APC crisis: Wither Tinubu’s committee?

ELIX NWANERI reports that though the anxiety over the tenure of the All Progressives Congress (APC’s) National Working Committee (NWC) may have been cleared, following the extension of its tenure, the decision has raised questions over the fate of the party’s national reconciliation committee headed by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu

What becomes of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Reconciliation Committee headed by its National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, following yesterday’s extension of the tenure of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC)?

This was the question that cropped up among political analysts and observers immediately the highest organ of the ruling party – National Executive Council (NEC) – approved the extension of the tenure of the John Odigie-Oyegun-led NWC by one year at its meeting in Abuja.

The tenure of the NWC will elapse in June, but Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, who briefed journalists’ midway into the APC NEC meeting yesterday, said the decision to extend the tenure of the party’s executive was based on Article 13 of the party, which gives it such powers.

Bello added that executives of the party in the various states will also benefit from the extension. This means the Odigie-Oyegun leadership will lead the ruling party into the 2019 general elections.

Apprehension was the word ahead of the APC Caucus and NEC meetings that held on Monday and Tuesday, respectively as there was doubt that tenure extension canvassed for members of the party’s NWC would be approved.

The idea was muted by some chieftains of the party, especially governors elected on the party’s platform and the presidency to avoid the fallout of a regime change on the party at a time it is going into a general elections, but some chieftains of the party considered tenure extension as illegal and capable of triggering more crises for the party.

The plot against the national chairman was to make sure that a no confidence vote was passed on him at the Caucus and NEC meetings, so that he and other members of the NWC will resign on or before June, when their tenure elapses.
The plot got a major boost, when Tinubu claimed that Odigie-Oyegun was frustrating the reconciliation effort initiated by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The former governor of Lagos State made the claim in a letter he addressed to the APC national chairman, dated February 21, copies of which were forwarded to President Buhari; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Senate president, Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara.

Tinubu particularly accused Odigie-Oyegun of seeking to undermine the mandate given to him by the President to reconcile aggrieved members and ensure party cohesion by engaging in what he described as dilatory tactics.

His words: “Drawing from your behaviour in Kogi, Kaduna and with regard to the state chapter assessment requested, I am led to the inference that you have no intention of actually supporting my assignment. Instead, you apparently seek to undermine my mandate by engaging in dilatory tactics for the most part. When forced to act, you do so in an arbitrary and capricious manner, without the counsel of other National Working Committee (NWC) members and without regard to our internal procedures.”

President Buhari, it would be recalled had in appointing Tinubu to head the APC National Reconciliation Committee, charged him to resolve disagreements among party members, party leadership and political office holders in some states of the federation.

A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President, Garba Shehu, which announced the committee, read: “As part of on-going efforts to improve cohesion within the APC, President Muhammadu Buhari has designated Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to lead the consultation, reconciliation and confidence building efforts. The assignment will involve resolving disagreements among party members, party leadership and political office holders in some states of the federation.”

While Tinubu may have had reasons for his outburst against Odigie-Oyegun, some chieftains of the party were however of the view that it was not unexpected given the frosty relationship between the former political allies. The APC national leader played a major role in Odigie-Oyegun’s emergence as national chairman of the ruling party, but they later fell out.

Their feud got to a head in September 2016, when Tinubu called for Odigie-Oyegun’s sack. Tinubu, then described the APC national chairman as a fraud and regressive element, who cares nothing for the progressive ideas upon which the party was founded, and is hell-bent on guiding it into the ditch.

It was against this backdrop that anxiety trailed the APC Caucus and NEC meetings until state chairmen of the party announced their endorsement of tenure elongation for the NWC members on Monday evening.
The APC state chairmen, in a communique, said the endorsement came as a result of the achievements of the party leaders.

The communiqué read in part: “The forum after dissections and through appraisal of the APC-led government hereby unanimously passed vote of confidence on our dear President, Muhammadu Buhari, the National Chairman of our great party Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and other leaders of our great party for their numerous achievements despite the challenges so far experienced in our dear country. We also urge Mr. President to present himself for second tenure come 2019.

“That we support the Senator Bola Tinubu-led peace and reconciliation committee and urge the committee to expedite action in reconciling members of the party. The forum also calls on all the members of our great party to give maximum support to the committee to achieve sustainable peace in the party.

“In view of the short period between the time available for the proposed party congresses and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) published time table for conduct of party primaries and general elections, the forum resolved that the tenure of the present officers of the party at all levels be extended by two years to avert challenges in the party.”

An elated Odigie-Oyegun, in his reaction to the recent development, said the outcome of the meeting of the party’s national caucus had shamed those he described as prophets of doom, who predicted his removal from office.
He described the outcome of the meeting as “beautiful and pleasant,” and accused the media of manufacturing and exaggerating issues within the party. He also dismissed the assertion that the caucus discussed his exit date as party chairman, describing it as mere media speculation.

His words: “It is the media we should ask where they get those stories from. Nothing like that ever happened; nothing like that was ever discussed; nothing like that came up – beautiful, pleasant, intellectual, deep reasoning today about issues.’’

No doubt, the APC national chairman has escaped another banana peel, but the questions being asked as a result of the outcome of the party’s NEC meeting are: What becomes of the Tinubu committee? Will the committee continue with the reconciliation effort and will the committee, in the course of carrying out its mandate not clash with that of the NWC?

While developments in the days ahead will proffer answers to the questions, the most critical of the questions, is: Has the APC national leader not been used and dumped by those who assigned him with task of reconciling aggrieved party members given the confidence vote on Odigie-Oyegun, whom he (Tinubu) had a few days ago accused of posing as opposition to the goal of resuscitating the progressive and democratic nature of the APC?