North, South West battle for the soul of APC

The recent incidents in the national assembly are seen as a Northern conspiracy against Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and his loyalists in the South West. But the battle is far from over as AlhajiAtikuAbubakar and AsiwajuTinubu engage in a widening battle of wits. OLUSESAN LAOYE reports

With the leadership crisis in the National Assembly still far from being over, two geopolitical zones the South West and the North are now in locked supremacy battle over the control of the governing All Progressives Congress, APC. The Northern side is being led by the former vice president, AlhajiAtikuAbubakar while Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is leading the South West front.

Although the whole game is seen as a fight for the larger interests of the country, however analysts believe that the motivation is nothing but the personal interests of those leading the battle that is at play. The two geopolitical zones could be said to be major players in the consummation of the APC and since the political party has won the election at the centre, the two zones and their leaders have been fighting for the control of the party.

Tinubu who is championing the cause of the South West in the party is seen by another leader of the party, Atiku as wanting to lord himself over all other leaders and asking for more than what should ordinarily be given to his zone. It was believed that he has the intention of having total control of the party which is now being resisted by other zones, especially the North which also has a powerful figure like Atiku.

Before the election of 2015, both Tinubu and Atiku were interested in the Presidency. It was the intention of Tinubu to be vice president that triggered the first crisis in the party as a result of the colouration of the ticket, Muslim/Muslim ticket. Atiku on his part moved into the APC because of his ambition for the Presidency. That was why he led the new Peoples Democratic Party with the five governors to APC. But he too could not make it at the end of the day. His not making it at the primary of the party was linked to Tinubu who put his weight behind the incumbent President MuhammaduBuhari. Atiku despite the fact that he accepted defeat waited for the right time to fight back.

While Tinubu leading the South West was still in the euphoria of election victory, Atiku from the North East went ahead to plot against him with the aim of controlling the party through the national assembly having believed that Tinubu is in control of the Presidency. Atiku’s motive was that with the strong influence Tinubu is said to have in the Presidency it would be too dangerous to leave the party for him as well. To do end he had to ensure that his group gained the control of the national assembly through the use of the Northern solidarity.

It is this power play between the two leaders with President Buhari at the centre that has made the truce in the national assembly impossible. Although the crisis in the senate appears to be over, the place where the battle is fierce now is the House of Representatives where the interest of Tinubu is paramount. Up till now Tinubu’s group in the South West still want the  House leader since it lost the position of speaker to the North East.

What is happening in the APC now is confusing members and Nigerians who are still wondering why the battle has continued to rage. While it was believed by some people that both Atiku and Tinubu are fighting for their people, others were of the opinion that the battle is actually in preparation for the 2019 elections. It is believed that since President Buhari has indicated that he might do one term, all the interests groups have started positioning themselves ahead of the time. But what people are saying is that the infighting should have been suspended till later date at least the end of the first term of the incumbent president and allow him to succeed before fighting for 2019, because the present crisis could mar the performance of the APC government still trying to find its feet at this early stage of its existence.

Since this issue has been on, several steps have been taken to resolve the matter but unfortunately the party has been unable to find solution to it.  Even all the meetings called by the Presidency to resolve it have not worked. The crisis has even caused problem for the national chairman of the party. Chief John Oyegun, who those in Atiku’s group believe was working for Tinubu. Also the last NEC meeting of the party could not help matters and that was why the resolution was referred to the governor’s committee headed by the former speaker of the House of Representatives and now governor of Sokoto State, Hon AminuTambuwal who himself has not been able to resolve the issue. Tambuwal was given the assignment because of his former position and with the understanding that he would be able to use his legislative leadership to solve the imbroglio in the lower legislative chambers.

Right now the decision taken after Tambuwal’s intervention has still not resolved the matter. YakubuDogara’s group agreed to concede the House majority leader to the Hon Femi Gbajabiamila’s group but on the condition that both the North East and the South West which are at the centre of crisis should not benefit simply because, both had taken the positions of the speaker and deputy speaker respectively. But this has not gone down well with the Gbajabiamila’s group who still insists that the decision of the party on House positions should be followed. This stand was as well rejected by Dogara’s group.

As it is now, the two warring groups have not made open declaration about the proposal from the Tambuwal’s meeting, it was however being speculated that if the arrangement did not work, then the selection of the key officers would be tabled on the floor of the House especially at the caucus meeting of the APC members and whoever wins would be accepted. This formula, it was argued would be adopted for all other positions in the House. As for the party’s decision on the matter, Dogara’s group still insists that the letter of the national chairman could not be followed because it did not follow the due process and also against the principles of democratic process in the national assembly.

Hallmark was informed that it appears the last option of putting the positions of the House leaders into votes would eventually be adopted, and this is why another political game plan is going to manifest and where game of numbers would still have to count. It was also learnt that both Atiku and Tinubu have started mobilizing members from all the zones for the election in the House in case this was what would be used to elect the leaders.

