Barely 12 years after the founding of the All Progressives Congress (APC), one of the legacy parties in the amalgam, the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), is agitated over the progress of the party. LEO SOBECHI reports that the crisis of direction by the former members demonstrates serious consideration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second term aspiration.
What possible implications does the defunct Congress for Progressive (CPC)’s weak rebellion pose for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s return bid? What if the grumbling within the former bloc is a veiled strategy of attracting attention to the northern agenda of deflecting political power from the Lagos/Southwest caucus back to the Kaduna conclave?
Also, if former president Muhammadu Buhari’s men could not make him president in previous occasions before the former Lagos State governor, Tinubu, propped him, how do they think they can stop an incumbent from netting a second term?
If two wrongs cannot make a right, how would the lack of reciprocity by the CPC separatist agitators convince Nigerians that they mean well?
And so, with contrary voices, former members of the defunct CPC have been ventilating their opinions about the feasibility of incumbent President Bola Tinubu’s second term aspiration. CPC, which was founded by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2009, when the state governors elected on the platform of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) dislodged him, was part of the legacy parties that dovetailed into the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The former members of the defunct political platform are divided over their stance for the 2027 presidential election and continued membership of the APC. While majority ex-CPC bonafides in APC insist on staying put in the ruling party, others see a possible migration to the aged Social Democratic Party (SDP) as the most beneficial pathway for their political progression.
From public interventions and statements of purpose, if the matter was put to vote it would be 23 in support and three against. It all started when the only state governor produced by the CPC at its inchoate stages, Senator Tanko Al-Makura, led other stalwarts of the defunct party to announce their insistence on continuing as part of the ruling party instead of opting out as desired by a few others.
The few, who are disgruntled by what they described as President Tinubu’s parochial reward and recognition system in the area of appointments and distribution of amenities, are led by the immediate past Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN).
Crossfire
In a democracy, it is usually said that the minority will always have its say, while the majority would most often have its way. That could be the only advantage that Pastor Tunde Bakare, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal and Malami seem to enjoy in the ongoing schism within Buhari’s defunct CPC grouping.
With the exception of the founder of Citadel Global Community Church, Bakare; Lawal and Malami were custodians of political appointments under the Buhari administration. That could explain why the majority of former CPC members appear to be antagonistic to their campaigns for breakaway from APC.
As the leader of opposition against the majority, Malami wasted no time to attack the Al-Makura camp for coming out to declare that the CPC bloc would remain in APC, claiming that exit was the consensus opinion of those faithful to their leader, Buhari.
Dismissing the Al-Makura group, the former AGF declared that the former Nasarawa State governor and his 22 followers were propelled by selfish desires rather than patriotic or collective interest.
In a statement by his media aide, Muhammed Bello Doka, Malami averred that not even the presence of former Speaker of the House of Representatives and immediate past Katsina State governor, Aminu Masari, in the group conferred a representative status on them.
“When it comes to whether the group is leaving APC, they lack authority to speak for CPC bloc,” Malami stated, adding: “When you say CPC bloc, one needs to know who they are referring to.
“Is it the likes of Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, Adamu Adamu, Masari, and Faruku Adamu Aliyu, who, a few months ago, had been throwing Buhari under the bus, in desperate attempts to gain relevance, that should decide for the bloc?”
On his part, the former SGF alleged that Al-Makura and co were busy chasing shadows in the vain attempt to curry favour from Buhari and incumbent President Tinubu.
He stated: “Every genuine CPC chieftain who has the interest of the Talakawas — the poor and vulnerable — at heart, will stop at nothing to kick out any government that brings pain and impoverishment to the people like the Tinubu administration in 2027.”
Lawal, who was edged out midway into Buhari’s first term, disclosed that genuine CPC apologists are opposed to Al-Makura and his friends, stressing that they do not need Buhari’s approval to move against Tinubu.
“The CPC is a Talakawa movement; it is a movement that has at heart the needs and feelings of the lower class…The primary aim is how to serve the disenfranchised, discriminated people in the society,” he noted.
Citing the handling of the Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and State of Emergency in Rivers State as his points of dissension, Bakare, who contested against Tinubu for the APC presidential ticket in 2022, said the President should stop playing god.
