Alkali Dan Tsoho
The much-awaited APC National Convention to elect substantive officers to run the party since the forced exit of Adams Oshomhole in 2020 has come and gone and a former governor of Nasarrawa State, serving Senator, Abdullahi Adamu emerging as the new National Chairman through a contrived process called “Consensus.”
Ostensibly, it is believed to be a ploy to satisfy the yearnings of the nPDP bloc in the APC contraption. Alhaji Adamu was appointed Secretary of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the PDP during the time of President Umaru Yar’adua when Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was Chairman of the BOT.
The road to the successful hosting of the 2022 National Convention was tumultuous, acrimonious, and intriguing. From 2020 June to March 2022, the party was administered by a Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) whose Secretary was a prominent Akwa Ibom son, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, Ph.D.
Read also: I Remain APC CECPC National Secretary- Akpanudoedehe confirms
The dispute about the setting up of the CECPC is a matter for historical and judicial /legal analyses as there was no clearly defined relevance in the constitution of the party. It is believed by analysts that the presence of Apostle Akpanudoedehe in that committee affected the fortunes of the party in more positive than negative ways.
The question is, “will the exit of Akpanudoedehe from the National Secretariat of APC spell doom to the fortunes of APC in Akwa Ibom?” To what extent will the injuries he may have sustained in the imbroglio of the attempt to force him out as Secretary CECPC take a toll on his governorship ambition?
Back in 2006, Senator Akpanudoedehe, serving as Chairman, Governing Council of Federal College of Education, Potiskum, Yobe State formed alliance with Barrister Godswill Akpabio, then a Commissioner in the State Executive Council led by Arc. Victor B. Attah. The romance was fruitful and Godswill Akpabio recovered from his 2002 disappointment of not making it to the ballot as running mate to Governor Victor Attah at the 2003 general elections.
Thus Akpabio entered the ballot in 2007 and became elected Governor of Akwa Ibom State. Akpanudoedehe was nominated for ministerial position in the Federal Executive Council led by the late President Umaru Yar’adua. Owing to poor ego management the alliance broke down soon after the PDP 10th anniversary hosted in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State by Governor Godswill Akpabio. The aftermath was the abrupt exit of Akpanudoedehe from the FEC.
Akpanudoedehe sought to reinvent himself and found affinity in Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and became its flag bearer at the 2011 governorship election. It is that same ACN that became a fundamental contributor to the bridge across River Niger for General Muhammadu Buhari led Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) to clinch victory at the 2015 general election under the name All Progressives Congress (APC).
While Akpanudoedehe thought it fait accompli to fly the flag for APC in Akwa Ibom in 2015, his hopes were dashed by a combination of factors including betrayals. His former friend and co-conspirator in the 2006/2007 Godswill Akpabio PDP project, Mr. Umana OKon Umana, had fallen out with Akpabio and sought succour in the APC to fulfill his governorship ambition.
He was warmly accepted by the powers that be in the APC Abuja and Bourdillon, Lagos. Some have posited that it was the higher “political firepower” that Mr. Umana possessed at the time that favoured him. Senator Akpanudoedehe kicked, but his opposition was drowned. There were accusations that he didn’t actively support the party going into the 2015 election.
While still trying to recover from the trauma of 2015 , another new entrant into the APC , a former Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Sir Nsima Udo Ekere (KJW), serving as Managing Director of the regional intervention agency, NDDC, and a former co-conspirator in the 2006/2007 Godswill Akpabio PDP project, was being positioned for the 2019 election. To his chagrin, Ekere failing to heed all entreaties by Akpanudoedehe in remaining at NDDC but to sponsor him for the election fell on deaf ears. In exasperation, he failed to actively support the party at the 2019 election ostensibly because he saw it as a faster route that the fairly entrenched zoning/rotation political formula would favour him.
With the matters of the 2019 elections over at the various courts and tribunals, his appointment as Secretary of the CECPC threw at him an unprecedented opportunity to galvanise resources to pursue an ambition nursed while he was in the Senate 1999-2003. He used the office to his utmost best, almost oblivious of the hawks in the air. These are largely persons and personalities that were in conspiracy with him at one time or the other.
The entrance of Senator Abdullahi Adamu as APC National Chairman and Senator Iyiola Omisore as National Secretary APC may up the ante.
Recall Godswill Akpabio was Governor when Abdullahi Adamu was Secretary BOT of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and efforts were made by Obong Victor Attah to remove control of the party structures from Godswill Akpabio. They later met in the Senate as colleagues 2015-2019, for most of that time Akpabio was leader of PDP until third quarter 2018 when he jumped ship into APC. Akpabio is leading a group that got judgment to claim control of APC Akwa Ibom State.
Senator Ita Solomon Enang, the guru of Rules and Business of the Nigerian Legislature having been in that role for several years covering both Federal House of Representatives (1999-2011) and the Senate (2011-2015) and has canvassed for harmonization of party structures in Akwa Ibom APC had made presentation to the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led Reconciliation Committee that sat at Calabar. His position was appreciated by the Adamu panel. It is that same Abdullahi Adamu that is now elected as consensus National Chairman of APC.
It should be noted that Senator Ita Enang was colleague with Senator Abdullahi Adamu in the Senate 2011-2015. Enang is currently involved in the “The Progressive Project” TPP for the actualization of Osinbajo 2023. He is Coordinator for Akwa Ibom State working in concert with his former colleague in the Senate, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, a former NADECO activist.
Senator Iyiola Omisore, the new consensus elected National Secretary was in the Senate 2003-2011. While there he had served as Chairman, Appropriation Committee. He is now at the national secretariat and could easily be reached through the Lion of Bourdillon.
With Apostle Akpanudoedehe out of the National Secretariat, will the Abdullahi Adamu report see the light of day should Ita Enang, Godswill Akpabio, Umana Okon Umana, Nsima Ekere, Sam Ewang, choose to sing the harmonization tune? How about and other opposing elements in the party wanting to sing the tune? Should that happen, will Enang, Umana and Ewang throw their hats into the ring for the governorship ticket? Who will Akpabio back?
The end to the tale of allegation of forgery of documents related to the APC State Congress conducted by one Honorable Banki last year has not been heard. There remain the swaying ripples in Akwa Ibom APC. Should the Nigeria Police Intelligence Bureau conclude investigation a fresh twist could come in? Who will Bell the Cat? Time will tell!
