BODE OLAGOKE takes a look at how Governor Mai Mala Buni-led National Caretaker Committee has fared in its task of restoring peace and genuine reconciliation to the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) after the exit of Adams Oshiomhole.
Background
The birth of governor Mai Mala Buni-led All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) in June, 2020, as a child of necessity could be said to have practically rescued a party at the verge of implosion.
The crises that rocked the governing party under the leadership of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole were life-threatening which cut across all the local, states and the national levels. In fact, the political disagreement led the party into losing some states it ordinarily has its stronghold and incapacitated it as a strong competitor during elections.
For example, how can someone explain the loss of Bauchi, Adamawa, Benue and Oyo states among others which were previously won by the APC without much stress?
The combative style of the former Labour leader, his inability to reach compromise, ego and his ‘I too know’ mentality would have permanently rendered the governing party impotent by now if not the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari and the decision of the National Executive Committee (NEC) to sack the former National Working Committee (NWC) and brought about the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) led by governor Mai Mala Buni.
The mandates
The committee was given six months to achieve and sustain true and lasting unity, peace and reconciliation across party ranks and conduct national convention of the party.
What has changed
Without mincing words, it is an understatement to say life has returned to the party. A regular visitor to the national secretariat of APC located at Blyntyre street at Wuse 11 will testify to the bubbling nature of a once abandoned ruling party house.
Commendably, the governor Buni-led CECPC has deployed a combination of true reconciliation, consultation and inclusiveness in achieving unity and cohesion in the party. To reposition the party and ensure good governance, Governor Buni proposed the recently-inaugurated tripartite Executive/Legislative/APC consultative Committee which is ensuring synergy, good governance and accelerated implementation of the next level agenda.
As a peacemaker and stabilizing voice, governor Buni is meeting all leaders, known party groups and interests in order to accommodate all interests. This has resulted in renewed commitment on the part of party members.
Confidence Vote
It is not surprising that elected National Executive Committee (Non-National Working Committee) members at a recent meeting with the party’s national leadership, passed a vote of confidence on the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led APC CECPC. This was sequel to an earlier confidence vote passed on the CECPC by 36 state APC Chairmen, including the Federal Capital Territory.
To further carry along dedicated party members, the CECPC is already working with the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration to urgently address the reward system for dedicated and loyal party members, particularly by appointment of deserving party members into several boards, agencies and parastatals of government.
Winning more souls
It is commendable that the consultative party leadership style instituted by Governor Buni as chairman of the APC CECPC has brought back many prominent party members and leaders including, former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Barnabas Gemade; former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, Dr. Alex Otti among others.
Political analysts believes that the planned nationwide registration, update, revalidation of the party membership register will undoubtedly cement the APC’s political and numerical status as Nigeria’s largest political party.
Reconciliation efforts
The CECPC has resuscitated the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms and has set up reconciliation committees for Oyo, Edo, Ondo, Imo, Ogun, Ekiti among other states chapters with cases of disputes. The committees are already meeting with the key stakeholders in the various states and have achieved substantial reconciliation in many states.
The success stories of the ongoing reconciliation efforts abound. Case in points are Cross River state where the CECPC reconciled the two factions and appointed a State Caretaker Committee led by Sen. Matthew Mbu (Jnr.) as acting state chairman. In Ondo state, all the governorship aspirants were brought together, campaigned and worked for the successful re-election of the APC candidate, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN).
In Akwa Ibom state, the CECPC brought together all the contending interests under one roof and achieved true reconciliation. Today, in Akwa-Ibom, leaders such as Sen. Godswill Akpabio, Obong Nsima Ekere, Mr. Umana O. Umana, Sen. Ita Enang, Barr. Bassey Dan Abia (Snr) among others are working together and in collective pursuit of party interests.
At the national level and on the auspices of the CECPC, the Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva have resolved their differences in favour of party interest to work together and strengthen the party, particularly in the South-South geo-political zone.
The challenge
The major change of the ongoing efforts is time. Considering the enormous tasks of bringing about total reconciliation and unity in the party, it has been argued that six months given the committee is not visible.
A group of Concerned APC members led by one Okpoku Ogenyi from Benue state, has raised an alarm that the Governor Buni-led committee was planning a tenure elongation but the said member has been disowned by his state chairman, Comrade Abba Yaro.
Comrade Yaro described Ogenyi’s group as “impostor and a hired fifth-columnist.”
The Benue state chairman called on all party members to support the caretaker committee under Mai Mala Buni to achieve the needed peace before a national convention of the party.
Agenda for Buni panel
In a statement released in Abuja, the director general of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) Salihu Moh. Lukman said APC is far ahead of its political peers in terms of being a liberal party with strong internal contestation.
The PGF boss, however, set agenda for the caretaker committee as follows:
“Emerging from a big existential leadership crisis, all our political leaders in APC should be ideally be encouraged to consider testing political proposals that should strengthen and deepen our democracy. There should be no room for complacency. In fact, as a party, we need to take every necessary step to open up our party structures and invite patriotic Nigerians, members and leaders of organised groups to join the party.
“With party’s National Caretaker Committee about to commence processes of membership registration and verification, we should aggressively mobilise Nigerians across all parts and sections of the country to join the party. This should be a necessary precondition to accelerate the process of ensuring that political negotiations in the country go beyond electoral contests.
“Part of the incentive required to encourage members and leaders of interest groups to be convinced about the APC being the go-to party for the realisation of political aspirations of diverse interests including professional and organised groups has to do with conducts of elected and appointed officials in governments controlled by the party.”
National convention
While it is important that the APC conducts its planned national convention to produce the party’s national leadership as a united house, otherwise the main aim of constituting the CECPC following the dissolution of the immediate-past National Working Committee (NWC) will be defeated.
The party’s deputy national publicity secretary Yekini Nabena said: “Ahead of the planned APC National Convention and indeed the 2023 general elections, stakeholders should continue to support the CECPC efforts to unite the party in order to make it formidable enough to consolidate on the APCs national governing status and landmark achievements.
“The APC must not go into a National Convention, and indeed a general election in crisis. We should take it one step at a time and ensure that the ongoing national reconciliation process being undertaken by the CECPC is sustained, successful and continues to yield results.”