MORE than one and half years after the general election in the country, the All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders in the South-West have just taken stock of the gains, challenges and proposed a new roadmap for engagements, KUNLE ODEREMI examines the prospects of the new thinking among the leaders on synergy and collaboration vis-a-vis some subdued issues.
PERHAPS, the October 5 South-West Assembly of the All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders could not have come at a better time. Convened by the governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu who doubles as the chairman of the South-West governors, it came more than a year after the zone saw one of its own assumed office as President of the country. Since the 2023 general election was concluded, it was the first time the APC South-West leaders met to take stock, appraise the programmes and policies of the administration of President Bola Tinubu and ventilate their findings on the pulse of the people. So, delegates at the stakeholders, among others, included elders and leaders of thought of the APC from the zone, serving and past governors, national and state executives, serving and former members of the National and State houses of Assembly, serving and former ministers. Most of the germane issues relating to the state of affairs in the ruling party generally that had hitherto been discussed in hushed tones, so as not to rock the boat, were openly ventilated by the party stalwarts. The issues comprised the place of internal democracy, inclusiveness in the scheme of things, patronage of party members who contributed in baking the proverbial cake, lack of consultation, engagement and meetings of the organs of the party at all levels, coupled with the imperial mentality of a few party buffs privileged to hold exalted elective and appointive public offices as a result of the APC forming government at the centre and state levels. These and many other grey areas, which the leaders and other delegates highlighted in separate views, they said need to be looked into in order to put the APC on a sound pedestal and for the party to consolidate its impressive outing in the last presidential election, coupled with the importance of a base to a political leader like the President of the country. Therefore, all the APC leaders and chieftains that addressed thousands of delegates that converged on the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, agreed that there has to be improved engagements at all levels to bridge the yawning gap. The preponderance of the leaders that analysed the state of affairs in the South-West APC said the current crevices evident in the walls of the party was due to the lack of meetings, engagements and consultations involving all party faithful from the federal, zonal, state, local and ward levels. Accordingly, one of the key resolutions of the Assembly was the imperative of reviving and reinvigourating the structures of the party through consistent meetings and frank engagements. “There should be regular meetings of party structures at all levels, in particular, The South-West Assembly must meet at least on quarterly basis and that the meeting must be sustained. There must be a regular and continuous interface between elected and appointed officials of the government from the zone and the party structures,” the communiqué of the Assembly emphasised. He chastised the national and zonal leaderships of the party for not convening regular meetings to tackle crucial issues concerning the APC and governance. He said such meetings would also serve as the veritable avenue to address the existent mutual suspicion and tension across the board, as well as serve as the veritable avenues for those occupying elective and appointed offices to render account of their stewardship, receive feedback on government programmes and policies. For instance, the pioneer national chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande underscored the significance of regular and well-structured meetings to showcase the activities, plans and achievements of the government. He was of the view that failure to hold such gatherings had allowed a sustained campaign of propaganda by the opposition parties aimed at discrediting the APC-led federal administration. Akande was curious that the APC leadership at the national level and in the South-West has not convened meetings in the past one year , where the leaders could brainstorm and further boost the bond and the sense of belonging among the party members at all levels. The former civilian governor of Osun State also expressed worry over the inability of the party to carry out membership registration, given the importance of the exercise.
A former governor of Ogun State and APC leader, Chief Segun Osoba corroborated the position of Akande, as he strongly underlined the necessity for regular meetings of the party structures, recalling that such engagement remarkably signposted the tenure of Chief Bisi Akande as the pioneer national chairman of the party. He reminded the present set of party chieftains that there were different platforms for the meetings among all stakeholders, including members of the National Assembly, among other organs, then. While emphasising the need to reinvigorate the unity and harmony among the party members, the former governor said the opposition was still campaigning as if the 2923 general election had not been held and won by the APC. Therefore, the renowned journalist called on the party faithful to remain resolute and firm in mobilising the electorate for the party in the coming governorship election in Ondo State.
Also speaking, another leader of thought of the party, Alhaji Tajudeen Olusi, reminded the governors, lawmakers and other categories of public officials holding offices courtesy of the victory of the APC at the poll, as well as party executives that the failure to ensure regular meetings was a disservice to the APC and established tradition and culture of the progressive political bloc in the South-West. He denounced the disdain for internal democracy by certain elements at the stage of determining candidates for elections, saying candidates ought to be decided by the stakeholders in the community and not through sheer endorsement by an individual based on his status in the party. He noted that the absence of regular meetings in APC at all levels has led to a complete disconnect between those in government and the party, as well as a majority of the party members. Reminiscing on the past, Olusi stated:”I was in the National Assembly before and I blew grammar there. It was in the days of (Chief Obafemi) Awolowo. Alhaji Lam Adesina was our secretary. I was the deputy secretary. Party would give you guidance. We don’t do it now. We should start doing it. I was national vice chairman, South-West after Senator Ayo Fasanmi. We were holding meetings. It is not governor that carries the load of the party. It is the party. You cannot be governor without the party. I suggest that we should have a committee to organise meetings.”
For the APC zonal chairman, Isaac Kekemeke, the forum served as an opportunity to reflect on core problems hampering the zonal structure of the party. He acknowledged the imperative of regular engagements and interactions among party members for the party to run seamlessly. “I am of the humble view that there is a need for periodic interface and interaction between elected and appointed officials from the zone and their party managers to ensure constant interrogation of issues of governance and party management as they affect the zone. To make this easy, South-West caucuses of the party are suggested for the National Assembly and appointed Federal Government officials,” he stated. He decried that the APC does not have a “zonal secretariat or office hence it needs “a befitting zonal secretariat, sufficiently equipped to gather data, document, analyse and input the same for proper critical thinking and strategic actions for the work. The zonal secretariat and zonal officers need logistic support to be functional,” he added.
