Wale Ibrahim, Lokoja
Ahead of the November 16, 2019 governorship election in Kogi State, the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, which has been riddled with crises since the incumbent governor, Yahaya Bello, assumed office, may be moving towards reconciliation in its attempt to remain in power in the Confluence State.
In the past few weeks, Bello has been taking bold steps to reconcile the warring factions of the party. This, to political observers in the state, is strange because right from the beginning of his administration, it has been war in the party, as his faction and that of Hadi Ametou could not see eye to eye.
The polarisation of the party in the last three and a half years is as a result of the circumstances that led to the death of its governorship candidate in 2015, Prince Abubarka Audu, and its fallout. As a result, many members dumped the party, while others decided to adopt the “let’s wait and see” attitude.
But, the recent experiences of APC during the general elections in some states where there were cracks in the wall and the attendant losses suffered at the polls may have taught the party a lesson, which it does not want to repeat in Kogi.
Bello himself may have learnt from the experiences of former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in Lagos and Ibikunle Amosun in Ogun State. While Ambode lost at the primary level due to political intrigues, Amosun’s candidate, who contested on the platform of another party after he also lost at the primary, was beaten hands down at the polls.
Perhaps, this development may have informed the decision of the governor to seek truce and genuine reconciliation, realising that his second term ticket may be hanging in the balance.
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The Nigerian Xpress learnt that members of the factional executive of the party, who had been banished to Abuja as a result of the crisis, met with the governor with a view to close ranks preparatory to the poll.
But the reconciliation move is being trailed by barrage of criticisms. The Ametou group’s demand for their entitlements as party officials without taking into consideration the plight of the masses in the state has not gone down well with many.
Bello has also been faulted over his reconciliation move. It was argued that the ongoing effort to reconcile aggrieved parties is belated because the governor had all the opportunities to make peace shortly after he won his case at the Supreme Court.
The current move to extend the olive branch to other stakeholders, they said is deceptive and meant to enable the governor pick the ticket for the election.
Opinions are still divided over the move by the governor to pick the APC ticket. The governor’s action of herding traditional rulers in the state to Aso Rock for the purpose of endorsing him did not go down well with some of the party’s hierarchy and the ordinary citizens.
The governor’s strategy to reconcile though seems to be paying off. He has met with all the other factional stakeholders in Abuja. But the Senator Alex Kadiri led group was said to have been blunt and told the governor the bitter truth about the current situations in the state and gave him some conditions which must be met before reconciliation.
Already, the Ametuo group has collapsed its structure into the party’s mainstream as part of the resolutions reached at the peace meeting held in Abuja at the instance of Governor Bello with the factional group.
Secretary to the faction, Comrade Yahaya Ade Ismail, speaking to journalists shortly after the closed door meeting said the resolution to harmonise with the mainstream APC was done in the best interest of the party.
He said the party, which has been in crises since the demise of Audu had resolved eventually to work in unity in order not to destroy the house that the members laboured to build.
“We want the progress of our great party. There is no reason to be aggrieved anymore. We are not bastards, only a bastard would destroy the home they have built over time. We have over two hundred thousand aggrieved registered members of the APC and we have decided to work in unison.
“Sincerely speaking, on our part, we do not want the same fate that befell the APC in Rivers and Zamfara states to repeat itself in Kogi State and we have agreed to put in place a mechanism to win the coming elections and to also withdraw the case we have at the Federal High Court, Abuja in the best interest of the party and every other person involved,” he said.
According to him, the erstwhile aggrieved team had come to a concession and was ready to give their support and advice to the state chairman, Hon. Abdullahi Bello for a more unified and dependable political party ahead of the November governorship election.
Comrade Ismail, who described Governor Bello as a leader with fair and open mind, expressed hope that the promise made by the governor to their faction would be upheld.
Speaking on the part of the government, the Director General, Media and Publicity to the Governor, Hon. Kingsley Fanwo said with the reconciliatory meeting, there were no more factions in party as both groups have resolved to work collectively in peace and harmony for the success of the party.
Fanwo said the government had made a commitment to ensure there was no discrimination against the fractional members so as to afford APC the opportunity to totally defeat the opposition in the coming election.
He added that Governor Bello’s administration which had always ran an open door policy without discrimination had embraced the factional group to work for a common course.
