Fresh Crisis Brews In APC As Splinter Group Emerges

Just about 11 days after its national convention, the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) has smacked another brick wall resulting in the emergence of a splinter group with the name Reformed All Progressives Congress (R-APC). The breakaway faction comprising most of the leading members of the defunct new Peoples Democratic Party’s (nPDP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) within the party has a former ally of President Muhammadu Buhari, Alhaji Buba Galadima, as its head.
The R-APC that was officially announced yesterday is to work with other compatible political parties and groups to offer Nigerians what it described as good governance in 2019.
In a press conference attended by the leader of nPDP bloc in the APC, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, Galadima noted that the R-APC remains the authentic party and does not need to approach the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for registration.

Noting that anyone who feels uncomfortable with the arrangement can go to the court, he described the local and state congresses as well as the national convention of the APC as undemocratic, just as he declared that the APC government is a monumental disaster. He said, “You will recall that in the build up to the 2015 General elections, some political parties and groups came together, and formed a brand new political party, the All Progressives Congress, APC. This merger was based on the strong belief that Nigeria had come of age, but was severely under-performing and unable to meet its potentials for good governance. The Nigerian people entrusted power to the APC based on its promises and potentials.
“We are sad to report that after more than three years of governance, our hopes have been betrayed, our expectations completely dashed. The APC has run a rudderless, inept and incompetent government that has failed to deliver good governance to the Nigerian people”.

Galadima further listed imposition of dictatorship, impunity, abuse of power, complete abdication of constitutional and statutory responsibilities, infidelity to the rule of law and constitutionalism as reasons why they decided to form the R-APC. He added: “It (APC) has failed to ensure the security and welfare of our people and elevated nepotism to unacceptable height. The APC has failed to deliver on its key promises to the nation. There is no evidence of any political will to reverse the decline of our party, while leaders who have created these circumstances continue to behave as if Nigerians owe our party votes as a matter of right. “The APC government, has been a monumental disaster, even worse than the government it replaced. The political party that was a vehicle for enthroning the government was rendered powerless by manipulations and complete lack of due process in its operations”.

Noting that the last straw that broke the camel’s back was the state congresses and the national convention of the APC held recently, the R-APC leader said the congresses and convention “were intensely disputed as it was conducted with impunity, total disregard for due process, disregard for the party Constitution and naked display of power and practices that have no place in a party we all worked the very hard to put in place. “There are countless cases in courts all over the country challenging the legality of congresses and even the National Convention itself. It is very likely that the judicial decisions on these cases will result in massive chaos, confusion and uncertainties. The fate of a party in this state with a few months to the elections is best left to the imagination, but it is not a fate we believe our millions of members should be abandoned to”, he added.

He listed states where there were parallel congresses to include Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Enugu, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Niger, Ondo, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto and Zamfara. Galadima stated: “These congresses in Wards, Local Government Areas and States all over the federation produced different sets of delegates. We therefore had an unfortunate situation where the party has been seriously factionalised and divided in not just 24 States but the 36 States and Abuja FCT.
“The so-called National Convention of the APC was even worse. The National Convention of the party was ridiculed with constitutional infirmities that were so glaring and obvious that no fair-minded person can claim that a legitimate and lawful executive emerged from that process.
“The Chairman of the organising Committee, Jigawa State Governor, His Excellency, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, declared 18 seats unopposed and uncontested, since only one valid candidate stood at the end of the grossly manipulated nomination exercise for each of the offices. He therefore proceeded to declare them duly elected in flagrant abuse and violence to the Constitution of the APC”.

He announced that the R-APC is made up of all the progressive forces in APC, including most of the leading members of the defunct nPDP, CPC, ANPP, ACN and others.
He said, “The R-APC, will work with like-minded political parties and groups to offer Nigeria qualitative good governance in 2019. Nigeria faces an existential threat arising from three years of near destruction of this country and the exacerbation of our ethnic, religious and divisive cleavages. We will in concert with others offer real change to Nigeria. Not fake change.
“It is clear that our party needs a leadership that will live by its founding ideals. We have therefore decided to legitimately lead those members to work to rebuild our nation more firmly on genuine democratic principles, to enshrine good governance and restore the faith of Nigerians in the possibility of the existence of a prosperous, secure and peaceful nation”.
He implored Nigerians not to despair, assuring them that a rescue plan is in the works and will be unfolded soon.
But in its reaction, the APC acknowledged the formation of the splinter group, saying it would respond to R-APC’s claim as soon as it gets details of the group.
National publicity secretary of the APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said, “We have report of a group of persons who have purportedly described themselves as a faction of our party. We will be able to give our reaction as soon as we get the full details and have the opportunity to review it”.

