APC, Buhari and the National Assembly Challenge

Eighty four days after the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s All Progressives Congress, APC, government,

Nigerians have continued to clamour for the actualisation of the much promised change by the party despite the crises rocking its leadership.

Although, two and half month might be too short to assess a government that has four years to spend, but the steps so far taking by the party in the election of leaders to run the affairs of the National Assembly leaves much to be desired. 

A major crisis blew open in the APC when its members openly disobey the party by aligning with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as senate president while in the House of Representatives; Yakubu Dogara became the speaker as against Femi Gbajabiamila, the preferred choice of the APC.

Political analysts are of the view that what transpired in the National Assembly was the height of desperation of individuals and a big blow to the APC which might eventually prevent the party from achieving much while in government and dash the hope of Nigerians for change.

They saw the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as the senate president as not only an embarrassment to the party that produced him but an action that could spell doom for the nation which calls for urgent attention at least for the sake of our younger generations and the yet unborn ones because what it connote is that you can get whatever you desire not minding due process or integrity, particularly in Nigeria of today where our youths are material conscious and we are trying hard to change the trend. The development is capable of sending a wrong signal that the utmost is getting materials and how it is gotten is immaterial .

Imagine a number three citizen of this great nation to say he was at the National Assembly at odd time, simply because he was not interested in obeying the instruction of the party that assisted him to win kwara state despite poor rating of his person. It is instructive to note that it was Buhari’s sunami that help him won the senate election and other elections in the kwara state and not the poor governance melted on the people of kwara, to me that is the highest level of insincerity and disloyalty. It is absolutely condemnable. 

Indeed, what should Nigerians expect from a party that could not put its house in order? From what has transpired on the floor of the National Assembly so far, Nigerians should not expect much from the APC government, with people that dined and wined with PDP for 16years and later destroyed, who are now at the head of the National Assembly.

But the despondent won’t last long as the PDP would soon be back in power.

Already, the party cannot be washed away in the National Assembly now while the five PDP governors that left to team up with the APC would soon find their way back to the party.

Although, Selfish interest among politicians has made so rampant that they defect from political party to the other in pursuant of nothing but their personal agendas which doesn’t comfort with international best practice, but has our democratic culture takes firm root, it is expected that ideology rather than personal interest would define the behavior of politicians.

Individual members must be ready to bury or forfeit his or her interest for that of the party and ensure that at the end of the day, the result becomes and shared victory or loss as the case may be. Unfortunately, we have seen a situation where the interest of an individual over-rides that of his party. Where the party which successfully produced the President, majority of state governors, majority of members of National Assembly as well as other elected seat was ganged up against by its minority members and relegated it to the lowest repute thereby constituting the leadership of the National Assembly in connivance with members of the opposition party.

From what has happened in the National Assembly, it is laughable, if the president would be able to perform effectively working with such a senate president.  

Without mincing words, it is obvious that the action and inactions that eventually led to the emergence of the leaders of the National Assembly most especially that of the senate president lacks patriotism.

While former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan would have love to continue as the nation’s president, which was his personal interest, but the interest of the electorates which we can call national interest is for the government to change. Therefore, the interest of the people (national interest) superseded that of Goodluck Jonathan (personal interest) and he quickly threw in the towel.

As our democracy advances, our hope is that party politics and party supremacy would be the overridden principles that would guide the behaviours and action of members. In that case, members should see the interest of his or her political party which was instrumental to his or her victory first as above his or her own personal interest. Party loyalty should never be compromised for any reasons.

Awoyale, a PDP Chieftain and President-General of Orisun Igbomina, a socio-cultural group in Kwara State.

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FROM COMRADE DAVID BUSAYO

07064664519

Budav4fem@gmail.com