Lagos APC Crisis‎ Deconstructed

Monday Discourse

While the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu is busy reconciling aggrieved members of the party across the country, a protracted crisis, threatening to tear the party apart, is brewing in his backyard, writes Segun James

It is easy to be cynical about political test results, particularly when you are grading the performance of a government in a complex country as Nigeria.

But every four years, the media, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and others severally, individually and sometimes, jointly come together to grade the performance of individuals and governments in the country and assess if they deserve another chance in the political system. However, since 1999, Lagos state has been an exception to the rule. It has been blessed by exceptionally brilliant governors.

People die for flag and country, but in the Lagos state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), they do so because of the enigmatic Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the national leader of the party. He is the man who has changed the face of governance in the state, and indeed, the country; making the people to truly believe that their state is really a shining example in a nation which is barely crawling, almost 60 years after independence.

Tinubu has been in firm control of the politics of the state. Until now, it has been widely assumed that the politics of the state can be controlled from the Lion’s Den at Bourdillion Road, Ikoyi, but now the reality suggests otherwise. There, surprisingly, is a challenge to the powers of the lion.

Today, there is a rumbling in the centre of excellence, the appellation by which the state is known. There is a challenge to the hegemony of the leader and a big threat to the possibility of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode having a second term in office.
The crisis started long time ago. Insiders traced the genesis of the crisis to the time when Ambode, a complete outsider to the political family of Tinubu was anointed by the leader as the governorship candidate of Lagos APC; if the people were annoyed at the choice, they never said it since they worked assiduously to ensure he became the governor.
After he became the governor it was left for Ambode to unite the party by bringing into the folds those who opposed his emergence as governor. He did not do this.
After waiting in vain for Ambode to wave the olive branch, many were shocked to see the governor carrying along without them. This was where the honeymoon between them and the governor ended. Those who helped him win the governorship were sidelined. This action by the governor triggered the crisis that is today threatening his second coming as governor.

Although the crisis in Lagos would have been considered local, but the truth is that the state is the most strategic in the federation; and the enemies of Tinubu are bent on wrestling the state from him at all cost.

Like Tinubu himself, his opponents are formidable and hell bent on cutting him to size. This was the situation at the time the national leader was appointed the chairman of the party’s reconciliation committee.

The coming out of the cold by the opposition to the continued leadership of Tinubu in Lagos state, but more especially, the second term bid of Ambode has surprisingly pitted the members of the party in the state, for the first time, against their leader.

The crisis in the state chapter of the party has been simmering for some time. The politicians who engineered the ascension of Ambode to power feel left out when the governor upon taking control started giving out the dividend of office to people who were not part of the process that brought him to power.

Barely a few days after Tinubu resumed his assignment as head of the reconciliation committee of the party, the Lagos state chapter split as a new organisation called the Broom United Movement (BUM) emerged to challenge the leadership of the party in the state.

The split in Lagos may have made the work of the national leader difficult as those involved in the ‘rebellion’ are known followers of Tinubu. The splinter group accused the leadership of the party in the state of engaging in “illegalities, manipulation and marginalisation” against members, warning that unless genuine reconciliation is allowed to take place, the party might be heading for a crisis and a disaster in an election year.

According to Mr. Fouad Oki, a former director general of Bola Tinubu, Tunde Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode’s campaign organisations and convener of BUM, “our party suffers from low organisational capacity and lack of internal democracy. The resultant effect of this has been its incapacity to support our democracy as expected.”

He sid that “today, our party in Lagos state is fading into insignificance. Massive membership exclusion is becoming the order of the day with members withdrawing from the political space and constituting themselves into internal opposition. It is in the light of all these, that the Broom United Movement will involve committed party members who will bring moral authority, character and wisdom in handling the delicate issue of reconciliation, unity and accord.”

He assured party members that from now on, their “votes will count and will be allowed to freely choose their leaders in a healthy competitive atmosphere,” saying that the APC in Lagos state “has never been this divided and disunited. The current graveyard silence that permeates our political landscape with a ‘siddon look’ syndrome is very dangerous,” adding that political parties are vital organisations in a democracy, and democracy is stronger when citizens become active members of political parties.”
Oki said that this unfortunately was what was lacking in party management in the state. “Unfortunately, the democratic culture in our state is characterized by factors such as illegalities, rigging, oppression, manipulation, marginalisation and violence.”
Warning that “democracy and political participation are related to good governance; this relationship is complementary but appear to be antithetical in our political system. When democracy is abused, good governance becomes elusive and evasive.”

