By SUNDAY ODIBASHI
The battle for the control of the political structures of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has polarized the party along the political interests of principal leaders of the two prominent legacy parties, President Muhammadu Buhari, leading the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, leading the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). More so, the emergent power blocs within the ruling party are also contending for individual survivor of the stakeholders in the preparations for the 2019 general elections.
Furthermore, the power configuration also reinforces the existing cold war between the Abuja force and their respective political godfathers at their home states. Apparently, the contest for the national chairman has created a battlefield for the outburst of the various internal rivalries in the party.
Ironically, the alignment of the 24 APC governors into pro-Buhari group and the Tinubu group shows that the ACN has lost remarkable ground, or has rather been assimilated by the CPC bloc. Besides, it would appear that the recent seeming re-unification of President Buhari and Asiwaju Tinubu, APC national leader, is still hanging in mutual suspicion and mutual distrust, culminating into the tentative cold war over the control of the APC structures.
It was gathered that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has eight of the 24 APC governors queuing behind him in the struggle to vote in former Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, and permanently end the tenure of Oyegun whose tenure expires in June 2018.
The eight governors battling to enthrone Oshiomhole as APC National Chairman at the May 14, 2018, National Convention, include Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State, Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, Abdulahi Ganduje of Kano, Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos State and Kashim Shettima of Borno State.
The other 16 governors operating under the aegis of pro-Buhari group are committed to returning John Odigie-Oyegun and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) to office.
The pro-Buhari governors include Bindo Jibrilla of Adamawa, Mohammed Abdulahi Abubakar of Bauchi; Samuel Ortom of Benue, Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai of Kaduna, Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, Yahaya Bello of Kogi, Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa, Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger, Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun, Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu of Ondo, Simon Lalong of Plateau, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto, Ibrahim Geidam of Yobe.
Unfortunately, Tinubu lost the governors of Ogun, Ondo and Oyo states to the Buhari group. This is not unconnected with the domestic power tussle in the South West where Amosun, Ajimobi are battling to stabilize their political authority, competing with the Tinubu dynasty, while Akeredole is still contending with the fallout of the 2017 governorship election in Ondo State. More so, Amosun and Ajimobi had their traditional political leaning in the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) where they have been in same platform with Buhari before the emergence of CPC and ACN.
However, there are still 12 states not controlled by APC. The states may provide balance of power that may uplift any of the blocs depending on the horse trading mad political simulations.
The ultimate denouement is the political calculation for second term ticket of the APC. Several APC governors are more reliable with Oyegun than an emergent Oshiomhole. They also fear that Tinubu might dominate the party to their detriment and deny them party ticket for second term re-lection.
Meanwhile, Details of the nomination of delegates to the APC National Convention as spelt out by the Convention Planning Committee are as follows:
i. Members of the Board of Trustees;
ii. National Chairman and all Members of the National Executive Committee;
iii. Serving and past Presidents and Vice Presidents of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria who are Members of the Party;
iv. Serving and past Governors and Deputy Governors of States of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria who are members of the Party;
v. Serving and past members of the National Assembly who are members of the
Party, serving and past Speakers, Deputy Speakers and other principal officers of the State Houses of Assembly, and all serving members of the State Houses of Assembly who are members of the Party.
vi. Members of the States’ Working Committee (including that of the Federal
Capital Territory, Abuja) of the Party.
vii. All Party Chairmen and Secretaries of the Local Government Areas/Area
Councils of the country;
viii. All elected Local Government Council/Area Council Chairmen of the country
who are members of the Party;
ix. Three elected delegates (at least one of whom must be a woman) from each
Local Government Area/Area Council of the country.
The ruling party had earlier written the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) notifying it of the party’s preparations for an elective national convention. Thereafter, the party fixed May 24, 2018, for the convention after states congresses have been held within the time frame.