Adedayo Akinwale writes on the ignoble roles played by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, which were aimed at truncating Senator Bola Tinubu’s emergence as the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 national elections
The Special National Convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) may have come and gone, with the former Governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu having the last laugh. He emerged presidential candidate of the party, in spite of the strong opposition.
Tinubu last Wednesday defeated 13 other aspirants to clinch the party’s presidential ticket, after scoring 1,271 votes against his closest rival, the former Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi who scored 316 votes and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, with 235 votes.
The Special National Convention of the party had suffered many shifts and postponements due to power play and politicking amongst various interests in the party. Many had thought the convention would lead to fragmentation of the party and brutally bruised ego of its leading members.
Forty-eight hours to the party’s convention, the fear of party members was confirmed when the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu descended hard on Tinubu for allegedly insulting President Muhammadu Buhari. Addressing a press conference in Abuja, Adamu said Tinubu’s utterances were unbecoming and he might be punished for that. From that moment, there was apprehension concerning the political fate of the former Lagos State Governor, making it, arguably, the longest 48 hours in his life.
The aggressive attack on Tinubu by Adamu followed from a meeting with delegates in Ogun State ahead of the presidential primary election, which provided Tinubu the opportunity to bare his mind in an explosive manner. In a rare fit of anger, Tinubu recounted his very important role in the emergence of Buhari as president of Nigeria in 2015. He said if not for his support, Buhari would not have become President. The ink had hardly dried on the paper on which Tinubu’s statement was printed when Adamu fired back, hinting that the ruling party would be on the lookout to punish Tinubu or any other aspirant that made a similar statement.
Though quickly apologized and maintained that he has utmost respect for President Buhari, Adamu did not show similar remorse. The odium created by his utterance had become firmly established at a deep level that attracted bad blood to Tinubu in some quarters.
Adamu said: “Social media have been inundaunted with the report of one of our leaders Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, former Governor of Lagos State when he went for his campaign in Abeokuta, in the course of his address, he went as far as to mention what happened between him and President Muhamadu Buhari. He went as far as to tell his audience how Buhari went to him, even prostrating in tears, begging him to endorse him for the presidency. He claimed that Buhari went to him. The words in Yoruba… the interpretation was very insulting, very unbecoming of a person of that standing to do what he did to a sitting president produced by the votes of APC. It is amazing how a fellow APC person can make that kind of comment about the president. We take exception to this and this doesn’t show any appreciable level of respect for the office of Mr. President and the person of Mr. President.”
Adamu’s Stunt
Not satisfied with tongue-lashing Tinubu for his outburst which the APC National Chairman used as an excuse stop his bid to get the party’s presidential flag, Adamu went ahead to pull a stunt when he told members of National Working Committee (NWC) that Buhari had endorsed Senate President, Ahmad Lawan as the consensus candidate of the party, against the known but unwritten arrangement that the presidential ticket should be ceded to the South.
After Adamu succeeded in creating the confusion, other members of the NWC stood their ground and insisted that all the aspirants should be given a level playing field by going into the election to test their popularity.
At this point, the plan by Adamu to seal the fate of Tinubu and other presidential aspirants hit the brick wall when other members of the NWC refused to ratify Lawan as the consensus candidate of the party, just a few hours to the party’s convention.
The National Organising Secretary of the party, Mr. Suleiman Argungun, who alongside other members of the NWC including the National Vice Chairman, South-south, Chief Victor Giadom, National Vice Chairman, South-west, Isaacs Kekemeke, National Vice Chairman, North-west, Dr. Salihu Lukman, among other NWC members were forced to address the press insisting that Lawan was never adopted by the NWC as a consensus candidate.
He said: “It is just an information that he (Adamu) gave us. It is not an issue that has to be deliberated by NWC. It is an information. All of us are entitled to our opinion. We are all democrats. This decision was never taken by the NWC. That is just an information, not an issue that was discussed by the NWC. Just recently, the northern governors had their meeting. We, as members of the NWC, are with the governors on what they have said.”
Northern APC Governors Intervention
Following the atmosphere of confusion created by Adamu, the Northern governors elected on the platform of the APC moved in to reaffirm their positions on the need to cede the presidency to the South. The governors also scheduled a meeting with Adamu at the party’s secretariat. But Adamu shunned the planned but impromptu meeting with the APC governors. The governors left the party secretariat for his house after about one hour.
However, the Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu said Adamu was on a frolic of his own by taking a flight of fancy and decided to make a pronouncement beyond his competence.
He insisted that Adamu’s alleged pronouncement ran contrary to the position of the majority of Northern governors in APC and their counterparts in the South.
Buhari Denies Endorsing Lawan
At the nick of time, the President saved the day when he cleared all doubts about where he stands on the choice of a presidential candidate. He told the party’s 14 governors of northern states that he has “no preferred candidate,” and has “anointed no one”. He insisted that he was determined to ensure that “there shall be no imposition of any candidate on the party.”
The President said he had a clear mind about what he was doing and asked the APC governors to feel the same way: “You were elected as I was. Have a clear mind as I have. God gave us the chance; we have no reason to complain. We must be ready to take pain as we take the joy. Allow the delegates to decide. The party must participate, nobody will appoint anybody.”
Tinubu’s Master Stroke
While confusion reigned in the ruling party, Tinubu and some South-west elders were busy meeting with presidential aspirants from the region to queue behind Tinubu.
The meeting made a major breakthrough when news filtered into the air on Tuesday evening that the Governor of Ekiti state and a presidential aspirant of the party, Dr. Kayode Fayemi had stepped down. The official announcement was delayed till the night of the convention when the aspirants were asked to woo the delegates with a-five minute presentation.
Fayemi’s decision to step down was the final stroke that secured the victory that was already in sight.
Other Aspirants Step Down
Aside Fayemi, other aspirants that stepped down for Tinubu included, the former Minister of Nigeria Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, the former Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Dimeji Bankole, Governor of Jigawa State, Abubakar Badaru and the only female aspirant, Uju Ohanenye. They all stepped down for Tinubu.
Adamu’s Attack on NWC Members
After his failed coup, Adamu while still nursing his bruises launched a tirade of abuse on other members of the NWC at the convention ground. He said washing the party’s dirty linens outside was irresponsible.
According to him, “On the 20th of April this year, I drew the attention to the need for our party to be disciplined…that a political party such as APC, the ruling party, at the heart of our national development must be exemplary, disciplined and have fidelity in its core values. Washing our dirty linens in the public is not a mark of courage, it is a mark of irresponsibility, indiscipline and indiscrimination to obey extant rules and regulations and play by them.”
With Tinubu’s victory, Adamu was forced to eat the humble pie when he said his victory has vindicated the ruling party’s nationalistic outlook and patriotic posture.
He said: “I present to Your Excellency, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, my compliments and those of the members of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress, in the best of traditions. Your victory has vindicated our party’s nationalistic outlook and patriotic posture as the party of choice for every Nigerian. I am pleased that the party spoke with one voice when the delegates voted overwhelmingly to nominate you as our presidential candidate.”
QUOTE
Not satisfied with tongue-lashing Tinubu for his outburst which the APC National Chairman used as an excuse stop his bid to get the party’s presidential flag, Adamu went ahead to pull a stunt when he told members of National Working Committee (NWC) that Buhari had endorsed Senate President, Ahmad Lawan as the consensus candidate of the party, against the known but unwritten arrangement that the presidential ticket should be ceded to the South
