President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) won the February 25 presidential election and was duly sworn in as presidential and Commander in chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 29th May, 2023, yet, all is not well within the platform of the party that sponsored him for the election.
There seems to be peace and calmness in the APC presently.
That seeming calmness must not be mistaken for peace and contentment.
It is the calmness of the graveyard. The kind you see before a big bang.
Yes. The APC was victorious in the last presidential election but how is the spoilt of victory shared?
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made most of the critical and important appointments.
A critical examination of the choice and manner of the appointments made so far by the president clearly shows that for you to get the president’s attention, you better be a bitter critic of the president or better still, engage in anti-party activities in your domain.
Those who had criticized the president in the past, calling him unprintable names and those who contributed in one way or the other to the failures of the APC in their domains are the ones mostly favoured by the president for juicy appointments.
This pattern of disdain for loyal party men and women in favour of dissidents cut across the geo political zones, though the Southern part of the country appears to be worst hit.
The idea of appointing a large number of “Lagos or Bourdillon Boys” who had completely detached from the local politics of their respective original states of origin to fill the slots for such states they had abandoned for years while those who held the party structures in the states were neglected is to say the least, unfair.
The scenario above is one, there is another scenario where individuals who openly campaigned against the APC in other elections save for the presidential election were rewarded with juicy appointments while those who stood firm with the party were completely abandoned.
This is the case in Oyo state.
Today, Zacheaus Adelabu is the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Services, (FIRS) a position he combines with two other juicy positions.
Bayo Adelabu who, until now is still a member of the Accord Party and the gubernatorial candidate of the AP in the March, 2024 gubernatorial and House of Assembly election in Oyo state is the Minister for Power.
The two gentlemen, Messrs Zach Adelabu and Bayo Adelabu openly worked against all candidates of the APC save for the president.
Infact, on a Radio interview, Mr. Bayo Adelabu blatantly described the APC as a disaster that he was never comfortable to associate with even when he was a member.
It will interest you to know that Chief Adelabu was the gubernatorial candidate of the APC in 2019.
Anyway, despite all this, president Bola Tinubu still considered him better than any member of the APC in Oyo state.
It is true that Ogun state has three Ministerial appointments.
How were this three Ministers nominated?
Ekiti and Ondo states are not left out. While you may, on paper, consider most of the South West states to be lucky in respect of the allocation of “juicy” appointments, the party structures in those states were clearly short changed by the manner with which the individuals representing them were chosen.
Today, we have Ministers who not only have castigated the APC, the National Assembly and the president himself but also, who had no connection or relationship with the party structures.
The situation in Rivers state is sadly interesting. Almost akin to the situation in Oyo.
The APC structures in the state is facing existential threats due to the way the president have thus far handled the situation.
Just like Oyo state, the party in Rivers lost the gubernatorial election not necessarily because the opposition PDP was stronger but rather because the president, then as candidate, had some “agreement” with the then Governor Wike who also doubled as Leader of the G-5.
One would have thought that the president would balance up by considering the party for Ministerial appointment, but as it is in Oyo state, the party was left in the cold ad Wike, from the PDP was appointed by the president.
This is indeed a great time to engage in anti-party activities.
The APC in Nigeria is ailing and the ailment is self inflicted.
The president has shown clearly that for him, loyalty and commitment to the party is secondary.
Morale within party faithfuls is alarmingly low.
Not many will talk but so many are murmuring and downcast.
The seed the president planted must not be allowed to fester and he is the only one who can make it happen.
If the body language of the president suggests that the party meant nothing to him, it is not only dangerous for the survival of the party, it is equally dangerous for the president, with due respect.
The party is a vehicle which must be serviced and maintained.
It is not an apparatus to be used and condemned.
It must not be subjected to the whims and caprices of political office holders.
The party have rules and guidelines and the president ought to be Its number one defender.
It is imperative for the president to redeem himself by correcting all that needs to be corrected.
He must assure the party and the members that they mean a lot to him and not otherwise.
The earlier the president understands this, the better.
SOLA ABEGUNDE.
