APC TINUBU AND THE RAGING BATTLES WITHIN

APC: TINUBU AND THE RAGING BATTLES WITHIN

It was really in 2011 that Tinubu had made the overtures towards Muhammadu Buhari to form a large party that will rival and probably defeat the then all conquering PDP. His calculations were simple and you do not really need to be a rocket scientist to figure it out: Buhari’s popularity in the north had soared and he continued to be the singular opponent that the north had voted massively for against the PDP, whether as the presidential flag bearer of ANPP or its latter clone, CPC.

However Buhari felt he could go it alone, so he stylishly dodged the merger. But Buhari’s 12million votes in 2011, with 95% of it coming from the north convinced Tinubu that more than ever it was the thing to do.On the other hand, Buhari realized that the only way he could real win was to team up with a strong Southern based party, the way Tafawa Balewa teamed up with Ladoke Akintola in the first republic.  The birth of the All Progressives Congress, APC, saw the ACN, CPC, ANPP and APGA, come together initially and this encouraged the recalcitrant members of the PDP to join, basically to spite the egocentric PDP leadership that had continued the legacy of impunity passed down by the Obasanjo era.

The entrance of the NEW-PDP actually changed the situation the APC found itself for the better, because a number of founding members and powerfully buoyant governors were coming in with the secrets of the party that had held the country spell bound for 16 years!

Naturally the mastermind of the APC revolution, Tinubu was not very comfortable, but his political sagacity recognized the importance of the n-PDP caucus and how much the success of APC at the polls depended on the five mutineers along with former Vice President AtikuAbubakar and a host of others. From inception, Tinubu has always seen the APC as his child that must dance to his whims and caprices. Many would recollect the altercation between former Borno State governor Modu Sheriff and Bola Tinubu during the early days of the party, when Sheriff threatened to slap Tinubu for his high handedness, it took the reprimand of Buhari, for Sheriff to back down at that particular occasion. Sheriff was to decamp from APC  a short while later.

Tinubu’s strangle hold was evident through out the election period to the consternation of the other caucuses who bidded their time, especially the n-PDP caucus, which believed that they contributed a major part of the victory of the party. The major members of the n-PDP who have resisted the influence of Tinubu include, former vice president Atiku, Rabiu Kwankwanso- former Kano governor, Rotimi Amaechi- former Rivers governor, Bukola Saraki – new Senate President and Imo governor, RochasOkorocha.

These men have continuously felt that Tinubu is handling the party like a regional fiefdom, only giving other caucuses little or no chance to make inputs into the nominations and crucial decisions within the party. On the other hand, Tinubu is also battling with issues within his own ACN caucus. With the likes of Babatunde Fashola-former Lagos governor, who is still battling to free himself from the clutches of Tinubu and former Ekiti governor, Kayode Fayemi, who has warmed his way into Buhari’s inner circles, to the consternation of Tinubu, who is scared that if one or two of his boys slip from under his wings, many others might follow suit.

Perhaps Tinubu’s albatross is his desire to continue to play the politics of master- servant or Lord of the manor, who must be obeyed at all times. This worked effectively when he operated regionally, because a lot of the governors, senators, honorables etc, in the south west owe their rise to him. However this will not work for others who have also contributed financially and otherwise to the growth of the party with their own structures.

The National assembly leadership elections gave the other caucuses, especially the n-PDP, the perfect chance to cut Tinubu’s wings and because of his antecedents, Tinubu failed to see the bobby trap. For Rabiu Kwankwanso, Tinubu under estimated the influence of the n-PDP caucus within the ruling APC. This comes on the heels of his support for Tinubu’s candidiates Senator Lawan and former House minority leader Gbajabiamila.

However, while members of the n-PDP like Atiku and BukolaSaraki are closing ranks to fight Tinubu for the soul of the APC, the likes of Kwankwanso and former Rivers governor Rotimi Amaechi are believed to be more concerned about what comes to them personally. For instance Kwankwanso’s main reason for going against Bukola Saraki’s pursuit of the Senate Presidency is perceived to be whittling down Bukola’s influence in the race towards the presidential ticket for 2019, which Kwankwanso is highly interested in.

To further build on the advantage won so far, the Atiku camp is believed to be behind the vituperation of the APC deputy national publicity secretary, Timi Frank, who called for the resignation of national chairman John Oyegun and he also berated his immediate boss, Lai Mohammed for his statements that President Buhari is not the national leader of APC. While making references to Buhari’s predecessors being their party leaders, he wonders who Lai Mohammed believes is the APC leader.

As Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu continues to battle for control of the party he nutured it is imperative for him to first come to terms with the reality on the ground presently, because many founding fathers of political parties have been systematically pushed out in the past. Even president Buhari had to abandon ANPP to found the CPC on his long journey to the Presidency. Abubakar

nationalinformer247.blogspot.comAtiku himself was a founding member of PDP.

As the raging battle continues, Tinubu’s handling of the various caucuses trying to wrest the party structure from his strong hold might make or mar the growth of APC.