SINCE it became a full-fledged political party on July 31, 2013, the main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), weekend, had its first  political test: ward congresses across the over 10,000 wards of the country.

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, DAPO AKINREFON, CHARLES KUMOLU & LEVINUS NWABUGHIOGU

From left, Governor state of Osun Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, APC National
leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former governor of Abia state, Dr
Ogbonaya Onu, at a caucus meeting with APC members in the House of
Representatives, held at the National Assembly complex, Abuja on
Tuesday 04-02-2014

Run by interim executive committees at all levels, the ward congresses were to begin the process of entrenching democratic or elected executives in the party.

Observers have been on the look out to see how leaders of the APC, a party that emerged from the ashes of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), new PDP, will hammer out a united front and have seamless congresses.

In what could pass for a baptism of fire for the party, the APC recorded mixed fortunes at the ward congresses. While a couple of states had peaceful exercises with executives emerging by consensus, the congresses were postponed outright in a host of others due to logistics such as late arrival of materials, as well as violence, accusations and counter-accusations.

Disagreements, petitions and protests trailed the congresses in Lagos and Rivers.
States that had peaceful exercises include Oyo, Kano, Yobe and Kwara.
In Bauchi, Adamawa and Plateau, the congresses were postponed indefinitely.

FCT, Jigawa, Niger hold congresses today
States were the congresses will be held today are the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Jigawa State and Niger State. While the exercises were postponed in Abuja and Niger due to logistics, which hampered the congresses last Saturday, that of Jigawa was postponed to mourn a member of the party.

Kano holds congress Wednesday
In Kano, the ward congress will be held on Wednesday, Dr Mustapha Inuwa, the chairman of the committee charged with the responsibility of overseeing the conduct of the exercise, has said.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano, yesterday, Inuwa said the decision to shift the congress was informed by the late arrival of materials and officials for the conduct of the event, last Saturday.

“It was not possible to conduct the congress on Saturday as earlier planned because of logistics problems encountered not only in Kano State but across the country,” he said.
He noted that the committee would meet with all relevant party stakeholders to ensure the success of the exercise on Wednesday.

The committee chairman added that all required materials for the congress had arrived in the state, and sale of nomination forms for various positions would commence today.

He urged “anybody wishing to contest in the election should purchase the forms at designated banks.”
According to him, all completed forms must be returned to the committee on Tuesday in order to conduct the congress on Wednesday.

He dismissed rumours that the officers had been selected through consensus, saying that even if candidates emerged through consensus, the committee must record everything that happened at the venue.

How Amosun, Osoba averted bloody clash in Ogun
But for the intervention of Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and a former governor of the state, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, there would have been bloodletting during the ward congresses in the state.
Supporters of Amosun and Osoba across the state, at the wards congresses, reportedly engaged one another over the structure of the party at the ward level.

Tension was high at Igbore where a faction of the party held its congress while the other group held its congress at Freeman Methodist Primary School and elected leaders for ward 13, Abeokuta North.
In a bid to forestall break down of law and order, Amosun and Osoba raced to the volatile areas and calmed the supporters.

Addressing the aggrieved members of the party, Amosun appealed to them to embrace peace, assuring that all members would be allowed to vote.

Only six councils had congresses in Oyo
In Oyo State, the congresses took place in only six of the 33 local councils of the state amid tension in Iseyin and Oyo West Local Government Areas.
It was gathered that party members in 27 other council areas resolved on consensus arrangement to choose their ward executives.

The councils where primaries were held were Atiba, Oyo West, Afijio, Surulere, Ogo-Oluwa and Ogbomoso North.
The party’s Interim Chairman, Chief Akin Oke, confirmed the development in an interview with NAN.

The congress was, however, marred by threat to peace in some council areas such as Iseyin and Oyo West where party members disagreed on the mode of voting and choice of party leaders.

Ogunnusi  seeks cancellation in Lagos
Deputy Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Finance, Mr Otunba Abayomi Ogunlusi, has called for cancellation of the ward congresses held by the party in areas marred by protests and violence in Lagos State.

He also urged the Party’s Congresses Committee in the state to put on hold the Local Council congresses billed for April 15.
Addressing Newsmen in Lagos, Ogunnusi, who represents  Ifako-ijaiye Federal Constituency said that issues from the ward congresses if unresolved would lead to unimaginable crisis within the party in the state.

