T H E M O N D AY D I S C O U R S E Too Big to Succeed
With the lingering stalemate over the zoning formula, the All Progressives Congress will have to go beyond priding itself over its size and the control of the centre if it must exemplify the change it seeks to bring about, write and
The reality has begun to dawn on the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nigeria’s new ruling party on the bloc. It is the reality of the new dawn; the reality of the change they so seek. This new reality is typified by its size and highlighted by its attendant contradictions. The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) battled this oversize syndrome for sixteen years and was consumed by the multi-faceted internal contradictions despite aspiring to be in the saddle for sixty years. The PDP, as a result, appeared impossible until it was shown the way out in this year’s general election.
It is not surprising, therefore, to see that since the APC victory at the elections, especially with its dominance at all levels, the issue of how the party manages its victory had elicited interest amongst the observing public.
When it filtered out Wednesday, April 22 that there was an all-crucial meeting over zoning and power sharing, where all the major stakeholders were present, a majority of Nigerians were interested in the outcome of the meeting, especially the attempt to resolve the differences among some of the major actors.
The meeting held at the Rivers State Governor’s Lodge, in Abuja was deadlocked despite the fact that the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari; Vice-president-elect,Yemi Osinbajo; Senator Bola Tinubu; governors-elect, senators-elect and other executive officers of the party were present.
Though the meeting was said to have agreed on the zoning of the office of the Senate President to the North-central and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), to the South-east, tussle between North-east and South-west leaders over who emerges the Speaker of the House of Representatives between Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and Hon. Yakubu Dogara was largely responsible for the stalemate.
Reports had it that the issue had also widened the gulf between some of the party leaders, who have been in opposing camps within the fold, as the Abuja meeting reportedly degenerated into verbal attacks over the speakership and senate presidency.
Although the APC merger went through rather seamlessly, the interplay of interests that seem to character it since its victory at the election are indicative of what to expect in no distant future. Already, there are emerging power blocs struggling to outplay one and other as the party seeks to settle down.
There is the Buhari-Northern bloc, which consists of the president-elect and his supporters, some of whom have been with him for almost 12 years and collapsed their structures into the APC during the merger process. There is also the Tinubu-South-west which has the former Lagos State governor has its arrowhead. And the group of former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors, who defected to the APC in 2013, led by the Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi and former Kwara State governor, Senator Bukola Saraki.
It is a known fact that there is no love lost between the Tinubu and the governors blocs. While the Tinubu camp initially preferred the Senate Minority Leader, Senator George Akume, as the new Senate President, the governors’ bloc would rather Saraki. There is no denying the fact that in determining those who will emerge principal officers in the next National Assembly, the camps will depend on compromises, consensuses and horse-trading with others.
The North-east bloc is equally strong. They have their eyes on the Senate President and enjoy the backing of the former vice-president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. They desire that the APC zones the position to their region and feel that they are the most politically marginalised zone in the country.