BATTLE FOR APC CHAIRMANSHIP

Missang Oyama writes that Al-Makura clearly stands out

There is no doubt that since the inception of the fourth republic in 1999, Nigeria has unwittingly adopted a binary political disposition. In this situation, two political parties seem to dominate the landscape with a constellation of some regional and fringe parties jostling to make inroads in the polity. APP (as it then was) and PDP dominated the power play at the center at the beginning of the current republic. However, the PDP had the fortune of taking the shot of leading the country in the first 16 years running from 1999 to 2007.

Ostensibly, the increasing discontent by most Nigerians with the PDP government gave rise to the agitation for an alternative leadership of the country. This desire by Nigerians was not far-fetched. The PDP style of governance was characterized by gross impunity and mind-blowing malfeasance in high places, and the people thought and rightly so that they deserved better. On that score, it took the political ingenuity of the leaders of some key legacy parties – CPC, ACN, ANPP, DPP, and a faction of APGA to merge into a formidable political force, the APC that successfully broke the hegemony and stranglehold of the PDP in 2015.

Moreover, the newly birthed APC needed a man with the pedigree, popularity, image, and stature of General Muhammadu Buhari to herald the much-desired victory for the party against the incumbent government at the time. That feat has gone down in Africa’s political history as a watershed. It gives credence to the fact that a person’s character, credibility, and integrity are critical components required for a successful electoral contestation for any political party in a plural society like ours. In furtherance to this timeless truth, there is a confluence of opinions by political watchers and pundits that the APC cannot afford to get it wrong on who emerges to lead the party as the national chairman at the forthcoming convention.

There is no doubt that the ruling All Progressives Congress has evolved after the merger and successful wrestle of power from the self-imploded PDP. However, the ruling party’s growth as it is in every human organization is not bereft of its fair share of the challenges of inclusivity and harmonization of the various interests. That, in effect, has given vent to a dire leadership strait in the party at this time. Against that backdrop, some gladiators have presented themselves to be hired by the party in the next convention slated for 26th February 2022.

While we recognize and appreciate the rights and contributions of all the aspirants for the national chairmanship of the party, Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, clearly stands out as the most visible with distinguishable leadership features. Moreover, his rich political pedigree, which is quite enigmatic, has set him on a glowing pedestal in the workings and management of the affairs of a major political party like the APC.

TA’AL, as his admirers would fondly call him, is a homegrown Nigerian educationist, businessman, administrator, and politician with the understanding and capacity to play for the high stakes in our body polity. He has demonstrated these character traits in the critical assignments he has been entrusted with in the past, grinding out remarkable results under challenging situations.

As the governor of his home state of Nasarawa, Tanko Al-Makura was saddled with leading the committee to restore peace and resolve contentious issues in the party in some states in the Northeast in 2018. He discharged the assignment dutifully, and the party became better for it. Al-Makura chaired the party’s electoral committee that conducted the 2018 governorship primaries in Ekiti State, and he delivered to the admiration of all stakeholders. By his conduct, Senator Al-Makura laid the foundation for the eventual victory of the party against an incumbent PDP government in the governorship election in that state.

He is the real Octopus with the Midas touch for beating the PDP. In 2011, Tanko Al-Makura demonstrated uncommon political prowess when he led the newly formed CPC to upstage a well-entrenched incumbent PDP government in his state in the governorship election. As a result, he became the only CPC governor in the country. That was no mean feat in the turf. He is regarded as a man of unparalleled wit who understands the rudiments of partisan politics – an effortless political genius of sorts.

As the APC is undergoing a snooze time, the party will need the dispassionate candor and enviable charisma of Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura to be on the driving seat to navigate it through the murky waters.

As one of the founding fathers of the party where he served in the merger committee discounting all the bills of the members of his former party on the said assignment, Al-Makura comes across as a man with the depth and understanding of the vision of the party. He has a full grasp of the direction of the party.

The senator is not only abreast of the issues plaguing the party; he is equally set out to consolidate on the gains already recorded and chart a progressive course for the party in the future. Senator Tanko Al-Makura comes with the magic wand to partner with Mr. President and build synergy with other stakeholders as a good team player to guarantee victory for the party as the 2023 general election beckons.

He is an exceptional gentleman with prodigious intellect who has built a superlative network of friends, spreading his tentacles across the length and breadth of the country and beyond. In that regard, Senator Al-Makura has unobtrusively etched his name as a detribalized Nigerian with the right frame of mind to stabilize the ship of the APC going forward. Therefore, APC cannot afford to rob itself of the best choice to provide leadership at this time.

Oyama writes from Abuja