Disagreements, petitions and protests trailed the APC congress in most councils of the state.
Ogunlusi however advised the party against going ahead with the local government congresses without resolving all issues that emanated from the ward congress.

According to him, “The massive protests across most of the local government areas is a proof of the sham congresses held in the state. In my ward, Ward C in Ifako Ijaiye, the congress did not hold due to fights among members over allegations that some people wanted to manipulate the polls. I personally sent in a petition over it and will oppose any result issued from that ward or any other where congress did not hold.”

Indeed, some aggrieved members  from wards in different local councils, weekend, stormed the party’s state secretariat, demanding cancellation of congresses in some areas.
The members from Ikeja, Ojodu, Ifako Ijaiye, Agege and Onigbongbo among others, demanded for fresh congresses in their areas.

They came separately in chartered vehicles to the APC secretariat, chanting songs and displaying placards.
Some of the placards read, “No more rigging,” “Say no to manipulation and” “We demand free and fair congress,” among others.

Mr Adesanya Oluwaseyi, the APC Youth Leader, Ward D, Ikeja, who was wounded, bled as he led the protest and alleged that he and other members of his ward that sustained injuries were beaten up by some thugs.
Also speaking, Mr Wale Larinde, the leader of the protest by Ward D members of the APC in Ojodu Local Council Development Area, said they wanted a fresh congress in the ward.

Mr Adewale Olanisimi, from Ward C in Ojodu, said that another chieftain of the party unleashed thugs on the members for refusing to allow him manipulate the congress.
“You can see our wounds. Even women were wounded as you can see. We were beaten up for protesting what is wrong,” he said.

Speaking to the crowd, Dr Garuba Abari, the Lagos State Chairman of the Congress Supervisory Committee, assured them that all complaints would be investigated and treated.
“My team believes in justice and fair play. We will sit to discuss all the allegations and will communicate our decision to the party.” he said.

The protests came  as some former members of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), said that they did not participate in the congress.
Mr Blessing Okere, a Deputy Governorship candidate in Lagos State in the 2011 general elections,told newsmen in Lagos that “ the MOU for merging with ACN was not followed.

“In the Apapa-Iganmu LCDA for instance, we have seven wards with seven members called the G-7 and all the members of the G-7 are made up of all former ACN members.
“The wards have 26 positions and only four slots were given to other parties that merged with the ACN while the ACN took 22 slots for themselves,” he said.

Special Adviser to Imo State governor on Political Affairs (Lagos), Mr. Ebunola Martins Ebunola, accused the lawmaker representing Alimosho Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives of handpicking those that emerged at the ward  congress in Alismosho before the exercise.

He also alleged that the lawmaker ordered thugs to intimidate him at a pre-ward congress gathering adding that the exercise was a sham.

Ebunola, who said this in Lagos, noted that  the method that produced the ward leaders, was contrary to the directive given by the party’s National Leader, Chief Bola Tinubu that all aspirants should be allowed to participate.

Efforts to get the lawmaker’s response did not yield dividends. When Vanguard called the  legislator on his MTN mobile line there was no response.

There was no congress in Gombe –Rep. Mailantariki
A chieftain of APC and member representing Gombe/Kwami/ Funakaye Federal Constituency of Gombe State in the House of Representatives, Hon. Khamisu Ahmed Mailantariki over the weekend said that APC was yet to conduct the party’s congress in the state.

Mailantariki however accused members of the new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) who joined the party in the state of master minding the result which was eventually announced on Saturday, describing it as bogus.
Speaking to Vanguard on the issue, the lawmaker hinted that contestants in the congresses who had paid for their forms were yet to receive and fill them.

He added that the committee sent from the national secretariat of the party in Abuja for the exercise was yet to meet with the stakeholders.
He said: “What they said are lies. In Gombe as it is now, the forms for contestants have not been filled. What happened is that the new PDP hijacked the committee and misguided them by introducing an illegal stakeholders committee that they are the one responsible for the conduct of the congress and all that.

“We had expected yesterday that they would call the real stakeholders to tell us the modus operandi. But to our surprise, we just heard they held a meeting with the stakeholders. Yet we don’t know who and who they met. A lot of contestants paid for the forms like two, three days ago. They were waiting to receive the forms.

But they said they could not be able to give the forms out yesterday (Friday) until this morning. So, this morning when the people gathered at their hotels to receive the forms around 10 am. They couldn’t give the forms until around 1 pm and as at that time, people are receiving their forms to go and fill so as to be due for the congresses.