This triggerred an atmosphere of desperation at the state chapter given the position of Oki as a vice chairman of the party and the strategic roles he had played in the past to promptly suspend him.
Instead of listening to the voice of reason, the leadership of the party led by Chief Henry Ajomale wielded the big stick. Without hearing the other party, he ordered Oki suspended. He also set up a disciplinary committee to try Oki for antiparty activities.

The party, in a statement said that as fallout to launching of a pressure group in the APC, the State Chairman directed the immediate suspension of Mr. Fouad Oki, a Vice Chairman of the party, representing Lagos Central Senatorial District and Convener of Broom United.
Ajomale also summoned the Surulere Local Government Party Chairman, Alhaji Shakiru Ajao and Party Secretary, Mr. Ganiyu Akanni respectively to his office with strict instruction to empanel an investigative committee on Mr. Fouad Oki for convening the BUM and thereafter suspend him indefinitely from the party.

According to Ajomale, this is necessary in order to stop others from doing the same thing. He further stated that he was acting on the instruction from above. He claimed that, the only agenda which is acceptable to the party in the state at this time is the second term endorsement of the governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, anything outside that is not needed and would be resisted by all means possible.

Ajomale appeared to have forgotten that when Ambode’s campaign was wobbling and fumbling in 2015, Oki was hurriedly drafted to lead the campaign three months before the election. He eventually led the party to success in an election that could have been won by the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Jimi Agbaje.

But when contacted on this development, Oki confirmed the receipt of the said invitation letter written to him to appear before an investigative committee on BUM. He stated further that, the letter did not state his offence or any article of the party constitution which he has breached or purportedly breached contrary to Article 21(B) of the party’s constitution.

“I have humbly accepted the invitation and will appear before the panel. I have no cause to worry. I am not seeking for any office. I am here to serve and bring unity to our party. I call on all aggrieved party men and women to give BUM a chance to rebuild our party to give hope to party members of all shades and creed.”

He reiterated the philosophy of BUM that “We are united in reaffirming the ideals that made our party in 2013 to break the yoke of ethnicity and divisive politics to unite under an amalgamated legacy parties to elect a Pan-Nigerian President. Our members are growing by the day. As of today, we have over 25 LGA party chairmen and executives as well as over 150 ward executives aside other members at the grassroots, our members are looking forward to a party of inclusion, the party of economic opportunities, the party of freedom and a united party that will rise from the ashes of intimidation, imposition and god-fatherism to the mountain of hope.

“Our people are looking with nostalgia to the freedom of association without being coerced into a force second term agenda, the respect for our members and the sense of belonging that pervade our party under leaders that are weak, self centred and lack capacity to institutionalise internal democracy. We the stakeholders are resolved to rebuild, renew and rebrand our great party to anchor the dreams of our founding fathers and give wings to the hopes of our members who live in uncertainty,”

He said that BUM would lead to a new party with responding ideals, adding that the decision to go ahead with the reconciliation of members which he said, was the only objective “we are striving to achieve”, he added.

He added that the action of the state chairman of the party in directing the LGA chapter to suspend him at all cost was in gross violation of established procedure and disciplinary process.

He further stated: “Our founding fathers are very resolute in the kind of party that we are building; a party that would ensure that everybody is cared for and carried along, a party that will not tolerate anything that will take away members rights to choose their leaders and representatives without force or intimidation. BUM will ensure that our party’s constitution is abide with and implemented to the letter, where every member will have a sense of belonging and can actualise his aspiration in an atmosphere devoid of imposition or intimidation.”

“People like Ajomale still believe that you can build a party by suspending anyone who does not agree with them. Let them continue with the suspension. We will see who will remain to make Ambode’s re-election possible”, a member of the party told THISDAY Politics.