nPDP To Change Name Soon – Baraje
Meanwhile, the new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) bloc of the APC has hinted that it will soon adopt a new name.
Leader of the group, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, disclosed this while reacting to the purported defection of former governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, to the PDP.
Baraje who described the purported defection of Kwankwaso to the PDP as fallacy and a figment of the imagination of the author of the report said membership of nPDP remains intact.
He maintained that the group will make public its position about the continued membership of APC public between today and tomorrow.
He said the former Kano State governor played active roles in all the decisions of nPDP and that he would continue to play such roles as a key leader of the group.
“We are all still in APC but the nPDP will come up with a lot of changes. nPDP is likely to change its name as a splinter group from APC.
Baraje had on Monday announced that his group will make its positions regarding its relationship with the APC known this week.
He had disclosed that before the end of this week, members of the group would have concluded their consultations and come up with their stand on all what they stand for.
He emphasised that whatever decision they would take will be one that will seek to promote the wellbeing of the Nigerian masses.
Baraje stressed that corporate interest of the citizenry and a united Nigeria where no man is oppressed is paramount and very dear to nPDP’s hearts.
Baraje thanked Nigerians who have always seen reason for their struggle, particularly the media, for adequately reportage of their activities.

Oshiomhole Visits Saraki, Begs Aggrieved Members
Meanwhile, APC national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has appealed to aggrieved members of the party, especially those in the nPDP, to give the new leadership of the party the opportunity to look into their respective complaints.
Oshiomhole who was accompanied by members of the national working committee of the APC on a visit to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and other members of the Senate APC caucus yesterday said he does not subscribe to such statements asking anyone who wants to leave the party to leave.
“I want to assure everyone that it is not unusual to have the sort of issues we probably have in a couple of places”, hje stated.
He however distanced the party’s national executive from utterances made by some party chieftains that any aggrieved party member can go to anywhere.
“We do not subscribe with the position of people within the party saying anybody can go anywhere”, he said.
He explained to the APC senators that the purpose of the NWC visit to them was for a heart-to-heart conversation towards finding solutions to whatever problems they have with the party at whatever levels.

“I bring on board a determination working with you and together with you to address each of those problems with a view to finding sustainable solutions’’, Oshiomhole said.
The new leadership of the party, he noted, is prepared to deal with the issues, as they are peculiar to individuals and respective places.
The national chairman further said the task ahead of him and other executives is a huge responsibility, which they would not take for granted.
He continued: “We must have to find acceptable and workable solution that will keep the party members together. We represent the face of the present.
“Senators have come to receive us not because they are happy but because of the trust reposed on us to deal with outstanding issues. Whether you are disfranchised or aggrieved, we can refranchised you, and reinvigorate your interest in the party’’.

The new party chairman said the party is determined to govern the country more differently and to change it for the better. “We are determined as a party to eliminate corruption and other forms of abuse of office, to entrench and deepen democracy and above all we are determined to work and strengthen the bond of unity across all the divides in Nigeria so that we can truly refer to our country as a united country. These are reflected in the manifesto our party,” Oshiomhole said.  He assured that he will service the trust reposed on the party by Nigerians and sustain it as 2019 approaches.

Oshiomhole however declared that in as much as the ruling party is rated as the biggest party in Nigeria and by extension in Africa, it is not interested in dysfunctional bigness or size.
His words: “This idea of wanting to be seen as the biggest party in Nigeria and Africa without required functionality as a united group with clear direction of destination is not our focus but a party populated by members who are committed and loyal to its desires of taking Nigeria to greater heights. “Yes, it is good to be big or large in size as a party but becoming too big and become dysfunctional is not good for us”.

In his remark, Saraki who commended Oshiomhole for making the visit early enough said, “Party politics and democracy itself is inherent with conflicts based disagreement requiring the form of rapprochement you have brought. “This is a good omen that we are all pleased with. Your emphasis on finding solutions is commendable. The essence of leadership is finding solutions; your attitude, your approach are very promising”. Earlier, one of the aggrieved members of the party, Senator Kabiru Marafa (APC Zamfara Central) described himself as chairman of disenfranchised members of APC in Zamfara State and one of the members nation wide. The NWC and the Senate caucus later went into a closed-door session.

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