The APC intrigue-filled and endorsement-driven ‘elective’
convention has come and gone. It came as ‘suspected bandits’ invaded the Kaduna
airport and allegedly interrupted airline operations, and also bombed the
Abuja-Kaduna, with Dr Megafu and a complete family of 5, as the star sacrifices
to the gods of terrorism and official ambivalence. If in doubt, ask Azman Air, Peace Air and
Nigerian Railway Corporation, all of which have suspended their Kaduna
operations or ask Lai Mohammed who has just declared on behalf of the FGN that Nigeria
is at its safest state ever! The convention took
place in an economy in which fuel sold at N220-N250 in the East though the
official price is N162 and landing cost at ‘N300 and something’ Naira. However
the President who had declared that fuel subsidy was a fraud and who is the
substantive Minister of Petroleum, ‘opened not his mouth’( Isaiah, 53:7) but is
rather fixated on the mathemagics of 2021!. The price of gas has been fluctuating between N600 and N800,
the exchange is furiously marching towards N700/$, and the general level prices
has been at its ‘maddest’ (though this is at variance with official figures),
and yet Prof Osinbajo, under whose purview our economy lies, is warming up for
the Presidential race. ASUU has been on rolling strike for the past 6 weeks
while SSANU and NASU have just ‘supported the motion’ but my brother, Dr Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour, was at the
convention with a presidential campaign motorcade.
Presidential
Campaign Motorcade Breaking of
heads and limbs
Anyway, the convention held, with all the boastings about
unparalleled performance, more promises and trading on horses (one day, there
will be no horses to trade on!). Most observers readily noticed the breaking of
heads and limbs, a usual feature of our political biosphere, which no longer
embarrasses us. Some noticed the beautiful lady from Cross-River who emerged as
the youngest ever women leader in Nigeria. And I advise them not to be carried
away by her beauty because she can be nasty when need be, as she did when she
fought the FG Covid and vaccine
programme and policies on behalf of the CRS government, though she eventually
repented. Others noticed the sensitive convention materials (beautiful sleek ladies, bags of Naira and envelopes of $s).
Sensitive
‘election materials’
Some observers were
even happy that the convention eventually held, despite the monkeyshines that
characterized its conception and planning.
However, a look at those now calling the shots at APC, who emerged from
the ‘unity(???)’ list hurriedly
stitched together by PMB, APC Governors
and leadership, says all there is about our politics and democracy; politics
without ideology-driven politicians and
democracy without cultured democrats. We have democracy
without democrats because organisations
which parade themselves as political parties are an amalgam of desperate and
disparate cash and carry minded
fellows, most of them of no known
address, profession occupation, or ideology, and who would readily commoditise
their consciences so as to be in more
vintage position so as to continue with
their sinful and primitive acquisition.
Gun-boat
At the helm of APC affairs now are Abdulahi Adamu (Chairman); Iyiola Omisore, Secretary; Victor Giadom: V/Chairman, South-South; Bate Edu, National Women Leader; Barr Festus Faunter, Deputy National Secretary; Abubakar Maikafi, Auditor; FNC Nwosu, Welfare Secretary; Chidi Duru: Deputy National Organising Secretary; Ahmed El-Marzuk, Legal Adviser; Uguru Ofoka, Treasurer; and, Mustapha Salihu and Muazu Bawa Rajau, National Vice Chairmen. Other key contestants whose balls were squeezed and palms probably greased to step down so as to achieve gunboat-consensus, what Eze Onyekpere termed consensus without consent, included Ken Nnamani and Yakubu Dogara. These are all members of the PDP alumni ( Ademola Adam, Daily Gist), whom that native of Bourdillon with an Igbo-Name, Joe Igbokwe, described as ‘enemies and PDP invaders’; who are PDPians ‘in learning and character’’; what Abdulyassar Abdulhamidof Daily Trust described as ‘old wine in new bottle’ and which made Zebulum Agomuo of BusinessDay to ask ‘has INEC had registered two PDPs without knowing it? And thus, PDPians, who have been shamed, demonized and rubbished in the last 7 years and as recently as this this week(28/3/22) have suddenly been found worthy to manage the affairs of the saintly APC.
But as the debate and analysis was going on, an unknown internet warrior recalled that PDP also did serious transactions with their APC friends when their transfer window was open and went on to list former APC fellows now in charge at the PDP as Iyorcha Ayu(Chairman), Taofeek Arapaja and Umar Damagun (Deputy National Chairmen) Samuel Anywnwu (National Secretary) Ahmad Mohammed( Treasurer), Umar Bature( Organising Secretary), Kamaldeen Ajibede( Legal Adviser) Ibrahim Abdulahi( Deputy National Publicity Sec) and Ajara Wanka, Deputy National Women Leader). On the sidelines of these developments is a reminder, which the PDP served on EFCC and APC, that its newly minted Unity National Chairman has am 149 point EFCC case around his neck and the response by Shehu Garba, a Muslim who suddenly became a Bible-believing preacher, that Adamu has repented and that his sins are washed away. He further told all of us that Adamu, as a sinner who repented and lived the good life thenceforth is better than those who repented and then went back to their old ways. We also know the tryst between Omisore and EFCC, And this is an anti-corruption government.
From
sinner to saint; his sins are forgiven
The ease and regularity with which our politicians change
their party affiliations has been a source of concern to many Nigerians. This
worrisome development led me to ask whether PDP, then the
biggest party in Africa was
actually a party. ( See: Ik Muo: ‘Excessive
Cohesiveness, Groupthink & Conformity: A Case Study of The PDP & The
Third-Term Project’ (Babcock Journal of
Management & Social Sciences;
July 2010 ,pp299-317 and Ik Muo: Is PDP
Actually a Party? BusinessDay 10/9/13)
PDP is not a group and can thus, not be a party. People who regarded themselves as members were at times not regarded as such by others; there had been visible lack of unanimity as to means and ends and the greatest opposition to the PDP since its creation has always come from within the PDP. Furthermore, it has not been apparent that the party made efforts to maintain/strengthen itself; it was rather engaged in the strange practice of de-registering its members. The interdependence and commonality of values and norms are not visible while the actual goals of the group are hard to establish. The party also has an incomprehensible leadership structure consisting of a chairman, a leader and other unclassified leaders (like Chris Uba & late Lamidu Adedibu in those days) who are more powerful than the official leaders. The PDP members actually behave more like an aggregate (people who just found themselves at the same place) or a category (people with similar characteristics-insatiable greed).
And since there are no real differences, people port from their parties per second, an art in which Governor T.A Orji holds a gold medal, migrating from PPA to APGA to PDP within a matter of days! I am not a political analyst but as I argued above, PDP is not even a group and as such cannot be a party. Since the members are driven by greed or fear, those who recently ported are merely grandstanding; like the political entrepreneurs that they are, they will negotiate a U-Turn whence the opportunities are bright!
As it was for PDP, so it
is for APC and the rest of them, and those who ported and re-ported are now back
but it is not the end; they would soon port again. However, as a priest, prophet and king, I declare and decree that this
will soon be over. With the recent
sacking of Governor Umahi of Ebonyi state with his co-travelers, the
bell tolls for all political prostitutes and transactional entrepreneurs who
masquerade as our servants. It is time for the violent to take it by force;
even if it is the judicial force!
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Nigeria is sadly the only nation where negativity blossoms uncontrollably.
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