Before the emergence of the Broom United Movement and the suspension of its convener, the party had earlier shown its intolerance for opposition within the party when it purportedly suspended the National Legal Adviser of the party, Dr Muiz Banire, SAN.
What was Banire’s offence? He asked the party to jettison imposition of candidates during last year’s local government election. For insisting that the right thing be done, Banire was castigated and threatened. The state government even threatened to demolish his house.

“The PDP was not this intolerant when it was in power,” said another member of the party who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear he will be molested if his name is mentioned.

One thing that is clear from the crisis is Lagos APC is that the leadership has no respect for the party’s constitution. Many are at a loss trying to understand this when the state chairman is himself a lawyer.
Like Oki, Banire had warned that many members of the party in Lagos had become frustrated and were ready to leave in droves if the party failed to amend its way. Nobody listened to Banire.
He said: “The level of frustration is so much within the system. Most of the people that I have come across that have struggled within the party seem to be frustrated already. In fact, it has taken my intervention to arrest largely the drift of people to the opposition party. And I believe that if you are giving them assurance you must be able to secure that assurance to the last, because if you fail, then you may not be able to control anybody. It could happen, more so that the PDP is advancing seriously against us in the state. So I do not believe that we should play to their hands at all.”
Then Oki came on board to add his own voice. If suspension is the solution as argued by Ajomale, Oki would not have spoken out after the purported suspension of Banire.

In a letter to the chairman, he said: “”I honestly cannot fold my arms and make as if nothing is wrong in this regard.
“Our party members are not happy with us, they have lost trust and confidence in our ability and capacity to manage the party. Our party and government lack cohesion and synergy.
“Our weak leadership style cannot drive the party to any victory due to our acts of indiscretion, which could prevent our party from achieving its set goals and subject it to public ridicule.”

What the leadership of the party does not seem to realise is that there are many members that are as aggrieved as Banire and Oki. The only difference is that they are not as bold as the duo. The fact that many are keeping quiet does not mean they agree with the way the party is being run.
In February 2019, Nigeria will be holding a general election. It will not be completely free and fair; but it will certainly be competitive given the undemocratic way the national leader is known for selecting who takes what position. But for the first time, there will be challenge to his decision
Tinubu will also have to tread cautiously. At the party’s national level his authority is being challenged. In Lagos, people are questioning his judgment. He may think that the opposition in his backyard is too feeble to threaten his hegemony, there is however a way the two can mix and produce an undesirable effect. In Ondo, his candidate was denied the opportunity to fly the party’s flag.
The opposition to his job as chairman of the reconciliatory committee of the party should also be instructive to him.

Tinubu must have seen the position as an avenue to rid himself of the irritants that are threatening his powers in Lagos and a way to get rid of others who had constituted themselves into opposition nationally.

But unfortunately, he wasn’t prepared for the political dexterity of the opposition led by Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, the man Tinubu imposed on the party to the chagrin of others when he was the power that be at the party before the 2015 general election which the party later won.

But the recent crisis began when just ahead of the National Executive Council (NEC), meeting of the party, a fierce battle began for the control of the soul of the ruling party between its National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Working Committee, NWC, led by Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

It is an open secret that Tinubu is determined to ensure that Oyegun is removed as the national chairman of the party following the shift of loyalty by the latter, but the attempt by the party leader to achieve the feat failed woefully. The last of such moves was during the February 27 NEC meeting.

Rather than being ousted at the gathering, Oyegun, like a cat with nine lives secured a year extension of tenure for himself and the entire party structure from the local to national level at the expiration of their tenure by the end of June.

This was achieved through an overwhelming 104 to 4 votes at the NEC meeting attended by President Muhammadu Buhari; his deputy, Prof Yemi Osinbajo; state governors and Tinubu among other party leaders.

For that feat, hell was let loose, with supporters and proxies of the national leader threatening court action to block the tenure elongation for the party chairman and his NWC, which they claim is against the party’s and the 1999 constitution.

To beat the fresh onslaught against his continued stay as the party’s chairman, It was gathered that Oyegun and his executive committee prepared a new strategy document to foil any court action and get the next NEC meeting to ratify the committee’s one-year extension.

For Tinubu, it may be high time to re-strategise.