OBIANO, APGA AND JONATHAN’S RE-ELECTION

While the point has mostly escaped public consciousness, it is a fact that the All Progressives Grand Alliance is the third largest political party in Nigeria today. APGA had survived the impediment of electoral manipulations in the past eleven years to achieve a measure of political relevance. With its own share of the poaching and defections that have further watered down the tone of Nigerian politics, APGA approached a turning - point in the 2015 general election with a bag of mixed fortune. The party had only recently begun to heal from the depreciation of a needless internal crisis which devastating effect was only abated through the management of Victor Umeh’s constructive leadership. As the party with the third largest membership, national presence and elected representatives in government, APGA was well qualified to contest the 2015 presidential election. It had a mission in the nurturing of the Nigerian state and welfare of her citizens; but the question was given the prevailing circumstances; would a shot at the presidency or application of the right to contest in some modified way serve this cause better? This was a knotty issue Governor Willie Obiano had to deal with in his new capacity as the leader of APGA [by virtue of being the highest ranking member of the party in elective office]. In resolving this question, Obiano was not bound by the political preferences of his predecessor who in any case soon resigned from the party, thus, losing whatever influence he could have exercised on its way forward. As a leader with a sense of responsibility, it was easy for the Governor to realise that his judgment on the role of the party demanded reconciliation of the expectations of the people; the needs of society and the inevitable judgment of history.

The very circumstances of APGA’s formation provide indication for the reasons of its being. APGA was a quest to expand the democratic space of the fourth republic limited to the existence of only three political parties in the first two years. These three parties facilitated by the 1999 transition process meant that they were more reflective of the military junta’s vision and agenda than the integral scope of Nigeria’s geo – political constituents. Thus, APGA emerged to fill the existing gaps of socio – political representation with a view to redressing perceived imbalances and inequities in the polity.

Mindful of the enormous responsibility thrust on his shoulders at this historical juncture of APGA’s journey, it would appear that Governor Willie Obiano is taking on these challenges from three complementary approaches. The message of hope, equity and empowerment which APGA represents could have no better affirmation than its expression in the governance of Anambra State. Trends in the one -year old administration suggest as much emphasis laid in addressing the plight of the weak and disadvantaged as growing the state’s economy. Given the scale of government’s intervention such as in subsidised mass transit, housing scheme for workers, packages for pensioners and others, a sense of welfarism seems to be in the making. Nor can it be forgotten that it was an APGA policy in the interest of equity to zone the governorship to Anambra North Senatorial zone where Obiano hails from.

With Obiano holding out a huge promise in leadership and creative governance, it is little wonder that in tune with a generational call, he has moved to galvanise APGA in pursuit of the Nigerian project. There can be no gainsaying the fact that APGA suffered neglect in the hands of Obiano’s predecessor, Peter Obi. Governor Obiano has been mindful not to abandon the party faithful that helped him come to power. It is not necessary to alienate party supporters from the system just to prove that government is a serious business. By rallying members of the party and giving them a sense of belonging, Obiano has struck the fine balance to hold government and party together. Interestingly, Obiano, dismissed by critics as a political neophyte has recognised the place of party caucuses and their input in decision – making. On the strength of this new cohesion in the party, Governor Willie Obiano has further risen to the occasion by widening the territorial spread of the party’s presence in the country. APGA’s current marketability is to be seen in not just the fact of having governorship candidates in Zamfara, Oyo, Nasarawa and Lagos States for the first time but also in the impressive quality of the candidates.

Ifeanyi Afuba, Nimo, Anambra State