As Nigerians await the national convention of the All Progressives Party,
APC, expectations are high that the party will elect a chairman with a clear
agenda to
reposition, restructure and rebrand the party for it to have the
potency and vibrancy of pre-2015 general elections. There is no doubt the party
has lost considerable ground on account of the seeming lack of capacity on the
part of the leadership.
Party discipline, internal democracy, respect for party leadership,
observance of traditions, ethos and norms which are the hallmarks of
progressive are simply lacking in the party at present. National Assembly
members of the party chose to operate on their own most of the time.
Persistently, they’ve been at the loggerheads with the executive arm, until,
recently, when semblance of orderliness and normalcy seems to prevail.
Governors also constantly act on their own and ditto for party members across
the nation. The same goes for party organs at the state and local government
levels simply because the national leadership is not providing the platform for
proper co-ordination and cohesion. These are shortcomings capable of consigning
a party to the dustbin of history. But, there is an ample opportunity to
redress the situation. Therefore, as the new year opens and the party prepares
to go into the convention, a visionary candidate should be on the cards of
party members to be elected as chairman. Its also imperative to give
consideration to a party man with political pedigree and antecedents,as well as
the one with presence of mind and sound intellectual background to assume the
exalted office.
In view of the fact that the first major assignment of the new
NWC is to deliver victory during the 2019 elections, the candidate must also be
a political fighter and articulate to convince the electorate on rally rostrums
while selling the party to attract the patronage of Nigerians. The party needs
a chairman capable of leading his troops to political war fronts and defending
its manifesto, policies and programs.
Engaging PDP strength for strength
Members of the opposition Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) are aware that they might have lost the battle to come back to
presidency; nonetheless, they won’t go down without fighting. In Prince Uche
Secondus, they have a complex and politically savvy chairman, who would be
supported to the hilt with adequate funding, logistics and other resources by
Governors Wike, Ayo Fayose and other south/south and south/east governors. Of
course, the battle to make in-roads to the south/south and south/east by the
APC would not be a tea party.
This is where a party chairman and his team that
would engage them gut for gut, rascality for rascality, strength for strength
and oratory for oratory must emerge. The immediate past governor of Edo State,
Adams Oshiomole, seems the right candidate to lead APC to the battle in 2019.
He is a veteran of political battles having berth in Edo governor’s office
after Herculean electoral battles fought in the political field, election
tribunal and court of competent jurisdiction. While presiding as governor of
the state for 8 eight years, he fought to a standstill all political
godfathers.
He also had a glorious and memorable career in unionism. He indeed
brought a new dimension to union movement while presiding over labour affairs
as its president for several years, a platform he deployed to challenge many
obnoxious policies of successive governments. Adams is bold, courageous,
cerebral and, of course, he is a dogged fighter.
President Buhari and the
indefatigable national leader and political strategist of our time, Asiwaju Bola
Tinubu, must be encouraged to give serious consideration to the candidature of
Adams Oshiomole as the next chairman in the interest of the party.
Assuredly,
he has the capacity to bring new lease of life into the party. He has the
charisma and character to restore discipline, orderliness, honor and dignity to
the party He also has the drive, in
abundance, to steer APC to victory during the forthcoming general
elections.
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