With extra six months granted the Mai Mala Buni-led All Progressives Congress National Caretaker Committee, the future of the ruling party is still fluid and hazy, writes Chuks Okocha
At an extraordinary meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni’s led National Caretaker Committee of the APC was granted another tenure extension for six months.
This makes it the second time his tenure was extended. The committee was appointed in June 2020 to reorganise the party. In December 2020, it got another six months extension. And just last Friday, June18, 2021, the committee was granted another six months extension, to end in December 2021.
The latest extension was like a prophesy foretold, as it had been in the news that the chairman of the APC caretaker committee was planning a transmutation in office. It was learnt that Caretaker Committees from the ward, local government and state levels would be phased out gradually, immediately the substantive executives emerge at the respective levels, but nothing was said in categorical manner of the national convention.
The entire scenario is beginning to look like ‘penny wise, pound foolish’ to those that edged out the immediate past chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole from office. He was elected into office for a probable four years in office as the national chairman of APC. If Oshiomhole was left in office from March, 2020, when he was suspended and eventually removed, he would by now be preparing to handover affairs of the party to another Chairman, on completion of his tenure.
All the forces that plotted against Oshiomhole are indeed losers now. This is because democratic choices would have been allowed to prevail. As the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo said, the worst practice of democracy is indeed better than any military arrangement.
The APC as a political party is the worst loser in this process, because the leaders of the party did not allow democracy and democratic tendencies to prevail within the party.
Where are the likes of Salihu Lukman, Director General at the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) and Victor Giadom, who as the acting chairman was used to remove Oshiomhole from office? Where is the chairman of the APC Governors Forum and Governor of Kebbi State, Abubakar Bagudu, who was used to remove Oshiomhole through their infamous Court of Appeal order?
It was gathered that the grouse of these party big wigs, who were angling for his removal was that Oshiomhole introduced direct system of primary election for the selection of candidates that are to fly the party’s flag at different levels ahead of the 2019 general election.
The Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC) had proposed the option of direct primaries to the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party, which adopted and ratified it.
But when the option of direct primaries came into effect and was used in the just concluded primaries of the party, powerful forces within the party, sensing that they might lose out, hatched the plan to see Oshiomhole removed from office.
A source at the party’s national headquarters said the most affected party members were some governors, who had plans to transit from Government House to the National Assembly and at the same time, appoint successors, who may not have electoral value for the party.
This, according to the source, did not sit well with Oshiomhole, whose mantra was to hand the party over to the majority and give everyone a sense of belonging.
The source added: “On coming to the office, the comrade chairman was interested in changing the party from the old order, where only select individuals determined who got where, to a democratic system where everyone had a say in the affairs of the party.”
The question begging for answer now is, would it not have been better to have allowed Oshiomhole to complete his tenure of office as the national chairman, than to use the court to remove him?
Although there is already tension within the party over an alleged plan by Buni to transmute into the national chairman of the party. This is gradually being brought home with the extension by another six months. Party pundits argue that nothing had stopped the caretaker committee not to have gone ahead and released an agenda for the national convention of the party.
Before the extension, it was gathered that Buni’s alleged ambition might have stopped the caretaker committee from announcing dates for national and states congresses in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to usher in new party leadership.
Sources familiar with the power game in the party told THISDAY that Buni’s game plan is to resign his position as governor and join the race for the party’s national chairman. His second term tenure ends in May 2023. Though he has denied the transmutation agenda, however, with the extension by another six months, it is yet to be seen, how this will fade away from public glare.
But many of the governors elected on the platform of the party are said to be opposed to Buni’s bid to transform into the substantive chairman of the party. The APC governors opposed to the Buni’s ambition, it was learnt, are those who would be rounding off their second term in office by 2023.
Also, the ministers who have political ambitions by 2023 are opposed to this plan of Buni as well assome selected members of the APC caretaker committee.
But what is not clear is what agenda the Mai Bala Buni committee intends to achieve within the next six months. It was clearly stated that the committee is mandated to complete congresses from the wards, local governments and states, but silent on the national convention that would usher in new executives empowered to direct the affairs of the party ahead of the 2023 general election.
Is the six months extension granted the party’s caretaker committee an avenue for the transmutation agenda to a substantive executives? The latest extension agenda has left many members more perplexed and confused. At the APC national secretariat, the question many are posing is, what it is that the Buni committee could not achieve in the past one year that it will now accomplish now?
Well, the jury is still out!
