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By Bolade Omonijo
Friday, October 01, 2004
LAST year, the 43rd independence anniversary of the country was celebrated in a subdued mood with the people just trying to get over the death of a frontline, of flambuoyant politician, Dr. Wilberforce Okadigbo in unsavoury circumstances. Following a political rally held in the ancient city of Kano against police instruction, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo who was the running mate of the All Nigeria People’s party (ANPP) chairman inhaled a large dose of tear gas which many partisans of the opposition party insisted hastened his one way ticket to the abode of the dead. Since no autopsy was carried out, that could not be confirmed, but it took the shine off last year’s celebration.
Before then, shortly before and after last year’s election, a number of top politicians had been despatched by assassins for reasons yet to be satisfactorily established by the police. The list is indeed long: Marshal Harry of the ANPP, Uche Ogbonnaya of Imo State, later, Aminasoari Kala Dikibo a national officer of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who equally hailed from Rivers State.
During last year’s independence celebrations, the deaths were called to remembrance by the political class, but it was expected that as the country moved away from the election year, the dust would settle and it would be time to make progress. That has remained at the level of a pipe dream since then. There has been a lot of motion and little movement. Perhaps the most ridiculous is the fact that most of the election petitions before the courts are still pending. General Muhammadu Buhari, flag bearer of the ANPP in the last election, was swift in seeking judicial intervention. He argued that the election was heavily rigged in favour of the ruling party and that state security institutions and the electoral commission officials influenced the polls in favour of the incumbent. Five months after the election, the matter remained unresolved last year and cast a pall on the political scene. Even then, no one thought it could linger on one year later. The situation has not changed since then. There has been very little progress in the past one year, sometimes giving the impression that at best, the incumbent government could not be said to enjoy full legitimacy. Those who had hoped that the broad coalition that formed the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) would grow in stature to assume the status of a strong opposition to the near one party dictatorship of the PDP must have been disappointed by the group’s performance in the last one year. On almost all major issues that arose, beyond shouting a little, none did the CNPP see to a logical conclusion.
The crisis in the ANPP came to a head with utter confusion reigning for 24 hours during which no one knew the legitimate leadership of the party. At a meeting of a faction of the party in Abuja on September 8, the suspension of the Sokoto State governor, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa was announced. This was followed swiftly by another release from the faction loyal to the governor. The Bafarawa faction announced the removal of the National Chairman of the party, Chief Don Etiebet and, in his place installed Lt-Gen. Jeremiah Useni (Rtd).
That was only the climax of the crisis rocking the party. It is a long drawn battle to control its soul by various groups. What exactly is at the heart of the crisis? What are the leaders doing to resolve it? The latest round of crisis is an indication that there is a break down of the normal organs of the party. The NEC, NWC and other organs have been appropriated by various groups within and probably outside the party. Almost all the real elders of the ANPP have been frustrated out or sidelined. Chief Olusola Saraki is now a chieftain of the PDP, while the party’s first chairman, Alhaji Mahmud Waziri is out of politics after serving a full term as an adviser to a President elected on the platform of an opposing party. Also out of the fold are the likes of Dr. Bode Olajumoke, Chief Harry Akande, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Dr. Ezekiel Izuogu, among others.
While Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi remains in the fold, he hardly participates in matters involving the party. In the circumstances, those who were minions and had little voice in the party just a few years back are now on the saddle. Most of them are not sufficiently experienced and many lack basic knowledge of the functioning of a political party in a democracy. Besides, 2007 has turned into a monster tearing the various parties apart. In the ANPP, it has been suggested that the Sokoto State governor has shown more than a passing interest in the presidency which has reportedly not gone down well with supporters of Gen. Buhari who believe he should be given a second chance. The two factions thus decided to slug it out ahead of the 2007 contest. The Alliance for Democracy has not fared better. Shortly after the 2003 elections which jolted the party out of its slumber as it lost almost all the states in its traditional territory, party leaders, acting at the prompting of INEC decided to hold a convention. Again, various interests arose to afflict the health of the party. One faction held a convention in Lagos where former Governor Bisi Akande emerged the chairman, while, in Abuja, Senator Mojisoluwa Akinfenwa emerged the new chairman of another faction. Since then, there has been no peace in the AD
Just on Wednesday, another attempt was made by the Tinubu/Akande faction to hold another convention in Lagos. Again, Senator Akinfenwa, emboldened by the support of some Afenifere leaders would hear nothing of it. But many of his supporters appear to have deserted the ranks. Unlike the last convention which INEC refused to recognise on the ground that the chairman did not preside as neither the former leader, Alhaji Abdulkadir Ahmed nor the acting chairman to whom Ahmed had handed over to, presided in accordance with the party’s constitution. This time, Chief Michael Koleosho is calling the convention and has indicated that he would participate fully.
Until recently when the attempt to get the Ikemba Nnewi, Chief Emeka Ojukwu quizzed failed, thus providing his party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) an opportunity to stake relevance, little has been heard about it. The same goes for other parties like the United Nigeria Peoples party (UNPP) and the National Democratic Party (NDP). The remaining political parties, many of which did not even field candidates for a single house of assembly seat in last year’s general elections or a councillorship seat in the March 27 Local Government election, could be said to be technically dead. This is the tragedy of the political scene in the past one year. In the one year, many issues have risen which demanded stout response if not resistance from non PDP politicians, the other parties are so weak that they could not pose a challenge. If things continue this way up till next year, the polity may be endangered and 2007 might as well go the way of 2003.
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