Also speaking, the Public Relations Officer of the APC in the state, Hon. Abu Jibrin said the party has now become a one house which would be built stronger and work to retain the state.
However, there is another huddle for the governor to cross as the APC executive committee has split into two factions over his re-election bid.
The split, it was learnt was as a result of allegation that the state chapter has adopted the governor for another term, a move that is being resisted by a faction led by the State Secretary, Salam Tom Adejoh.
While addressing journalists in Abuja, Adejoh debunked the alleged endorsement of Governor Bello, saying that the governor’s poor performance should not be rewarded with a second term.
The secretary emphasised that the executive committee members are not in any position to endorse any aspirants, stressing that the party’s governorship ticket is open to every qualified member.
“We did not endorse anyone and we are not planning to. The party’s ticket is open to everyone in the party,” he added.
According to him, the last meeting of the state executive committee did not discuss Bello’s endorsement.
The party scribe dismissed media reports credited to a faction of the state executive, led by the chapter chairman, purportedly endorsing the governor for a second term.
Narrating the exco’s last meeting with the governor, Adejoh said: “Our discussion ended at the need for peace so that the party can move forward. He (governor) said he needed a sincere peace and we agreed on terms. There was nothing like endorsement.
“The term we agreed on was that our allowances and other packages that we are entitled to would be given to us and we all agreed on this term.
“The governor requested for the case in court to be withdrawn. We told him there are some processes to be followed. The issue of withdrawing the case is subject to another negotiation.”
The executive members had dragged the governor to court over his refusal to pay arrears of their entitlements as party chiefs.
On the suitability of Governor Bello’s re-election, Adejoh said: “The party has its own criteria on what they want from a candidate. If someone has performed well or is an achiever, it will speak for itself. Yahaya has been far away from us, since then he has not been properly directed.”
On the reported endorsement of the governor by traditional rulers in the state at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the party secretary said the governorship election is not a traditional affair.
According to him, the traditional rulers are only entitled to vote at the election but they are not in the position to decide who will be the APC candidate because they are not delegates.
Other party chieftains that joined Adejoh at the briefing included the State Organizing Secretary, Alhaji Isah Abubakar; Zonal Youth Leader, Noah Akwu; Bassa LGA Chairman, Mallam Isiaka Ibrahim among others.
The anti Bello groups are however, pushing for indirect primaries as their last joker to ensure that they see the back of the governor.
Alhaji Yakubu Ugbolawo, who was a strong supporter of the administration, warned the party against the adoption of indirect primaries, which he said may foist of the state an unpopular candidate.
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Alhaji Ugbolawo who is now the chairman of APC Justice Forum, while regretting working for the governor in the first instances, vehemently warned the party at the national level not to give Governor Bello the party’s ticket, failure of which may lead to catastrophic end.
Ugbolawo said the National Working Committee should avoid a repeat of what happened in Adamawa, Bauchi, Zamfara and Rivers state.
“The issue of asking the party to adopt direct primary is like guiding the party against the backlash in Bauchi and Adamawa where indirect primary was adopted in the last governorship election against the wishes of party members that caused the party to lose the two states to opposition PDP.
“I think putting everything together, it is the obvious. When you regiment people to pick a person, who is not popular, at the end of the day, the party would be at the receiving end as it would lose the election.
“This time around, APC as a party would not condone losing Kogi State. If you looking at what is happening now, of the 36 states, APC have 18, while the PDP have 17. “So if the party loses Kogi to PDP, it would be 18 APC and 18 PDP. And of course, I am not sure we would make it in Bayelsa. And if we lose Bayelsa, that means APC retaining the Presidency in 2023 would be a pipe dream.
“That is why we, the real believers of APC and the real participants are concerned. Those of us that started the party are craving the indulgence of the national secretariat to do justice to this issue. The issue of the loss in Bauchi and Adamawa is living with us.
“Again the issue of Rivers and Zamfara is another ball game entirely, which affected tremendously the fortunes of the party,” he said.
The governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagaudu and his Yobe State counterpart, Maimala Buni along with immediate past governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Mohammed Abubarka, were in Kogi State in the name of Progressive Governors Forum, have already adopted Bello for second term after assessing his performance.
The question now agitating the mind of an average Kogite is whether APC will give Bello its ticket in view of the plight of workers, pensioners and the dearth of infrastructural facilities in the state.
