IPAC: Leadership crisis and implication on Nigeria’s democracy
The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has broken into two factions following the expiration of the tenure of its national chairman, Dr. Yunusa Tanko. Our correspondent examines the scenario, the actors and implications on the polity.
The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) is one of the critical organs in the polity that identifies electoral issues requiring dialogue with INEC and makes proposals. It serves as a platform for engagement on issues of national importance on non-partisan basis and facilitates the interest of political parties in the preparation and passage of electoral legislations.
All political parties registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the country are members of IPAC, while INEC itself also works with the council to ensure political stability and smooth operations of democratic ideals.
However, analysts have described as sad and disastrous to the polity, the present turn of events where the council has been sharply divided into two warring factions.
One of the factions is loyal to national chairman of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), Chief Peter Ameh, and the other to Malam Bashir Yusuf Ibrahim, the national chairman of Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM).
Political pundits have predicted uncertainty for the country’s democracy if the present crisis in not resolved, arguing that political parties represent the basis for democracy and must remain focused and united under whatever umbrella they find themselves.
While Chief Ameh is claiming that he was elected by 16 political parties to take over from the outgoing chairman, Malam Bashir is on the other hand insisting that he was duly elected as the council’s authentic chairman, and therefore sees himself as the right person to take over affairs of the council.
A statement by Chief Dike Ogbuehi, the council’s publicity secretary, indicated that Chief Ameh lost the July 24, 2015 chairmanship election to Malam Bashir but is being motivated by Dr. Yunusa Tanko, the outgoing chairman to parade himself as the authentic IPAC chief. Tanko refuted the allegation in an interview with Daily Trust.
The statement said Chief Ameh should realise that his actions constitute a gross violation of the Political Parties Code of Conduct 2013 to which he, as a representative of his party, the PPA, is a signatory.
The statement added that while efforts are being made to bring Chief Ameh back to the mainstream of IPAC, the council will not hesitate to invoke the code of conduct against its erring members who persist in conducts capable of undermining its integrity and cohesion.
“Ameh will do himself a world of good if he desists from this misrepresentation and abides by the decision of the majority of IPAC members who elected Malam Bashir as their chairman. The National Executive Committee of IPAC wishes to state categorically that Malam Bashir Yusuf Ibrahim is the authentic chairman of the council following his victory in the 24th July, 2015 election monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),” the statement said.
The statement also claimed that the newly elected Executive Committee of IPAC was duly sworn in at a public ceremony in the conference hall of INEC on 26th August, 2015, and all seven members of the committee, except one, were present at the event.
“The new executive committee is determined to reposition and strengthen IPAC in order to help build a strong, virile, prosperous and democratic Nigeria. “Accordingly, council enjoins party leaders to direct their chairmen in the 36 states and Abuja to support the new IPAC leadership under Malam Bashir Yusuf Ibrahim in order to strengthen the cohesion, stability and unity in IPAC at national and state levels,” the statement also said:
The council called on party leaders to set aside their differences and join hands with the new executive committee in the task of building a strong IPAC that will deepen and strengthen democracy in the country as the election had come and gone.
But Chief Ameh, in a telephone interview with our correspondent, insisted that he was elected by 16 political parties in the country as the authentic chairman of the council, describing Ogbuehi’s statement as unreasonable, malicious and baseless.
“I was elected by 16 political parties and the outgoing chairman of the council handed over to me. INEC has no right to hand over IPAC documents to incoming leadership. Dr. Yunusa Tanko has handed over to me but there is a plot to rob me of my victory.
“I was elected based on my credibility and contributions to the stability and wellbeing of the council. I have contributed over 60 percent of my energy, resources and time to the course. But INEC invited leaders of some selected political parties other than the 16 parties which elected me, for a meeting to discuss my victory. This is biased, unreasonable and contrary to the tenets of democracy,” he said.
Chief Ameh said the leading opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), Alliance for Democracy (AD), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), National Conscience Party (NCP), Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) were among the 16 parties which voted for him to assume his new status as IPAC national chairman.
While the issue rages, the national chairman and presidential candidate of Citizens Popular Party (CPP) in the March/April general elections, Chief Sam Eke told Daily Trust in a telephone interview that Chief Ameh did not tell the truth by saying that APGA voted for him.
Chief Eke said Malam Bashir was elected as chairman of the council at an election monitored by INEC.
The CPP boss also clarified that 29 political parties were ready to participate in the polls but while AD and APGA were disqualified from participating, the remaining 27 parties voted. He added that while Malam Bashir got 14 votes, his rival, Chief Ameh, got 13 votes at the polls.
Our correspondent gathered that APGA was disqualified on the ground that the party’s national chairman was conspicuously absent but had sent a member of the party contrary to the extant law that only members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of their political parties would be allowed to vote.
It was alleged that when Chief Ameh was defeated at the polls, he swiftly went with the outgoing chairman, Dr. Yunusa Tanko and leaders of some political parties to a hotel in Abuja, where they allegedly declared him (Ameh) as chairman of the council.
While some in Malam Bashir’s camp believed that Chief Ameh is parading himself as IPAC chairman, those close to him are also insisting that he remains the council’s authentic chairman. They argued that having served as secretary of the council for two terms, there was no way he would have lost at the polls considering his experience and deep involvement in the affairs of the council and the nation.
Defending himself, the outgoing chairman, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, said he had since handed over to Chief Ameh, whom he said won the election and is the only known incumbent IPAC chairman.
Tanko explained that he was not in a position to join issues with some of his colleagues to heat up the polity the more, but that INEC does not have the powers to act as if it owned IPAC, stressing it is just a partner in progress when it comes to issues relating to the council.
Tanko said in an interview with Daily Trust that he would not take any decision detrimental to democracy, adding that if the IPAC leadership was becoming a religious, ethnic or tribal thing, he should be counted out.
“INEC does not own IPAC, so it cannot take any decision on its own concerning the council and say it is binding on all. The power lies with the political parties, INEC is just a partner. So of course, the powers in this case is vested with the outgoing executives not INEC and the election was done at Chelsea Hotel, Abuja where Ameh clearly won,” he said.
Daily Trust gathered from party leaders that the leadership crisis if not resolved would affect the polity, as all political parties in Nigeria are members of the council.
For now, none of the two contenders is ready to sheathe sword. However, stakeholders are watching to see how the matter will be tackled.