In this piece, DAVID LAWANI writes that the ongoing political intrigues where supporters of the Vice-President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, and that of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, may snowball into a full-blown contest against each other ahead of the 2023 presidential election

All is certainly not well within the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, as it is yet to finalise the actual date for its national convention. It was gleaned from readable sources who did not want their identity disclosed that the primary reason preventing the party from fixing a date has to do with the Anambra governorship election which was held on November 6, 2021.

Also, part of the challenge has to do with the multiplicity of courts issues bedevilling the party. You will recall that during the last ward, local government, and the recent state congresses quite several issues arose due to either improper constitution of the ward, local government, or state executive members. For this, some members of the party went to court seeking justice over what they term arbitrary denial of their rights from participating in the state congresses.

More so, nothing seems to have been heard from the State Appeal Congresses Committee and National Reconciliatory Committee led by Senator Abdullahi Adamu from Nasarawa state. All this is in a bid to return peace to the party so that the national convention can be conducted smoothly without any hiccup whatsoever.

It is not surprising to state that some APC states are yet to conduct their membership revalidation exercise and this is giving the party a serious cause for concern. How will it be possible that even when some states have since concluded theirs, a pocket of states are still lagging in this peculiar exercise and this will further deplete the membership fortune of the party?

The National Secretary of the CENCPC, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, in an interview recently, said the party needed to clean up some things before holding its convention.

According to him, “Go and look at our party constitution. If we hold our convention and exclude only one state, then someone can go to court and say they were left out. You know because of the Anambra State election, we did not conduct our membership registration and revalidation in Anambra.

We did not do the same in Zamfara State too. We have to conduct these in the states before the convention. Every state must be carried along.There is no way you can exclude one state and say it is a valid convention. There are a lot of things we need to tidy up before the convention; congresses must be tidied up. Appeals must also be tidied up to guide the process of the convention.

It is not because some people are agitating for a convention that we will rush to do something that will create more problems. This new car (APC) that we have bought, we cannot give it to a careless driver to go and crash it; we cannot.”

The national secretary also said APC is not likely to hold zonal congresses stressing that: “You are bringing the PDP template. The APC doesn’t do zonal congresses; every national officer is elected from the state; if it is something that we will consider, we will let you know. It is not something we are considering; it is not what we do, but it is something to think about.”

On the controversy surrounding parallel congresses, he said, “I said it before and I want to repeat it, there is nothing like parallel congress in our party.

“The constitution spells it out so; Article 18 empowers us to hold congresses, as well as articles 19 and 20; that is the position of the party.

“We have a President in the person of Muhammadu Buhari, who is known worldwide as a respecter of the law. We also have a chairman, in the person of Governor Mai Mala Buni, a gentleman to the core, who equally insists on proper things being done; you cannot present illegality before these men and expect to succeed.

“We set up committees to go to states to conduct congresses, anything outside this, you are on your own; to even ask any question about the so-called parallel congresses is an attempt to destroy the APC.

“Any person or group within our party, who has an issue with the congresses, has an opportunity to seek redress at the level of appeal; that is why appeal committees were set up. Those who feel aggrieved one way or the other can take advantage of the Senator Abdullahi Adamu committee.

“You cannot do something outside the constitution and expect to succeed. I have said so many times that we are structured. I will repeat for the last time, anything outside what we have done in terms of the ward, local government and state congresses is a nullity; that doesn’t mean where we have disagreements we will not intervene; that is why we have the Adamu committee’’, he said.

Looking at the permutations between the former Lagos state governor and national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, you will agree that he is fully prepared and ready to go the whole length in snapping the presidential ticket from the APC.

Recently, some group known as Bola Ahmed Support Group launched its Abuja campaigned office in Maitama and quite many political heavyweights were in attendance. It points to the fact that no stone is going to be left unturned in ensuring that he got the ticket of the party.