As the party is still battling with the national assembly issue, what members of the party are afraid of again that could still create serious problems is the position of Board of Trustees Chairman and who would occupy it.  It was formally zoned to the North East, and Atiku is the most favoured but with the situation of things in the party now, the South West headed by Tinubu would not want to back Atiku whom they believe was instrumental to the zone losing the speakership of the House of Representatives. Sources said Tinubu might become the BoT Chairman of the party eventually.

It was leant that before the national assembly imbroglio, the leaders of the party, Tinubu who is leading the South West onslaught had supported Atiku for the position but it was said that he too is now interested in the position because the zone has lost out in the national assembly leadership and the only way the zone could be relevant now is by taking the BoT seat.

Hallmark was informed that even if Tinubu would not take the position at the end of the day, he would want the former national chairman of the ACN and interim Chairman of the APC, Chief BisiAkande to occupy  it.

The issue political observers say is still revolving within the North East and the South West and that it is not going to be easy to resolve because of the two personalities involved. Atiku, it was said has started mobilizing those who are qualified in the North to vote for who becomes the BoT chairman, while Tinubu too, it was said has started mobilizing from other geopolitical zones in addition to the block votes that would come from the South West. It was also leant that Tinubu has set up a tactical committee which would study the situation in the party right now and come up with the resolution on the way forward for the South West.

As one of the party chieftains told Hallmark, the bulk of how the crisis would be resolved still remains on the table of President Buhari, who should not shy away from doing that. The source argued that if Buhari intends to succeed he must take a decisive action in bailing out the party. The argument in Atiku’s group was that the South now has the chairman of the party and as a result the South can no longer have the position of the BoT, and this is what is as well being canvassed by his followers. But the South West group based its position on the BoT matter on the zonal basis which is now being used to share positions in the party and which Atiku’s men are promoting in the national assembly.

Hallmark was informed as well that some people in the party are saying that if the South West and the North East are creating problem for the party, the issue of the BoT chairmanship should be given to other zones and the South East or the South-South is being favoured by this neutral group.

Other party leaders who have commented on the ongoing problem in the party are those within the two factions of Atiku and Tinubu. For instance, Chief Akande had alleged that the crisis in the party is caused and being sponsored by Northern elements, which angered some of them who believed that Akande should behave like a national leader and not a sectional leader. The President of the South West Professionals Forum, Mr.SegunAjibulu declared that Tinubu should be respected in the party because he has done a lot and risked his life for the party. He said that what is going on now is that some group in the party are trying to undermine Tinubu and this to him, was an indication that the South west wanted to be marginalized.

Mazi Paul Ibe, while reacting to the allegation that Atiku was behind the emergence of Saraki at the national assembly argued that the insinuation that the senate president, Saraki and Dogara’s visit to Atiku immediately after their elections was as a result of Atiku’s support for them should be disregarded. He added that it was just a normal courtesy that any member of the party could pay to any leader who is respected.

Also Rafiu Ibrahim from Kwara South is of the opinion that the BoT and the national assembly crisis would not have negative effects on the party. He is of the opinion that Atiku is a man who believes that principle of internal democracy should be respected. In his own reaction, Barr KayodeAjulo said that selfish interests of the leaders of the party are causing the problem in APC and which could affect President Buhari if care is not taken.

Chief Femi Falana who spoke last week at the Rotary Club in Lagos said that that the fight in the national assembly was also due to the personal interests of members and not that of the people that elected them. He said that he could not see the reason why they should be fighting over positions in the Assembly, saying that what they should fight for is how to make laws that would help the people.

One of the legislators in the loyalists group in the House of Representatives, Hon Nazil Sango Daura said that the only way for the issue to be resolved is for the Dogara’s   group to abide by the resolutions of the party on who should take what in the House of Representatives and in the Senate.

A leader in Dogara’s group, AbdulmuminJibrin, who shed more light on the matter and the truce made by Tambuwal said that the ball is in the court of the Gbajabiamila’s group to accept the truce formula failure or which would make the matter be thrown open to the caucus of the party in the House of Representatives. He pointed out that if this should be the case all the warring groups would have no option than to accept the outcome.

It is however surprising that it is not only the APC members and leaders who are worried about what is going on in the national assembly, the party and the presidency, other Nigerians too are worried and want a way out because they believe that right now the APC is in control and whatever happens in the party could affect the governance.

Chief Femi Fani-kayode did not hide his feelings about the events in the country. He said there is a resurgence of clearly ethnic agenda which is designed to leave no one in doubt about who really owns Nigeria and who the slaves are. He argued that what is also going on now is the plan to destroy and demystify Tinubu and his Yoruba loyalists by his Northern allies in APC. He argued that Tinubu and his loyalists should have seen this all along and should not be crying foul now, about the Northern conspiracy against him.

Also the national publicity secretary of the PDP, OlisaMetuh said that the crisis in the APC was an indication that the party was not prepared for governance. He said that this has shown that the PDP is the only true democratic and national party which serves the interests of everybody in the country, adding that when the PDP was in power there was nothing like this kind of fighting for positions in APC and reflection of the Federal Character principle. He was however of the view that what is happening in the APC would go a long way to strengthen the PDP which they are now trying to reposition for the elections ahead.