APCs unending crises in Bauchi

Just when we all thought that the All Progressive Congress had mended all the cracks in its ranks and was poised to regain the Bauchi government house which it lost in 2019, recent developments have indicated that it is not Uhuru. These untoward developments have to do with the party’s primaries which have continued to […]

Just when we all thought that the All Progressive Congress had mended all the cracks in its ranks and was poised to regain the Bauchi government house which it lost in 2019, recent developments have indicated that it is not Uhuru.

These untoward developments have to do with the party’s primaries which have continued to generate controversies capable of derailing the party’s fortunes in the state. Some aggrieved party members in a letter to the national chairman of the party alleged that primary elections for 12 state constituencies did not take place at all but INEC’s  Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) claimed that the elections were duly held.

The aggrieved members challenged the REC’s report which said that elections were conducted through a consensus arrangement.

As if this was not enough, the APC in Bauchi is also rocked by internal disagreements concerning its gubernatorial flag bearer, the immediate past Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Abubakar Sadique (rtd). Here again, the issue has to do with his emergence which some members of the party alleged was fraught with manipulations and irregularities. The major ground of their objection to his candidacy  is that he came in and brushed aside those who laboured to build and sustain the party.

But some members of the party believe that these actions are the handiwork of fifth columnists working for the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party. In their own view, the ruling party having failed to deliver on the false promises it made to the electorate in the state is living in fear at the expectation of being rejected woefully at the polls.

But the aggrieved members of the party have countered that for the party to return to Government House Bauchi, it must first of all address the issues tabled to the satisfaction of all. Accordingly in pursuance of this, they requested that; the national chairman of the APC should cancel the purported results and ensure the right things done; and INEC be caused to investigate the alleged connivance of its agents with the party leadership in the state in manipulating the process and fabricating results that will collapse when subjected to legal scrutiny.

As it is getting close to the date when INEC will close the window on substitution of candidates and related matters, the APC in Bauchi and indeed at the national level is racing against time to attend to these issues. The party finds itself in the dilemma of trying to sort out the complaints of aggrieved members while making sure that it does not create further grounds for more crises.

The case of Bauchi while being similar to others however has its unique tendencies. First of all by all accounts, Bauchi is a known APC stronghold which the party had lost not because it is not loved by the electorate in the state, but largely by internal wrangling. Secondly, Bauchi is one of the few states in the country where voting is based on principle and not on material inducements. In this regard, Bauchi voters are so politically aware and sophisticated that they have always stood firm to ensure their preferences and choices during elections prevail no matter the odds. This resolve they have demonstrated time and again against candidates that try to take them for granted.

In the present situation, if the APC wants to restore its glory in the state, the party must at least be seen to address the issues emanating from the primaries and also try to reconcile the warring factions. This it must do in a transparent manner without fear or favour. The national chairman of the party whom the members hold in high esteem must be seen to be a father to all. There are those who will definitely continue to feel dissatisfied and aggrieved even after measures are taken to mollify them. But having done the right thing in attempting to reconcile the grievances within the party, the national headquarters can be satisfied that it had done its best under the circumstances. This will go a long way in mitigating some of the threats of anti-party activities by some of the members.

A stitch in time saves nine, they say.        

 Salihu Dantata wrote from Bauchi