The APC should soon declare its policy on zoning. The general assumption is that the party will zone the position of the president to the North. This we hope is not absolutely correct in view of the fact that Rochas Okorocha is also interested in the position, or except of course if all his posturing and grandstanding are mere groundwork for 2019. Okorocha has not only expended state resources on the APC project, he is seemingly strongly committed and dedicated to its cause. He appears to be a good mobilizer, a self styled fantastic and trusted friend of the poor. If he is actually interested and he is schemed out of the race via an unfair zoning arrangement which eventually makes one of those who joined the party long after it was formed, the presidential candidate, this may lead to bad blood. The party cannot afford to expand the network of its antagonists at a time that some disenchanted former members of the party like Belgore of Kwara, Attahiru Bafarawa of Sokoto and Ibrahim Shekarau of Kano left the party to join the PDP. Going by feelers in the public space, most people who have sympathy and sentiments for the APC would prefer Buhari and Atiku playing the role of elder statesmen by withdrawing from the race and allowing the “new generation” to go for it, a development we all know is impossible as the gentlemen involved are not in the APC to become elderstatesmen. The first reason for this yearning by sympathisers is that the public seems to have become tired of recycled politicians especially Buhari who is a serial contestant for the presidential seat. Buhari is well respected and adored for his supposed discipline, candour and uprightness but his electoral chances/value had been on the decline with each defeat that he suffered at the polls. Concerning Atiku, he has no stigma or any character deficit thanks to his deep pockets and no thanks to the judiciary. However, for the fact that he has been in active public service most of his life, they want him to just be an elder statesman for the party. The second reason is that Nigerians seem to be tired of the gerontocratic generation. They want vibrant and dynamic young and enterprising politicians whose ideas of governance are of the sophisticated module. The world all over is changing the concept of governance by injecting fresh blood into its political system and assigning them higher responsibilities that will task them intellectually and morally. I do not subscribe to the view that a citizen’s inalienable right should be compromised because of age, colour, prejudice, bias, sentiments, race or religion. Both Buhari and Atiku are Nigerians like everyone of us and are therefore free to pursue their political ambition and engage in all kinds of legitimate activities which can help them to realize and fulfill their aspirations as will be the case. Why should they jettison their aspiration so that others can fulfill their own? This does not conform with any known logic nor does it agree with the rule of natural justice. Those who are tired of their faces have the option of not looking into their eyes or even paying attention to them. They can decide to express their hatred by not voting for them during the primaries. This is one of the reasons why the APC must thread softly on the selection issue. There is no doubt that the APC is now a popular party enjoying the support of most and sundry. The only fear people are expressing is about its lack of ideology and the process of selecting its candidates. The party should not under any circumstance contemplate using consensus to select its presidential candidate. The consequences may be very damaging and grave. Consensus in politics is a general agreement and understanding among party chieftains on the choice of candidates to be selected for certain elective offices instead of going through the rigours of primaries. This option is mostly preferred to primaries because it helps in reducing tension, acrimony, acerbity and conflict which primaries normally provoke. It may appear undemocratic but every party is at liberty to adopt a selection process for its candidates that will guarantee the stability of the party and cohesion among its members. In any situation where this system is adopted, all the candidates that are interested in certain elective offices must be carried along and treated with respect. The elders of the party must show compassion for the candidates’ aspirations. This is why consensus is all about persuasion not coercion, about compromise not oppression, negotiations not rejection, agreement not imposition and understanding not tenacity. Consensus is complex and complicated but not undesirable. The only problem with consensus is that it seems unjust when a man will have to fulfill his own political ambition at the expense of others’. Party elders, in their wisdom, opt for consensus when they have an agenda I.e powershift or because they know that some of the candidates are not serious contenders but only want to use their participation as leverage for negotiating for other positions. But because APC is a new party still battling for credibility and the citizens’ support, consensus may not be ideal for selecting its presidential candidate. Consensus may be applied or adopted at other levels if it is believed that primaries will throw the party into a state of anarchy and pandemonium. For instance, at the state level, consensus is not a bad idea because most of the party chieftains see the state as their own domain where they can wield some influence and appropriate some privileges to themselves. When you disallow them from influencing the choice of candidates who will rule the State, you are indirectly curbing their influence and rendering them unimportant politically. It is not fair to deny such major financiers of the party, the godfather status or diminish their political relevance, I agree that some of them abuse this privilege but asking them to exercise some discretion in the course of wielding this influence is more appealing and attractive than castrating them into impotency. However, in view of the fact that the whole world is waiting to see how the APC will pick its presidential candidate in view of its powershift to the north agenda, I think it is in the interest of the party to conduct open and transparent primaries for all its presidential aspirants in order not to engender its smokescreen credibility and jeopardize the popular support generated by the media and propoganda that gullible Nigerians are willing to give to it.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 11:13:35 +0000
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