Nigeria is about to enter yet another exciting political season. Gladiators of every hue are vying for positions that are up for grabs, as usual. The results of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Reconciliation Committee’s troubleshooting efforts, led by Senator Abdullahi Adamu, a former governor of Nasarawa State, are the topic of public discussion in Ogun State.
The moment has come for those who are still taking pride in the protracted turmoil afflicting the state’s political party, believing that it will prevent Governor Dapo Abiodun from actually being re-elected to a second term. They must have realized by now that wasting time and energy on such pointless conversation will not help, as the division created by those who desired to hold the reins of power continuously has now reached its full conclusion.
The magic has been worked by Yemi Sanusi’s inauguration as the state’s APC chairman. Fortunately, the party’s internal division is slowly disappearing as the state’s executive branch is offering a fresh sense of purpose.
Of course, it cannot be denied that there have recently been discussions and disputes regarding a number of different topics. That was a component of politics, continuity, and changing dynamics. It’s a method of fortifying the true democratic ideal. It is, in fact, akin to tending to a utopian fantasy to imagine a state of complete calm and quiet within a party the size of the APC. As the thesis and anti-thesis interact to produce the final product of synthesis, there will always be disagreements and agreements.
It is encouraging to see that a new, dynamic process of choosing leaders is already under way as political activity picks up steam in anticipation of the party primaries. We are grateful that the National Assembly amended the consensus arrangement in the Electoral Amendment Bill to try and limit the power of godfathers and the impunity of candidates who impose themselves, which is what led to the current state chapter of the ruling All Progressives Party.
It will reduce the frequency of unwarranted conflicts and eventually open up new avenues for people to have a say in who governs them, notwithstanding the suspicions of some cynics that the parliamentarians had an ulterior reason for included the clause in the amendment Bill. In doing so, it would prevent the kind of terrifying experience that the APC had previously encountered. For example, the leadership of the Labour party in the United Kingdom (UK) did not jeopardize the party’s unity and coherence when they expressed their preference for Tony Blair over Gordon Brown.
Abiodun-led administration’s nearly four-year campaign of deceitful tactics and other shenanigans was put to rest on Thursday, February 3, 2022, when Chief Yemi Sanusi was sworn in as the party’s legitimate state chairman alongside other officials by the Governor Bala Mai Buni-led APC Caretaker Committee.
Now is the perfect time for interested parties to reflect deeply on the past and chart a fresh course for the future. At this point, opposing the APC reconciliation committee would be political death for anyone, since the transformation that Governor Abiodun is pushing has reached a flood tide, and anything that stands in its way would ultimately succumb to its overwhelming force. And such unaccommodating people will not be treated kindly by history in all its alienating needs.
