APC POLITICS OF SELF DESTRUCTION

Senate President, Bukola Saraki’s travails mirror the failure of the APC government, argues Ayegba Israel Ebije

The All Progressive Congress (APC) has always operated on a political machinery lubricated with blackmail, propaganda, which facilitated the mass appeal they got at the polls ousting Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. In the wake of spasm of anger against the ruling party on account of failed promises, frail security situation and general anomie, the embattled ruling party has invented different sizes of frames to put up opponents or persons holding critical opinions for disgrace, disrepute and if possible destruction. The stage is set for the ruling party to self-destruct, now that it has started biting its own allies.

The ongoing imbroglio between the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, where he has been allegedly linked with the Offa bank robbery massacre has indeed showed how inept the APC government is in approach to issues. The ruling party has in so many ways left Nigerians with the believe that they are the wrong set of people to be managing affairs of the nation at the most critical time of our nationhood. The question is, how much is Saraki expected to share from the loot when he has the entire Senate and federal government to manipulate for financial gain?

It is wrong but common place to find politicians having thugs running errands for them in times of politics. Based on the confession extracted by journalists from the Offa gang leader over alleged complicity of the senate president, it is very obvious Saraki or the incumbent Kwara State governor have nothing to do with it. The obvious intention of linking them is to further the running battle of power agitated against Saraki who politicked his way to senate presidency when the powers that be fought desperately against him. Now he is leading the new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) with plans to join force with the PDP against the ruling party in 2019. Characteristic of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, the noose must be tied around his neck to restrain the looming “change the change” tide.

I do not have sympathy for Saraki. He is enjoying the political cauldron he set off. He is not a saint, and not so great a threat until the government ridiculed itself with incredulous propaganda, failed promises. The Sarakis in mainstream politics are soaring high largely because APC government led by President Buhari has failed, and lost the general goodwill, mass appeal of right thinking Nigerians.

Consistent blackmail, imprisonment of defeated politicians in PDP has not improved their image albeit skewed anticorruption fight and failed war on terror. Frame-up, a technique used in 1984 during the military era of the incumbent is deployed full throttle in a fierce battle ahead of 2019. Fela got the sting when he was tagged as an armed robber in 1984, Obasanjo spoke against Buhari and they slammed him with power sector scam allegation, Senator Dino Melaye is linked with robbers/kidnappers. Saraki is the new image of the frame-up on the to-do bucket list of the APC before 2019 election. The ruling party is on impunity drive because they are led by infantile belief that Nigerians are mostly narrow minded.

Alas the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) will get his pound of flesh. He may have failed to honour the National Assembly summon, but he will surely hit back at the senators who have the audacity to test his preeminence. Though he chickened out of the Gusape, Abuja police summon, he has mandated the senate president to submit his own side of the story within 48 hours. Like every Shakespearian pound of flesh, let no blood spill while removing it. That is the flipside the ruling party has failed to look at. In their individual desperation to dish out self-based vendetta, they have largely ridiculed the president and their political party. Saraki is definitely holding back a huge laugh when the tide turns against APC, just the way it happened to PDP.

The dilemma most erstwhile supporters of Buhari are passing through presently is an instructive lesson for every Nigerian. Most of those who blindly followed him didn’t even know him. Those who knew his capability felt he would do better than his predecessor. Those who spoke against the immediate past administration freely, didn’t see the chains behind the cloak of the man they were working for. If you callit nemesis, that may be fair enough. My take however is that if the PDP had managed affairs of governance properly or for the sake of politics, managed the likes of Saraki and the nPDP, these misfits will never have space to hold the reigns of power. Once again, we are witnessing a political party against itself.

This is the time for Nigerians to reflect deeply on the last three years, where wrong decisions, failed promise, bad economic decisions, blame games, raging ethno-religious dichotomy terror have been the order of the day. Some lessons have been learnt and it is instructive in building political knowledge base for the elite and ordinary

Nigerian. Corrupt politicians who are feathering their selfish agenda surround Buhari. It is time for Nigeria to have solid structures instead of revolving chair of political profiteers. Too much power is handed elected politicians in Nigeria no matter how inept they are. APC has indeed proven that when power is given to an idiot, it is the people that will suffer. The only way out of this vomit is through wise decisions at the ballot. That way, youths will prove they are not lazy, no average Nigeria will be fooled by “not- too- young to run bill” when we do not have “not- too- old to run bill”. No right thinking Nigerian will be fooled by former PDP criminals who are now APC saints. Nigerians will no longer listen to achievements from the mouths of media aides but insist on physical structures.