Tinubu returned from London after some months in the hospital undergoing surgery in his kneel. Immediately he returned to Lagos, his Bourdillion home became a Mecca of some sort.

Even while in London politicians, associates, and members of the national assembly were seen in his hospital home paying home image. In one such rare visit, he was referred to as ‘’President’’.

It is no wasting any efforts to say the political maverick is determined to stage a full come back for the ticket. Different groups are out for the campaign to ensure he emerged the party’s candidate at all cost.

He was recently in Abuja precisely at the campaign office. Before he started entertaining visitors, he had to first and foremost visit President Buhari in the Villa. He was well received by the President. It shows all is going on well in his favor. The Vice President, his mentee also visited him in his Abuja campaign office before the Speaker, Femi Gbajamila, also came calling to register his presence.

At the launch of the Support Group, James Faleke, who represents Ikeja Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, during his remarks said, Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidency is not negotiable.

He said the frail politician has paid his dues and it is time to rally around him so that he can turn around the party come 2023 general election in favour of the party.

On the part of the Vice President is also likely to be in the race for the ticket of the party going by the various support groups that have been going around the country in his stead.

There is no doubt that he is loved by the power blocs. He appeared not to be too ambitious. He is taking his time gradually because his boss and mentor, Tinubu, is undoubtedly interested in the race.

As a professor of Law, and former Commissioner of Justice in Lagos state, he has garnered vast knowledge about the political intrigues in Nigeria. He appears to be in the good books of the President. A loyal and committed Vice President. This is a very rare virtue that most politicians want to always harp on for a reward.

Recently, the Progressive Consolidation Group (PCG), a group in the All Progressives Congress, (APC), stated although Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has not declared interest in contesting for president, his support base is expanding daily.The group in a statement signed by its Aliyu Kurfi pointed out that Osinbajo is focused on his job and is not known for desperate politicking.

Kurfi noted that the reports that the vice-president has stepped down for another politician in the APC are fake. According to him: “Our dear Vice-President, Prof Osinbajo, remains loyal to his boss, President Buhari. He is very focused on the job and he has never been known for desperate politicking,” the chairman said.

“Specifically, it must be stated that an outrageous lie that the vice-president attended any meeting to renounce 2023 presidential ambition or bow to any politician for the same, remains an absolute falsehood. How can he renounce what he is even yet to accept or declare?

“The wishy-washy concocted reports about Prof Osinbajo having any meeting with any individual or group about a purported withdrawal from the 2023 presidential race is about an illusory event which only happened in the fertile imagination of mischievous persons.

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“Every well-informed Nigerian knows that PCG is the very first 2023 support group to be formally recognised by our progressive party, APC, and we have never sought to prevent or discourage others from following in our footsteps because Vice-President Osinbajo will not subscribe to dirty political games that some typically desperate politicians play.

“While Vice-President Osinbajo consistent loyalty to Mr. President, the APC and Nigeria continue to energize an increasing number of groups and individuals who genuinely believe in our party’s progressive cause, greedy and desperate political elements along with their manipulated perspectives must be kept at bay’’, the statement read.

This is to put it succinctly from observations that the Vice President, according to findings, is loved by every region in the country. His only albatross is that he doesn’t have any scintilla of political structure anywhere.

He has always relied on Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s political structure and that was exactly what paved the way for him in the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections. It is a fact that the cabals within the Presidency are favourably disposed to hand over the to him than BAT whom they have seen as a threat to them.

They seem to see the Vice President as more refining, gentle, and less ambitious to power. Truly, from close analysis, it can be said that he has never lost after the principal’s seat.

All this will unfold itself when the convention is eventually held to prepare the ground for the party’s candidate ahead of the 2023 general election.

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How the party can resolve the crisis affecting it by holding or conducting its national convention will go a long way after the Anambra governorship poll.

It is a fact that that the outcome of the election will send signals in terms of what is to be expected because all parties are strongly eager to flex their muscles in stamping their authority that they are in control of Anambra voters.

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