Lessons, as PDP woos aggrieved members back
Ironically, despite his enormous following, Mohammed Abacha became a victim of the same injustice that forced him out of the PDP. The CPC, which was originally perceived as the citadel of justice and transparency, turned out to be guilty of the same lack of internal democracy that it criticizes in other parties. The party leadership […]
Ironically, despite his enormous following, Mohammed Abacha became a victim of the same injustice that forced him out of the PDP. The CPC, which was originally perceived as the citadel of justice and transparency, turned out to be guilty of the same lack of internal democracy that it criticizes in other parties. The party leadership openly demonstrated its disregard for voter sovereignty. It conducted primaries but refused to respect the results because the outcome didn’t favour the candidates anointed by certain national leaders of the party.
During the gubernatorial primaries conducted in Kano State, Mohammed Abacha won 144,000 votes to defeat the party’s officially favoured aspirant, Colonel Lawal Ja’afaru Isa, who got 48.000 votes. Based on these authentic results, INEC recognized Mohammed Abacha as the duly elected governorship candidate at the primaries. However, relying on the so-called party prerogative to override the will of the people, the CPC national leadership secured a court order that forced INEC to reverse itself and replace Mohammed Abacha with Ja’afaru Isa. This caused anger and resentment against the party leadership. Abacha’s supporters revolted and the CPC lost the election.
The policy of imposition and substitution of candidates led to the CPC leaders mismanaging the party’s initial good will across the country. In Kano State, CPC supporters either boycotted the election or voted for PDP in solidarity with Mohammed Abacha whom they believed was unjustly treated. If the party leadership had a made up mind on who they wanted as a candidate, why did they conduct the primaries in the first place? If they had no intention to respect the wishes of the voters, why waste their time asking them to participate in primaries which outcome they never wanted to respect?
At the presidential election, the CPC supporters massively voted for General Buhari and rejected the party’s governorship candidate during the election to get back at the leadership for undemocratically replacing Mohammed Abacha who they had freely chosen at the primaries. Since the end of the 2011 general elections, the CPC is now like a house divided against itself. A serious crisis of confidence has set in and even with the Nasir el-RufaiRenewal Committee the CPC leadership doesn’t seem adequately ready to effectively woo angry members back.
General Buhari is surrounded by ideologues and idealists who don’t know the difference from the world as it is and the world as it should be! Grassroots politicians with enormous following were deliberately frustrated. Indeed, Mohammed Abacha must be under immense pressure to embrace reconciliation currently embarked upon by the new PDP leadership. In Kebbi State, the CPC is apparently dead with Adamu Aliero’s exit. He was the main financier of the party and with his exit, the party faces uncertain future.
Naivety and excessive idealism are the main reason the CPC is enmeshed in protracted crisis of confidence. Thousands of Mohammed Abacha’s supporters are convinced that he must return to the PDP instead of wasting his time in a party, led by those who think they are too infallible to accept their mistakes. It is not on record that the CPC national leaders ever said sorry officially for the mismanagement of the party’s good will. Recognizing the political value of popular members of a party is the first step to building a strong party structure. Taking things for granted has been the style of the ideologues that shut General Buhari out from reality. Mohammed Abacha has suffered enough betrayal and humiliation, despite his immeasurable contributions to the CPC. It may not, therefore, be surprising if he ultimately accepts to return to his former party, PDP.
Jalal wrote in from No. 27, Gabes Street, Zone II, Wuse, Abuja [email protected]