The elections, penultimate Tuesday, of principal officers of the eighth National Assembly, arguably, attempted to loosen the cord tying the broom of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) together. With the ruling party controlling the majority in both chambers of the National Assembly, the party has not shown enough leadership in managing their overwhelming success at the polls. This inability to properly harness the gains of electoral victory is manifesting presently with the acrimony generated by the election of Senator Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara as Senate President and Speaker in their respective capacities. While the ruling party initially preferred the candidatures of Yobe Senator Ahmed Lawan and Lagos Representative Femi Gbajabiamila for the respective positions, the “connivance” of a section of the party with members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) upset the political cart of the APC and generated considerable bad- blood within the party. To add insult to injury, the ruling APC suffered further political incursion as the opposition PDP took advantage of the divide within the APC to install one of the their own, Senator Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President – a seat that should come to APC members in the senate naturally – while at the same time denying oligarchs of the ruling party their desire to have Ali Munguno from Borno State as Deputy Speaker. Fallout of these bungled plans by the APC is the ensuing political crisis that engulfed the party with supposed brothers from the same political fold hurling abuses at each other from opposite ends of the divide. Bola Tinubu, former governor of Lagos State widely acclaimed as “national leader” of the APC was so irked that he said he would “never recognise Bukola as Senate President.” Though the political juggernaut was to later soft- pedal in the manner Saraki emerged by insisting on a public apology from the duo of Saraki and Dogara in national dailies. All is yet to be well within the ruling political party in Africa’s largest democracy. At the last count, Senator Kabir Marafa was demanding the head of Chief John Oyegun, APC’s National Chairman for his “tardiness” in managing the crisis in the fallout of the National Assembly leadership elections. Comrade Timi Frank, deputy national publicity secretary of the APC earlier set the pace in this direction when he alleged that Oyegun was complicit in the apparent flouting of APC’s directives. But a crisis in the ruling party is tantamount to a disservice to the teeming sympathizers of the “change” mantra which the APC heralded and is capable of setting back the aspiration of the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to change the prospects of Nigerians for the
better. It becomes imperative for the ruling party to
douse the tension within the party and set about delivering on the juicy campaign promises in an era of national economic apprehension. For the APC to get her grooves back, the party must look inward and search her soul to get to the roots of the now protracted crisis with a view to salvaging the situation. This soul searching should entail beaming lights on the role of individual party members in the scenario and apportion necessary measures. In the senate, certain lawmakers from the fold of the APC are regarded as rallying points owing to their antecedence and wider reckoning across political divides. These personalities command remarkable influence within and outside the party and the ruling party must rely on such dexterity to calm to raging storm. Among the present crop of Senators, personalities such as Senators Abdullahi Adamu from Nasarawa; Bukar Abba Ibrahim from Yobe; Sola Adeyeye from Osun; Ajayi Borifice from Ondo; Ahmed Sani from Zamfara; Adamu Aliero from Kebbi, and a handful others could be empowered by the party to bring respite to the political crisis. Particularly, Senator Abdullahi Adamu possesses the right virtues and cosmopolitan exposure to rally his colleagues from opposing political divide towards an amicable resolution of the needless crisis. In an exclusive interview with THISDAY shortly before the June 9 election, Adamu warned the ruling party of the possibility of a crisis and told APC “to get it right on selection of principal officers of the incoming assembly.” Regarding the equally regrettable scenario in the House of Representatives, members of the ruling party who have been in the eyes of political storms like former Speaker Ghali Umar Na’aba and Sokoto Governor Aminu Tambuwal could do a good job of
returning the beleaguered House to the path of reason. Certain members of the House who are committed to ensuring that peace prevails in the chambers could also be relied upon to end the unfolding chaos and save the ruling party further public opprobrium. President Buhari should also rise to the occasion by calling his apparently disorganised house to order as the task of legislating for the much needed “change” cannot afford to be sacrificed on the altar of party disagreements. Though the president has hitherto maintained neutrality in the process of selecting the National Assembly leadership, now is the time to show leadership in crisis.



www.thisdaylive.com/articles/how-apc-can-get-back-its-groove/213577/

Pls why will they choose Anambra as Boko Haram camp? Chai, they no see Kastina? #funny_nation #comedy_my_world #talent_money #i_rep_nsukka

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APC is filled with confusion and crises...let's keep watching them...dey said PDP was bad now they're worse

The leadership of APC have to face the reality by suspending Saraki & Dogara and prepare to accept minority status in both Chambers (with their expected decamping to PDP) as this will make the party and the president really sit-up and take actions that will meet the yearnings of the they .

The leadership of national Assembly can not secure full support of PDP leaders if they choose to move against the program of the executive (even after decamping) as the latter can not afford to be on the wrong side of the masses again. If the deviants however choose to remain with the party, then they will be forced to swallow their ego & self interest by abiding with the party's stand.

Party's supremacy must always be respected by all members especially those who a secured public position through the party platform.