News Analysis: How APC treads the path of PDP

With the formation of the All Progressives Congress in the year 2013 and the sole aim of wresting power from the Peoples Democratic Party in 2015, the APC which was formed on the basis of ensuring internal democracy has now tread the path of the Peoples Democratic Party which it accused of impunity.

The APC is a conglomeration of Nigerian opposition political parties which comprises the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), and some factions of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

These parties now formed what is called the APC.

These mentioned parties made it possible to throw out the PDP in the first contest that kicked out the ruling Party, PDP which formed Government for sixteen years.

The APC paraded itself as a party that will respect the wishes and aspirations of its members and will not follow the path of PDP that angered even its founding fathers.

But political pundits have predicted that the party will even be more than PDP when it comes to making those that made the party today at the rear seat in piloting its affairs.

Nigerian governors are so powerful that they determine who governs the country’s ruling party.

During the time of Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan as President of Nigeria, some governors pressured the President to remove Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as PDP National chairman,  which made some governors cede from the party and form the G7 which later made them merge with the APC.

The aggrieved governors then were Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto, Rotimi  Chubuike Amaechi of Rivers State, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, Abdulfatah Ahmad of Kwara state, Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State.

The above-mentioned governors from the PDP contributed to the downfall of the PDP in the 2015 general election as five out of seven merged with the APC to form the strongest opposition party.

But surprisingly even before APC complete second term in office, PDP’s strong card-carrying members that helped APC to victory went back to the fold of their former party.

These are Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki, former Speaker House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara, and the Governor of Sokoto state Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.

Nigerian Tracker learned that in the APC constitution National Chairman of the party is suppose to exit after serving four years or be renewed, since the constitution of its leadership in June 2014 John Odigie Oyegun led the National Working Committee of the party finished their tenure in 2018.

Many discerning minds thought Adams Oshiomole’s led National working committee will finish their tenure by the year 2022  but suddenly crisis brew in the party accusing Oshiomole of committing Anti Party activities.

Some party stalwarts once told the Nigerian Tracker that Oshiomole has ruptured the chances of APC and has dimmed its fortunes since he became its National Chairman in 2018.

The example those party stalwarts cited was that in 2019 general elections Adams Oshiomole has made the APC lose some key states in the North and the southern part of this country.

Booted out APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomole

The states lost by the APC during the 2019 general elections are Sokoto, Bauchi, Benue, Oyo and were about to lose other important states except with the intervention of some powerful forces.

The constitution of the caretaker committee led by Governor Mai-Mala Buni may be a stepping stone to re-position the party that promises Nigerians better life when it clinches power in 2015.

When Peoples Democratic party was in power, the party was plunged into a leadership crisis following the dabbling of former President Olusegun Obasanjo into the leadership of Nigeria’s former ruling party.

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At a time the former National Chairman of the party chief Audu Innocent Ogbeh was forced by Obasanjo to resign from the party in early 2005 when there was the alleged romance between Chief Audu Ogbeh and former Vice president Atiku Abubakar on Atiku’s 2007 Presidential ambition among other things, Obasanjo has to ax out Audu Ogbeh from the party and install his protégé and a military cohort retired Colonel Ahmadu Ali.

On the heated debate of third term Colonel Ahmadu Ali once told the nation that they were running a Garrison politics where Obasanjo is the commander in-Chief.

As 2023 general elections are approaching, it remains to be seen whether Governor Mai –Mala Buni will have the temerity to hand –over the APC to leadership that is not protégés to anyone who nursed Presidential ambition in the party.