Osun APC: Hope rekindled?

Ounique second chance; and it will need the second chance for that matter! What remains is to N Monday, May 1, 2023, the immediate past take the fullest advantage of the emergence of governor of Osun State, Adegbo yega a vigorous political party that will start giving Oyetola inaugurated “an 11- man committee to others sleepless nights, because, ceteris stimulate, revamp, restructure and reposition paribus, Osun APC will be the party to beat in the All Progressives Congress ( APC), Osun State the next four years; and Adewole’s Committee Chapter”. Nigerians wish the Professor Isa ac has a big role to play in this, going forward! Adewole- led Committee well in the onerous Now to the meat of the matter! There is a crittasks ahead. ical issue of social trust that can be traced back That said, there’s a Yoruba adage, which says: ‘ Bi to the social capital of the APC as a political omode ba subu, yio wo iwaju, bi agbalagba ba party. Unfortunately, the social capital is, as we subu, yio wo ehin ’ ( Upon falling, a y oungster speak, in tatters. The social trust is also lean. So, looks ahead - for help; but an elder looks back - Nigerians have to begin by calibrating the for the cause. For Osun A PC, it can only look measure of social trust, no matter how small back with a view to unraveling what has led the and no matter how little! These days, when we party to this sorr y pass and use the results hear the name, ‘ Osun APC’, what readily comes therefrom to prepare a political broth in agreeto mind are figures of conflictual personalities, ment with the dreams of its founding fathers. a situation that has so far made reconciliation Already, accusations and counter- accusations more difficult! have started flying all over the place like loose What is wrong ab initio is that strange bedfelpapers, with the Speaker of the Osun State lows came together to form APC as a party out House of Assembly, Timothy Owoeye, setting of convenience. Nothing tested! Nothing afthe stage for what to expe ct in the days ahead. firmed! Characters and pedigrees were never Hear ‘ Mr. Speaker’ at the inauguration: “Some verified! The progressive portion of the mix is of our party members went to Ibadan to hold a different kettle of fish entirely: it tries to hold conspiracy meetings with PDP. We know that on to all that appears appealing to the masses. and at the appropriate time, we will expose In the end, it stands for nothing. It confuses itthem.” With this somewhat startling revela - self and those who religiously follow it, thinktion, one can only hope that the panel would ing it is for ever ybody when indeed it is for remain true to its mission. Thankfully, the erunobody but itself; nothing but an indecisive dite professor has vowed that it would “pro - idealism! pose ideas and strategies to heal” i ts members’ This brings us to the composition of the party “wounds as a progressive family and usher in a supporters which is in dire need of a critical exnew era for the APC in Osun State.” So, Nigeriamination. There are those who are there ans wait to see how it goes! merely as bandwagon effects. There are those

Across the ages, genuine reconciliation has who love the founders of the party who they been found to be associated with three factors: hold and treat as gods. There are those who are genuine fact- finding, vertical and horizontal swayed by the idealism of the party. And there reconciliation and sacrificial humility from are those who have nothing to all u d e t o. They concerned parties, or factions. With the painted are just caught in the vortex of change. Apparscenario, Osun APC seems to have been given a ently, these categories of people create waves in the society but, when such waves are misread or misunderstood, they dovetail into other things.

For instance, ‘ The Osun Progressives’, aka TOP, allegedly professed to have helped the Peoples’ Democratic Party ( PDP) to install Ademola Adeleke as the governor of Osun in 2022. Since its own version of the internal wrangling could not be resolved; and, since it reportedly preferred to have somebody else rather than the will of the party, what transpired could only be defined as antiparty will; and it is wrong in political participation!

For the other side, the slogans, ‘ awa la wa n’be’ ( we are in power and in c ontrol) and ‘ a o gbe e sile mo’ ( we are no longer relinquishing power) predispositions are antidemocratic. As such, they should be dealt with as unacceptable slogans – if and where they exist - by the managers and/ or handlers of the party in the state.

Taken together, the tragic truth is that Osun APC has become a fertile ground for political tutelage. The party, as it is, is troubled, with members deeply divided along only - Godknows- why lines? Confidence is at sea and only a genuine reconciliation can heal its wounds. All things considered, the question is: is the Adewole- led Committee up to the task?

Let no one be deceived, the political situation today in Osun is in a faux pas; meaning, it could change tomorrow! Therefore, let those who are rejoicing at the current travails of Osun APC watch it! Those who are hoping that it is dead have got themselves set up for a shocker, for the party will not only bounce back stronger but also possess the attributes of a conquering party without prisoners. So it was a few years ago! So it will be in the next few y ears ad infinitum! This is the only outcome that will justify the dissipation of the party ab initio. The emergence of a stronger Osun APC will reveal that it must have learnt its lessons and has adjusted accordingly. Of course, that makes it a living party. That’s taken for granted that the machinery of intraparty relations is well- oiled and running. If the machinery is oiled, it will run; and all kudos to the managers of the party. Adewole has promised “a credible pathway for reconciliation and rehabilitation of the party structure, administration and activities in Osun State.” In the course of engendering “a more potent” party “in the Omoluabi state” therefore, nothing should deviate from the natural formation of party membership, if Osun APC is not to start dealing with unexpected consequences again. It is not enough to form or rebuild a political party, the best and the most important thing is the avoidance of antiparty and ‘ I- follow- Paul- I- follow- Apollos’ tendencies, two situations that ha ve so far brought Osun APC to its knees.

According to Albert Speer, a Minister in Adolf Hitler’s government, “there is a special trap for every holder of power … His favour is so desirable to his subordinates that they will sue for it by every means possible. Servility becomes endemic among his entourage who compete amongst themselves in their show of devotion. This in turn exercises a sway upon the ruler, who becomes corrupted in his turn.

The key to the quality of the man in power is how he reacts to this situation. Only few can withstand the temptation to sycophancy”. That’s not all! A political system that makes one work loyally for a party without any reasonable form of rewards is equivalent to misconstruing ‘ foot soldiers’ for ‘ food soldiers.’ A system that reduces a mass- based political party to ‘ a party for a few’ is not too good for democracy, especially Nigeria’s fledgling democracy! May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Osun State!