From his speech, the pastor left no one in doubt that he has continued to differ from Tinubu’s politics and governance style, even to the extent of describing the administration as an example of motor park power tactics.
The sound bites from the pastor’s address were heavy and acerbic: “If this state capture was what you meant by emi lo kan, it is an anti-climax that can only be counterproductive in the end. I urge you, Mr. President, to think deeply and reflect on these words: ‘No man is wise enough nor good enough to be trusted with unlimited power.’ Please, stop playing God!
“This National Assembly, the 10th, has by its unconstitutional endorsement of the president’s abuse of powers proven to be the most spineless in our recent history.
“Through its actions and inactions, the National Assembly has, in effect, become the 48th member of the president’s cabinet, while a cabinet minister has, more or less, become a third-term state governor in Rivers State, pampered by the indulgences of the president.”
We Stand With APC, Tinubu
But parading some big names and politicians of clout and colour, the group led by Al-Makura noted that “party unity must be nurtured continuously to sustain the gains and to secure the future.”
While categorically declaring that “we have neither left the APC nor do we intend to leave,” the group maintained that “the CPC bloc remains one of the legacy foundations of the APC, and we are resolute in our commitment to the party and its progressive ideals.”
They, however, urged leaders of the APC to scale up engagement with members across all levels, noting that strengthening internal communication would reduce tension, foster inclusiveness and enhance support for the party’s programmes.
Rising from a special meeting in Abuja, last week, the core members of the CPC bloc in APC had announced that they were not part of any move to quit the ruling party or join any coalition against President Tinubu and APC.
In a seven-point communiqué released to journalists, the core members declared: “Recent misleading narratives suggesting a defection or disaffection among CPC stakeholders are false, mischievous and should be ignored. We remain an integral part of the APC and are fully aligned with its leadership and vision.”
The 23 signatories to the communiqué included, Senators Umaru Al-Makura, Ibrahim Musa and Mustafa Salihu, as well as Dr Nasiru Argungu, Dr Dominic Alancha, Aminu Masari, Adamu Adamu, Farouk Aliyu, Almajiri Geidam, Waziri Bulama and Ayuba Balami.
Others are Osita Okechukwu, Okoi Obono-Obla, Lucy Ajayi, Bala Jibrin, Uche Ufearoh, Yusuf Salihu, Abubakar Maikudi, Mutallib Badmus, Muhammed Datti, Muhammed Etsu, Jerry Johnson and Alkali Ajikolo.
While reaffirming their loyalty to the APC, the former CPC faithful announced their support for Tinubu, assuring him that “the CPC family remains a vital pillar of the APC and will continue to play a responsible role in its growth and the progress of Nigeria. ”
Part of the communiqué reads: “We, the undersigned leaders and committed members of the former CPC, who were part of those instrumental in the historic merger that gave birth to APC, hereby issue this statement to clarify our unalloyed loyalty to our great party and express firm solidarity with the Tinubu administration.”
One of the signatories, former Enugu State governorship candidate of the defunct CPC and the immediate past Director General of Voice of Nigeria, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, explained that their decision to come out and make their stance public was to disabuse the minds of Nigerians that the group was seceding from APC.
He stated: “We the leaders of the defunct CPC, in fact majority of our members resolved to stay tall in APC and luckily we’re in league with our leader, former President Muhammadu Buhari, who serially stated his commitment to our great party.
“As per Abubakar Malami and Co, we have mandated our Reconciliation Committee to approach them in order for them to return back as we cannot demolish the APC house, which took us 11 good years (2004-2013) to construct.
“We have also resolved to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, on two grounds; one to advise him in-house, as history of liberal democracy has shown that the Approval Ratings of presidents is normally low at mid-term, especially with the economic reform programmes with its unintended economic hardship Mr President embarked upon.
“We believe the economic programmes will bear fruits in the fullness of time. All we need do now is to advise Mr President in-house on how best to increase the Bhutan’s doctrine – Gross National Happiness (GNH).”
Okechukwu remarked that the group decided to remain in APC and support President Tinubu “for the critical role he played in forging the APC historical merger and subsequently the victory of our great party in 2015.”
However, as these disparate CPC factions continue to amplify their discordant positions, it would be seen in the days to come how far their agitations would make or mar the cohesiveness of the APC as it prepares for Tinubu’s second term campaign.
