By Ehichioya Ezomon
Following the political quake in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the question of whether the new National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has come to bury the party or revive it is fast gaining currency in the polity. This is on account of his seeming ugly fights with members of the splinter Reformed All Progressives Congress (R-APC), and with other prominent and loyal members of the party.
To the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the former Edo State governor was, indeed, chosen to bury the APC. The PDP national spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, said while Oshiomhole had described the R-APC members as ‘inconsequential’, ‘hungry birds’ and ‘tired feet’, he had reportedly made midnight shuttles to “beg” the faction’s arrowheads not to leave the party.
“Unfortunately for Oshiomhole and his presidential sponsor, events of the weeks ahead will clear all doubts that APC is dead and that Oshiomhole is just an undertaker, whose job is to cremate the derelict contraption of oppressors, who are falsely hailing themselves as messiahs,” Ologbondiyan said in a statement.
This was on Thursday, July 19. By Tuesday, July 24, the PDP’s foretelling occurred, as 14 senators and 34 representatives of the APC defected to the PDP, while four representatives moved to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the National Assembly.
This probably gave rise to insinuations credited to Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, APC’s former chairman, on the social media, that: “When I was called up to handover to Adams Oshiomhole, I pleaded with the leaders of the party to look for someone else even if they don’t want me again. Nobody listened to me. I handed over to him a party fully intact and healthy. Under 4 weeks, Oshiomhole has used his mouth to destroy APC. Who do you blame?”
Although Oyegun has denied granting any media interview since leaving office, or saying that “Oshiomhole was bringing more problem to the party,” the alleged social media concoction aptly captures the reality on the ground.
Ordinarily, the projection of more defections should give the APC the jitters, and a sombre reflection. But what did the public see and hear from the party chairman? The very opposite of introspection! Emerging from a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari the other day, Oshiomhole fired from the hip, expressing his excitement over the departure of some lawmakers to opposition parties.
He did not only describe the defectors as “mercenaries” and right wing politicians, who believe in the philosophy of “share the money,” but also claimed that the APC was “not disturbed at all” nor was he losing any sleep over the defections. A familiar refrain since May from a man, whose pedigree as a labour leader and negotiator recommended him for endorsement and affirmation as chairman!
Oshiomhole’s headship of the APC was expected to breathe fresh air into an asphyxiating party that was held down by the previous National Working Committee (NWC) shepherded by Oyegun. The division, and current defections were the groundwork laid by that committee, which saw “nothing burger” in the crisis that tore the party apart at the state and national levels.
Instead of quick intervention to stem the grievances, the previous NWC felt the solution was to extend, by 12 months, the tenures of the party committees nationwide, to avoid going into the 2019 elections “more fractured.”
The reversal of the decision on that suggestion, already endorsed by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the APC, paved the way for the ward, local government and state congresses, which culminated in the national convention that picked Oshiomhole as national chairman, with the mandate to heal the wounds in the party.
Rather than be the mediator, facilitator, conciliator and peacemaker, Oshiomhole has ostensibly become the inflamer of passion, adding insults to injury. His outings have been largely saber-rattling, thus hardening positions in a fluid society wrack by tribal, ethnic, religious and geopolitical interests, and by the spate of unwarranted killings across the country.
It would be indiscreet to list his verbal gymnastics and gyrations, but suffice it to indicate that Oshiomhole’s modus operandi had virtually been to admonish, blackmail, browbeat, bully, caution, flex muscles, intimidate, pressure, scare, terrorize, threaten and warn all known or perceived “enemies” of the APC in the party and its government, to pave way for only “genuine” members.
But House of Representatives Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, thinks now is the time to gather, and not to scatter. “What I told you was that we are on break now and some of our members will be going out on campaigns and to meet their constituents. It is the time to stay in touch with our members and keep them close because… this is their time. We must consolidate and hold our positions very tight,” he told Oshiomhole at the APC Reps Caucus meeting on Friday.
If the APC chair needed further admonishing, he got one from a Facebook poster: “I think Adams Oshiomole should be a lot more conciliatory than issuing threats, giving orders and treating party members as if they are toddlers. A lot of Nigerians will be disappointed and heartbroken if they are taken back to ‘Egypt’.”
‘Egypt’ is a euphemism for the opposition PDP, which the APC took power from in 2015. Will Oshiomhole, through his utterances, take the APC members back to that road to Golgotha in 2019? He, and he alone can answer that poser that may fulfill Mark Anthony’s stylistic at Julius Caesar’s funeral: “I have come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.”
* Mr. Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.