Kwara, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed is pitted against Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. The governor’s camp had the upper hand in the ward congresses.

Also, in Ekiti, Senator Dayo Adeyeye is fighting to stop the Governor Kayode Fayemi’s  camp. 

The congress widened the rift between the factions of the party in Abia state.

While the Chief Ikechi Emenike faction said the congress held in all the 17 council areas of the state, the Hon. Donatus Nwankpa lamented that the committee sent to conduct the congress disappeared as they were still waiting for them at the party secretariat in Umuahia.

Chairman of the Chief Emenike faction, Chief Enyinnaya Harbour told Vanguard that the congress was held as the congress committee went round some wards and monitored the congress.

He added that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and Police also monitored the congress.

His words: “The congress held and is still going on, by the end of today. It is in the news that the congress held in all the wards and the congress committee from Abuja went round some wards monitoring the congress. The INEC and the police monitored the congress.”

However, the Nwankpa faction while briefing journalists at the APC secretariat in Umuahia, stated that the committee absconded from the assignment, stressing that their conduct shows that of people who came to destabilize the party and create confusion.

Despite complaints of hijack of the Ward Congress in Delta State by some high-profile power brokers,  top rank leader, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, said, weekend, that the congress was peaceful.

Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, SAN, and other leaders of the party from Delta Central Senatorial district had expressed dissatisfaction with the entire process.

The APC chieftain, who represents Brass/Nembe Federal Constituency of Bayelsa State, said his committee was not interested in anybody that declined to participate in the congress, having made it clear that no member of the party was excluded.

In Niger State, a faction of the party, led by it Secretary, Mohammed Liman, has declared the exercise null and void.

Liman said there was a litigation over the legality of the caretaker committee in the state, which had not been settled.

The embattled party chieftain claimed that the party’s Ward Congress Committee from Abuja was not in Minna, the state capital, for the exercise.

“If this congress is challenged in court, the challenger would win. The illegal congress being embarked upon will kill the party. The party is heading for doom, a disaster waiting to happen,” he said.

A chieftain of the APC in Osun State, Chief Adewale Bamigbade, yesterday hailed Governor Adegboyega Oyetola for sustaining unity and cohesiveness of the party after the ward congresses.

Bamigbade, who is one of the leaders in Ilesha, also praised the state’s Caretaker Chairman, Prince Gboyega Famodun, for ceding to the directive of the national secretariat by adopting consensus method to elect leaders of the party at ward levels.

In a statement yesterday in Osogbo, the state capital, he said: “With the concluded ward congresses in Osun State, it shows that our members still trust the leadership of our party and leaders also listen to their demands.

“We have spoken with one voice and it will go a long way to help our party in subsequent elections, particularly during Osun 2022 governorship election.

“Governor Oyetola allowed the party to decide on who they wanted to be their leaders and Prince Famodun did an excellent job.”

The national leadership of the party gave a pass mark for the ward congress in Kaduna State, describing the exercise as transparent and rancour-free.

Imo State APC Chairman, Prince Marcellinus Nlemigbo, expressed happiness over the peaceful conduct of the exercise in the 305 wards.

In Ondo and Adamawa states, the exercise reportedly went peacefully.

credit of party officials and other stakeholders who demonstrated maturity.

“There were no instances of parallel congresses anywhere in the state, and the entire exercise was conducted under the supervision of officials of the INEC and security agencies.”

On the death of a party member, Oluwalana said: “…There was a disagreement between two individuals around the venue on a matter totally unconnected to the congresses, which led to a fight and the unfortunate demise of one of them. We have it on good authority that the incident happened long after the congress had been concluded and was not connected with the conduct nor the outcome of the exercise.

“Further, we would like to disabuse the minds of the public on insinuations being peddled about a purported clash between supporters of Governor Kayode Fayemi and supporters of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in the state.

“Our respected National Leader is well known to have contributed to the growth of the party in Ekiti State and the entire country, and we as a party are aware of the very cordial relationship between Asiwaju Tinubu and Governor Fayemi.

“Conflict entrepreneurs are advised to look elsewhere for a different narrative to bolster their divisive tendencies, and not fan embers of discord where there is none.”