Integrity is not enough unless a leader is strong enough to take tough decisions in the larger interest of the people, even if it hurts his friends. The coterie of self-seeking men in whom General Buhari places undue confidence is ironically responsible for the recent misfortunes of the CPC at the polls. As a people-oriented political party, the CPC should have set higher standard for internal democracy and the supremacy of the will of the people. What we have witnessed, instead, is the brazen manner the will of the people was treated with disdain. These so-called national leaders were imposing their own candidates against those duly elected at the primaries. In fact, one of the members of the Buhari organization, Alhaji Buba Galadima, even threatened that anyone that challenged the policy of substitution and imposition would be expelled from the party.

Consequently, many Nigerians were left wondering how such a promising party could degenerate to this extent so quickly. Many genuine supporters of the party feel that the CPC is being run like the Chinese Communist Party where a tiny group of men can arbitrarily throw the will of the people overboard. These opportunists around General Buhari have shut him away from reality, making him believe that riding roughshod over the will of the people could not produce any negative consequences. In Kano state for example, they misled Buhari into committing a tactless political judgement when he refused to address thousands of CPC supporters who turned up for his presidential campaign rally.

Don’t forget that these supporters abandoned their business and other activities to turn up for the rally that was aborted because of the arrogant judgement of a tiny group of men who were not comfortable with Mohammed Abacha’s formidable popularity among CPC supporters. To spite Abahca, they advised Buhari not to attend the rally because they wanted to impose a candidate that was convincingly defeated at the gubernatorial primaries. To leave people standing in the scorching sun and telling them later that you had no time to address them, because you wanted to spite their popular choice, is the highest demonstration of disdain against the voters.

It would be the height of self-deceit to assume that this kind of tactless approach to politics could not produce negative consequences. Nobody, however righteous, should treat voters with disdain and expect no resistance. Those General Buhari has trusted to a fault are the same people responsible for the poor performance of the party at the governorship and House of Assembly elections. They mismanaged the good will of the party. They concentrated more efforts on northern support for General Buhari, despite the harder work that needed to be done to help him win the support of the south. Limiting the problem to rigging is the pretext they are using to make Buhari not to see their own roles in mismanaging the affairs of the CPC and its initial good will.

Over-confidence, arrogance, self-righteousness, complacency, disregard for the will of the people and detachment from reality have been accurately identified as the main factors that led to CPC’s poor performance. General Buhari’s biggest mistake was to leave his political fate in the hands of a few men who have poor public image even in the eyes of CPC supporters across the country. They undermined him in 2003, 2007 and 2011 and they are shamelessly blaming his debacle entirely on rigging. But it is sheer dishonestly to limit his problem to rigging. In reality, they are the blight behind the repeated fiasco that attended his presidential ambition from 2003 to 2011.

If these men around General Buhari knew the meaning of honour, they would have handed in their letters of resignation after the CPC losses in the 2011 general elections. But because they want to benefit from reflected glory, they have refused to do so. It is unfortunate that the wrong people are being punished for the failure of the party in the election.

As Chief Mike Ahamba, General Buhari’s former ally argued recently, instead of working hard across the country to make the CPC firmly rooted in the hearts and minds of all Nigerians, the opportunists around the CPC presidential candidate were already behaving as if they had won the election even before it took place! Excessive idealism without hard work was mainly responsible for CPC’s poor showing in the elections in the southern parts of Nigeria and some parts of the north-central zone such as Kogi, Benue, and Plateau States. In fact, even in Nassarawa State, the CPC won because former Governor Aliyu Akwai Doma was thoroughly unpopular. The people voted for Al-Makura and not the CPC. If not, how could the PDP control 24 members of the Nassarawa State House of Assembly and leaving only four seats to CPC? Therefore, the exaggerated influence of the opportunists around Buhari didn’t in any way contribute to his performance in the presidential election; he got the votes in his own right because of his integrity.

The suspension of some CPC Chairmen across in the country, including Kano State, is a mere smokescreen by opportunists around the General to protect themselves from taking responsibility for the debacle of the party. They are the main obstacle to the progress of the CPC and blaming anyone else is unjust and indefensible. Are they too big or indispensable to take responsibility for the poor performance of the party? Is Buhari so bound hand and foot that he won’t be able to tell these men to go? The CPC needs younger leaders who are pragmatic, imaginative, consensus-builders, humble and proactive. General Buhari should politely but firmly advise the opportunists around him to quit or else they may ruin the CPC even further. One understands that the CPC leaders are quietly going round to appeal to aggrieved voters to keep faith with the leaders, despite the betrayal of the party’s supporters. The latest attempt is like locking the stable door after the horse has bolted.

Shehu, a labour activist, wrote from 29, Old Karu Abuja.