THE  ACN is at best a relic of an African traditional cultural association which accords the elderly unquestionable loyalty and followership. And because of this, both Chief Akande and Chief Bola Tinubu have vigorously defended the lack of primary elections in the ACN.

Even our highly intellectual Lai Mohammed who for the sake of lucre supports this obnoxiously offensive and anti-democratic system of choosing party and other government officials by party leaders.

ACN governors, senators, members of the House of Representatives, commissioners, permanent secretaries, Local Government chairman are all hand picked by Chief Tinubu. The ACN leader is like an 18th century Russian despotic monarch who rules  in the “best interest” of his subjects without the slightest input from the ruled.

That is over three hundred years ago. Democracy demands participatory citizenship. An engaged and educated electorate who  knows  that power resides  in their own hands and not with the leaders.

Alhaji Tinubu could be a good leader of the Yorubas or even of the Afenifere, a Yoruba socio-cultural group, but definitely not a fit leader of a political party of the 21st century and definitely not a Progressive.

The other major partner in the APC conundrum is the CPC which is led by former President Muhammadu Buhari. Gen. Buhari’s credentials are the extreme opposite of a progressive. Gen. Buhari’s characteristic military and boisterous style made him choose crating Alhaji Umaru Dikko back to Nigeria instead of choosing the diplomatic channel. Buhari’s undemocratic inflexibility and rigidity, his  inability to compromise and mend fences  with political rivals and colleagues have all conspired to make him very unprogressive and irrelevant in today’s ‘internet” politics.

The APGA hierarchy has abinitio denounced ever being part of the merger. And so Gov. Rochas Okorocha will have to join another party to be a member of APC.

APGA’s embattled chairman Chief Victor Umeh has this to say, “APGA  is not in any alignment with any party”. Chief Maxi Okwu the Acting Chairman has this to say, “APGA is not in any political merger” and Dr. Tim Menakaya, APGA Board of Trustee’s Member, Speaking on behalf of the party categorically denied APGA’s involvement in any party merger which he said is the sole responsibility of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and the party’s national convention.

As for the ANPP, it is as unprogressive as the ACN as there is none in the ANPP who fully understands the terms “progressive” and “democracy”.

Nigeria’s uniparty status is one of the greatest embarrassment to our nascent democracy and except something cataclysmic occurs, I do not see any other political party that can unseat the PDP from power, merger or no merger

In 2011, the ACN and CPC formed a united front to battle President Goodluck Jonathan by forming a mega party. And this mega party edifice collapsed even before it was formed because of the presidential ambition of both parties. The CPC wanted both the presidential and vice-presidential slot’s even when it was so obvious that ACN had more political structures on the ground. This jostling for the juicy positions of president, vice president, governors, senators, etc, is the same weapon that will kill this over ambitious merger put together by over ambitious and rigidly inflexible politicians.

Serious minded Nigerians should plan for a strong grassroots party with a strong peoples’ oriented vanguard that will challenge the PDP in any election after 2015.

The APC is already carrying the seeds of its own internal destruction just like the aspirin phenacetin and even caffeine properties that led to the demise of the drug –APC.

It is my very sad projection that the APC  may not be alive to witness the 2015 presidential elections and if it does, the result would be a woeful adventure and a catastrophic  futility. APC has a very bad product and not even David Axelrod one of the best of America’s campaign strategists can sell this woobly APC product for political acceptance.

Nigeria is in a dire need of a strong people oriented party that can terminate Ogbulator’s prophecy.

Mr.  BEN NANAGHAN, a commentator on national issues, wrote from Lagos.