APC crisis: Tinubu in dilemma over floating new party  

The national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, may have been thrown into the dilemma of floating a new political party or remaining in the ruling APC in the build up to 2023. Sources close to the political leader revealed to National Daily that the prominent political leader is also weighing the pressures of the conflicts and the interventionist consequences in the party; in juxtaposition with the pressures from his allies, political associates, loyalists and followers to float a new political party. According to the allies, floating a new political party would imply dumping the APC, which they said their principal is also considering the consequences. The allies also noted that remaining in the APC would amount to higher risk of losing the relevance and being consumed by other forces in the ruling party.

There are indications of rising tension among the legacy parties that formed the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as the conflicts in the party is beginning to build mountains of provocative consequences, compelling the principal actors and party leaders to consider alternatives to their political ambitions. The legacy parties in the APC amalgamation comprise of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), led by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; the Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) led by President Muhammadu Buhari; the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP); former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, was among the foundation allies as an individual, not on a major political party alliance, since APGA which he belonged was not part of the alliance. The nPDP members was part of the early negotiations of the APC amalgamation but was later coopted after they formally defected from the PDP to the APC. The race for the president in 2015 was between the CPC and nPDP members while the ACN strengthened alliance with the CPC which held on to the president in exchange of controlling the national chairman of the party.

Some APC stakeholders were of the view that the unmitigated crises in the party over the years threatened virtually all the foundation agreements in the party. This was said to be exacerbated by the recent intervention by President Muhammadu Buhari to save the APC from disintegration. However, the presidential intervention appeared to be deepening the mutual suspicion and distrust in the party, creating further crisis. There is fresh phobia of domination of APC by one of the legacy parties, this time the CPC led by President Buhari. The fear is further upheld to imply that CPC has taken over the APC, controlling both the president and the national chairman, as presently composed in the caretaker committee.

Paradoxically, the presidential intervention in the APC leadership crisis; the emergent interventionist structure which gave birth to caretaker committee, may have begun to provoke the loyalists, allies, associates and followers of the APC national  leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, into considering alternative party platform outside the APC for the 2023 general elections. The fear of distrust, political insecurity and domination have dominated their political calculations. Accordingly, they are beginning to mount intense pressures on their political principal, Tinubu, to float a new party towards the 2023 general elections.

Meanwhile, the leader who made enormous investment in the APC project, which he has already considered as sacrifice, is calling for caution in handling the provocations springing from recent events in the party. Close sources revealed that they leader is conscious that they need the APC structures and the federal might to prosecute the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states. While not rebuking the demands, the APC national leader was said to have cautioned that they watch a little more time to know the outcome of the caretaker committee interventions, as well as the what the anticipated national convention will result in before taking any action.