The cost of unheeded counsel

Take the case of Senator Lado Danmarke in Katsina and Mohammed Abacha in Kano who enjoy enormous popular support, but were deliberately frustrated by the selfish and ill-conceived policy of substitution and imposition. And as a result of the humiliation they suffered, their supporters also no longer felt concerned about the fate of the party […]

Take the case of Senator Lado Danmarke in Katsina and Mohammed Abacha in Kano who enjoy enormous popular support, but were deliberately frustrated by the selfish and ill-conceived policy of substitution and imposition. And as a result of the humiliation they suffered, their supporters also no longer felt concerned about the fate of the party during the gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections last year. Betrayed, Lado Danmarke went into an alliance with the Shema-led PDP administration in Katsina State. Even the CPC’s substituted governorship candidate, former Speaker Aminu Masari, himself acknowledged this when abandoned a legal challenge of the outcome of the gubernatorial election. It was obvious that the CPC goodwill died with the consequences of myopia. Nobody should blame Dan Marke for seeking alliance with Shema.

Injustice to the voters should be alien to the character of a people-oriented party like the CPC. Curiously, however, the death of internal democracy and lack of transparency is no longer limited to the ruling PDP. The CPC leadership has made the party look worse in the perpetration of injustice against its own members. Imposition of candidates automatically kills freedom of choice and the principles of internal democracy. Ordinary members of the party were openly disappointed that a party, which they perceived as a symbol of fair play, is no longer qualified to criticize the PDP for any evil, including the destruction of internal democracy.

Mohammed Abacha, despite his incredible popularity, was replaced with a contestant he roundly defeated at the primaries. If the party was not ready or willing to respect the voters’ freedom of choice, why conduct primaries in the first place, making the contestants waste their time and resources? No CPC member can rival Mohammed Abacha’s commitment to building the party in Kano State. Yet he was openly humiliated and the outcome of the gubernatorial election, in which the CPC officially endorsed candidate came third, didn’t come as a surprise to any keen political observer. In solidarity with Mohammed Abacha, about 30 CPC House of Assembly candidates withdrew from the election altogether.

Ignoring wise counsel is not a sign of effective leadership. Despite warnings that the policy of substitution and imposition could backfire, the CPC national leadership behaved as if they had a magic formula to halt a predictable disaster. Worse still, even as the leadership is making “efforts” to rebuild the party and reconcile the party with aggrieved members, the attitude of certain officials of the CPC at the national headquarters is not helping matters. A top official of the party went to Kano State to insult Mohammed Abacha in his own political territory.  Ironically, this official doesn’t have any political following of his own in his home State. He relies entirely on Buhari’s endorsement to occupy positions in the party. Which wise leader will go into a territory where a politician is popular and insult him? It is disrespectful to his supporters to do so.

General Buhari, as the moral pillar of the party’s credibility, has a duty to personally get involved in the process of reconciliation with all party members and supporters who felt righteously aggrieved. Leaving the fate of the party in the hands of those widely blamed for mismanaging the enormous goodwill of the party could worsen the crisis of confidence currently rocking the party. Nobody is in doubt about the popular backing that Mohammed Abacha enjoys in Kano State. Therefore, popular politicians like Mohammed remain major assets that can be harnessed as part of any genuine efforts to rebuild the party. Members of the Buhari Organisation (TBO) who were blamed for leading the party to repeated misfortunes should not exert deleterious influence on any fresh efforts to reconcile aggrieved members and rebuild the party to make it strong enough to face the future with confidence.

Fagge wrote from 49, Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja