Sunset on the tenure of a former textile worker, unionist, executive governor and party chairman, retired Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, and members of his National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress on 25th June 2020. Equally, that liquidated the protracted political brouhaha and razzmatazz that dominated the two remaining factions in APC (CPC and ACN).
By implication, the in-house skirmishes has annihilated the last cluster of the coalition partners that birthed the APC in 2014 viz the ANC—a faction under the tutelage of Jagaban of Borgu, the lion of Bourdillon, and the South-West political czar, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Sometimes in 2018, the Peoples Democratic Party cream of the coalition led by people like Waziri Adamawa and former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President and governor Dr Bukola Saraki, Speaker (now governor) Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, former governor, senator and minister, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Egnr Buba Galadima, Kawu Baraje etc walked away from the 2014 coalition.
When the PDP bunch collectively and individually left, pundits predicted what happened on 25th June 2020. Their futuristic projection was greeted with utmost scepticism. Somehow, history has vindicated them. As of today, APC is under the absolute command of CPC hawkish elements formed by Muhammadu Buhari’s never say die supporters after quitting ANPP.
Sacking of retired comrade Oshiomhole and his team isn’t an accident, it’s an incident. It’s a manoeuvre from a 2023 electoral playbook of original CPC juggernauts. The mission is simple: flushing out the last standing coalition partner in other to avoid legit distraction of asking for a chance to present a presidential candidate in 2023. The initial agreement that helped the successful forging of a coalition was Buhari will serve for a single term, only. For obvious reasons, that agreement was violated in 2019.
The ACN branch strategically resisted the temptation of making an issue out of refusing them a chance to present a presidential candidate in 2019. A perfect way of letting sleeping dogs lie. Succinctly put; they played the fool. Their refusal to protest denied the bellicose CPC’s power jackals the reason for saying they were not faithful to their accord. From all indications, that boxed CPC actors into a tight moral corner. Thus, deploying the only option left–going nuclear — which is, sinking Oshiomhole’s led NWC forcefully.
The holistic sacking of the NWC under Oshiomhole is a hoax, the real target are Tinubu and his minions holding party offices at the national. In their next national convention, they will return officers that aren’t in Tinubu’s political tent. Similarly, offices that will be zone to South West, anti Tinubu’s team in Abuja that are mostly ministers and South-West governors like Akeredolu of Ondo and Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti will have the liberty of nominating officers from their states. Once that is done, it will be game over for the iroko of South-West politics. The question is: will he/they hold-on till events to soar to the height? We are all ears and eyes.
Politics at that high level is a game of actions and reactions by colliding forces finding a place to hoist their interests in rowdy and crowdy political fields. Will Jagaban of Borgu and his team let-go without punching back? One thing is certain: they have the muscle to return some blows inflicted on them. But knowing the viciousness and lethality of their opponents and instruments of government at their disposal, I see Jagaban and his team avoiding a head-on collision with the corrosive CPC elements. They will invest their energy to resuscitate one of their parties of origin — the ACN or AD.
This development further justified the cliché that said: there are no permanent foes or folks in politics. What is permanent is interest. What is the core interest here? The quest by the CPC partners to present the presidential candidate for the third time. Because the ANC’s interest will impede on that, they embarked on a cleansing process long before 2023. That sounds immoral and illogical, but that is the nature of the game.
As stated hereinbefore, they have taken action. Let’s see the reaction of Jagaban and his people. One thing is undisputable; they will hear from Jagaban — from a nihilistic or survivalists standpoint.
John Danfulani
Kaduna
Nigeria
