Ahead of the just concluded Sept 19th governorship election in Edo state, there were a lot of political permutations, expectations, events and plot twists particularly because of the key political actors involved and strategic location of the state to the survival of Apc.
The All progressive Congress under the leadership of the then chairman Adams Oshiomole, ravaged by internal crisis failed to reconcile its internal crisis culminating to the sack of Oshiomole by the party’s national executive committee (NEC).
Due to the crisis within the party and coming elections in Edo and Ondo one would have wished that the party hierachy nominated a leader with political presence and personality but all that was not going to happen as APC further gaffed by entrusting the interim leadership of the party to not only an incompetent Governor Buni of Yobe state but shot itself further by allowing Buni to run down the party further by promoting selfish interest against the collective interest of the party.
Buni and his co-conspirators maintained a dangerous status quo which he should have known will be counter productive in the interest of the party. He maintained the evil silence of allowing the APC political actors to sustain a fight which was fast diminishing the chances of the party at the polls without a clear attempt to bring the actors to a negotiation table.
A leader they say leads by example, only Buni knows the reason why barely hours after the election results from Edo was announced, sent out a congratulatory message to Gov Obaseki of PDP, an action which puts question mark on the credibility of Buni and his committee.
Suffice to say that this singular attitude of Buni is enough to showcase what disaster awaits the party should he be allowed to stay beyond the expiration of his interim chairmanship in November.
To further show his evil agenda, Buni as a seating Governor made no effort to persuade his colleagues to attend the grand finale of the APC campaign in Edo. An event which was a veritable opportunity to build bridges across interest and make emphatic statements to the Edo electorates on why Pastor Ize Iyanmu was the man for the job, but he rather joined forces within the party to rubbish all efforts made by Asiwaju and Oshiomole to market the candidate of the party to the electorates.
There is no further prove to show the leadership inadequacies of Buni than his management of the Edo guber election. It was not only an indictment on his competence but an urgent call to rejig the party and position it into the trusted hands of leaders who can lead it into victory and not battles especially as political scheming for 2023 sets tune.
The party hierarchy must realise that if Buni couldn’t manage the interests of political gladiators in Edo state then he wont be able to manage the various interests going into 2023 general election.
The All Progressive Congress has to purge itself of leaders like Buni and set its path on the way of unity by setting merchinaries in motion to conduct a credible election to elect leaders that can drive the agenda of the party and not their selfish interest because millions look for war to APC as the hope of the nation.
The Buni led caretaker committee must be shown the way out immediately if the party must be able to move forward or else we all watch it fade away.
The party must convene an extraordinary convention to pick new leaders who will unite the party and place party supremacy above personal interests. The Buni led caretaker committee do not deserve an elongation on its tenure else the party will be in a deeper mess going into 2023. Time is thickening.
Muhammad Abbas
