Asiwaju Bola Tinubu Ahmed has the singular honor of being among the best identifiers of human talent for leadership our nation has produced.   Without any iota of doubt, Tinubu is the root, the soul and the heart of the APC. He mobilized the progressives across the land, including our dear president, to come under a platform that sent the PDP government of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan packing after 16 years in power.

L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, with National Leader, All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and APC Chairman, Lagos State Chapter, Otunba Henry Ajomale (right) during the APC Stakeholders meeting ahead of the Local Government Elections at Party Secretariat, Acme Road, Ogba, on Wednesday, May 10, 2017.

But it was not long after the APC took over government at the center that some elements mobilized resources to undermine Tinubu’s influence at the seat of power and even within the party hierarchy. Their grouse: The Asiwaju’s insistence that there must be internal democracy within the APC; and that nobody, regardless of status, should be seen as bigger than the party while members vying for positions at the national and state levels must be endorsed by the party. Meanwhile, his gospel of orderliness, decorum, discipline and that members must be made to subordinate personal interests to the larger interests of the party did not go down well with the antagonists. These elements ganged-up and drew the battle line.

Factionalisation

That’s the point APC has been within the last two years. The party is factionalized at all levels consequent upon which it has been the only party in the country without BOT. The Central Working Committee has not met for months. Elder John Odigie-Oyegun, the National Chairman, seems to have lost focus. As incredible as this might sound, that’s the naked truth! In the history of party politics in Nigeria, this is the first time that a party with a clear majority at the National Assembly is finding it difficult to implement the programs it promised the citizenry because its members have constituted themselves into the opposition, blocking every move of the executive and creating barriers against the many laudable programs of government. The lot of the APC government over the last 15 months has been ‘All motion, no movement’ simply because of intrigues, lack of discipline, petty jealousy and envy. It is time for the major stakeholders in the party to reflect on this unsavory development before the rejuvenated PDP sweeps us out of the Aso Villa. Recall that the PDP was in government for 16 years, a development that provided it the platform to master intrigues, the fundamentals of winning strategies and power dynamics. Even though it was outran by the APC during the 2015 general elections resulting in the multifaceted problems it went through, the recent Supreme Court verdict restoring Sen. Ahmed Makarfi as the caretaker chairman of the party has made its members to regroup and thus the PDP stronger.

The notable and shrewd politicians who made the party the talking point then are still within the fold and are rearing to vigorously challenge the APC in the race for the Aso Rock Villa come 2019. They’ve men, they have resources, they know the terrain quite well, they have political blocs they can reactivate. They also have the networks. They only need to present a credible, acceptable and visionary personality as their presidential candidate and, before you say Jack Robinson, they are back in Aso Rock! With the present state of the APC, it’s not sure that we’ve the unity of purpose, the togetherness as well as the maneuvering to outwit them. APC is dismembered, disoriented and disorganized as a result of unnecessary bickering, power play, indiscipline as well as insubordination of some members, who feel they are too big for the party to control.

Way out

PDP members, in their glorious days, arrogantly boasted that they would be in power for 60 years. The end came not quite long after that pronouncement. We are hopeful that we will not go the way of the PDP but the antidote to ensure that APC does not exit prematurely from Aso Villa remains:

One, the party management MUST be returned to Tinubu who midwifed the APC in the first place. Despite the self-imposed challenges the party is facing, the Jagaban of Borgu has the capacity to reinvent the APC ahead of the 2019 general elections and beyond. He is a political tactician and strategist. He is a unique grass- roots mobilizer, a bridge-builder of repute and a talent identifier par excellence. Asiwaju is a reputable commander on the political war front. He is tested and trusted having done it before at the national, state and local government levels. I encourage all stakeholders in the party to pause a little and reflect on this: Of all the leaders who collaborated to exit PDP from government, Asiwaju remains the only one without political office. While other leaders were scheming for offices, deserving and not deserving, the Jagaban was pre-occupied with building the party. And the gang-up against him has not in any way affected his commitment and loyalty to the party. It has not stopped him from criss-crossing the nation commissioning the projects executed by APC governors. It has also not affected his ‘think tank’ role in the party.   Let’s all the stakeholders in the ruling party swallow their pride and accord honor to whom it is due if we don’t want APC to go the way of the PDP.

Two, it is important for the stakeholders to allow internal democracy and party discipline if the APC must get out of the current quagmire. Chief Obafemi Awolowo of blessed memory believed in internal democracy, a political model that propelled awesome development in the defunct Western Region during his time as Premier. If a template is productive, what is stopping its adoption? After all, Tinubu, Pa Bisi Akande and quite a number of APC chieftains in the South-West are students of this model.

It’s also germane that APC encourages massive involvement of youths in its affairs at all levels. In contemporary party politics, ‘generational shift’ has become dominant. It is not ideal for our party to continue to parade the politicians of yester years who obviously have passed their time in elective and appointive offices. The earlier the party has massive infusion of youth population into its fold, the better for us and the nation. The face of political leadership is changing across the globe, and our nation and party must not be left behind

• Kola Amzat , FCA, is a Lagos based financial consultant.