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State disclosed that he and his colleagues had agreed to hold regular meetings, just as he made a case for sustained involvement and integration of the youth in the scheme of things. His Ogun State counterpart, Prince Dapo Abiodun, who described President Bola Tinubu as “the gift of our time,” also charged the APC stakeholders to replicate the meeting at all levels to further strengthen the APC. He equally stressed the need to further boost the inclusiveness of women in political engagements.
The guest speaker and former governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi said the zonal APC bears the burden of raising the bar in resetting the needle because of the trajectory of the South-West in the progressive fraternity. Thus, he wants the South West to set the example by committing ourselves to ensuring that every year, the zonal party convenes a policy conference to review the progress the zone has made in carrying out its programmes and recalibrating the objectives and strategy in accordance with changing needs and circumstances. He lauded the existence of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission as formidable resources for policy advice and the promotion of baseline standards in the management of the states. He said similar platforms for the speakers of state Houses of Assembly and chairmen of local government councils in the South-West should become active fora for consultation, coordination, and harmonisation. Fayemi advocated platforms for the speakers of state Houses of Assembly and chairmen of local government councils as active fora for consultation, coordination, and harmonisation. “An active caucus between our leaders in the party’s national secretariat and the zones, the National Assembly, and key actors in the Presidency should be activated and formalised to ensure that the party and its officials in the executive and legislative arms of government work in concert,” he said. According to Fayemi, the party members must commit and, as needed, recommit themselves to assisting President Tinubu in realizing the ideals of his Renewed Agenda. But to facilitate the pursuit of the goal, Fayemi reinforced the necessity for APC faithful to continue to nurture internal party democracy within the boundaries of civil contestation of ideas, robust debates around policy alternatives, and responsible dissent. “In this connection, we must work with our elected officials from the ward to the national level to ensure that our members are actively socialised into our vision, principles, programmes, and policies. Mechanisms for strengthening the resource base and rewards system of the party should be improved upon so that elected officials, employees, volunteers, and members who service our various structures are able to carry out their work with predictability, integrity, and consistency and not reduced to supplicants at the tables of political appointees. He added that “invigorating the elected party structures will also involve a much closer attention to our programmes and policies.” He said the President and members of the executive branch of government must also create avenues to listen more to feedback from the grassroots and provide vehicles for party members to ventilate well-considered concerns about policies and programmes.
The presence of the APC national secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru at the crucial meeting could be underscored, judging by the complaints of the party chieftains for lack of regular meetings of the party structures at all levels. He shared the views of the other leaders on the necessity for such meetings, even he disclosed that the party was working assiduously to win Osun and Oyo states in the subsequent governorship elections. “We should be meeting and mobilising regularly to showcase the achievements of our president and governors. Our opponents are spending a huge amount of money to tarnish the inage of our party. We need to update our party register. We need to make use of the APC Progressive Institute set up to enlighten our members on political mobilization,” he added.
However, the Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele said there is synergy in the National Assembly across party lines. He spoke of a seamless harmony among members of the National Assembly from the South-West regardless of political affiliations, a collaboration, which he said facilitated the passage of the South West Development Commission bill. He declared: “One of the major achievements of our Caucus is the successful passage of the South West Development Commission Bill. This was not just a necessity but a matter of equity, as other regions have similar commissions in place. I want to particularly appreciate every member of the South West National Assembly, regardless of party affiliation, for working together to ensure this bill’s passage in the Senate. We now await concurrence from the House of Representatives. We recognise that our success is not limited to members of the APC alone. Our colleagues from other political parties have been just as committed to the success of our region. This bill, and many others, reminds us that when it comes to the development of our people, there is no room for division. We must continue to work together to achieve more,” President Bola Tinubu said attendance at the Lagos meeting showed the importance attached to the cooperation among APC stakeholders in the South-West and promised to be available in the next one even he advocated such meeting should hold at least three times in a year.
Bamidele noted that the gathering was not just symbolic because it marked the first time all the APC stakeholders met after the inauguration of President Tinubu, governors and members of the 10th National and state Houses of Assembly. The lawmaker admonished the party faithful to prioritise regular meetings as canvassed for by the other speakers in the quest to avoid schism. His words: “As we celebrate our achievements, it is clear that we must meet more regularly. This gathering should not be a one-off; I recommend that we institutionalize this platform for regular interaction between APC stakeholders at both the legislative and executive levels. Such meetings will strengthen our unity and help us align our goals for the good of the region and the country.”
The party leaders resolved to set up a high-powered committee to regularly “evaluate the party activities in the region, to ensure the administration’s promises to the people are kept.” Details of the committee are still being awaited. In the interim, the leaders have promised to replicate the stakeholders assembly at all levels so that APC faithful can further internalise the ideals the party stands for, promote inclusiveness and sustain the culture of party discipline. But poignantly, the leaders are resolved to rally support for President Tinubu ahead the 2027 presidency, with the president, through his Chief of Staff, Honourable Femi Agbajabiamila, pledging that Tinubu will implement all the decisions reached by the South-West APC leaders and attend subsequent meetings, which he suggested should be convened at least three times a year.
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