APC Nat’l Convention C’tee & The Colour Of Democracy

Yesterday, the ruling All Progressives Congress unveiled its new website and new social media handles.

Interestingly, the first news carried by the website is the news on the constitution of a national convention planning committee as released by the outgoing National Working Committee of the Party.

The Convention Planning Committee which has His Excellency, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru as Chairman and His Excellency Rotimi Akeredolu as Vice-Chairman also has Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu of Imo State as Secretary of the all-important committee.

Governors elected under the Party’s platform from across different geo-political zones of the country also made the cut, while serving and former national and State legislators, governors, ministers and top ranking politicians who are committed members of the Party are also included in the central planning committee of the Party.

APC support groups, women, youths and the physically challenged also got their due representations in the committee.

While some lay politicians have gone to pubs to break many green bottles in celebration of the inclusion of their ‘men’ in the committee, the reality is that while becoming a member of such committee is good for the CV of any politician, it does not really confer any special rights or privileges on such a politician.

No matter, the role you are billed to play in the committee, you are merely a servant of the Party and its members.

Those who celebrate the inclusion of some politicians they believe as sympathetic to their causes are either those who do not understand the workings of Party politics in a democracy or those who can only succeed, politically, through manipulation and fraudulent political practices.

What the APC has done however, is to show its clear intent of remaining formidably democratic and transparently, too.

Most of those who are celebrating the inclusion of Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu in the National Convention Planning Committee are those who are much more accustomed to the grim modus operandi of the Peoples Democratic Party, where inclusion into such committee and in such significant capacity means that a big chunk of the Party has been sold to you and you may now decide who gets what from the Party and who doesn’t.

This is not possible in the APC.

You are simply a worker for the party and you must align yourself with the wishes of majority of the party members or you will be shoved aside, as the party does not and should not condone any form of criminality and fraud.

The Party has shown its willingness to carry everyone along by accommodating all relevant stakeholders in the Party in the constitution of this committee.

It has as well cleared every doubt as regards its readiness to abide by its own rules and the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, by taking the first most important step towards choosing fresh leaders of the Party.

It is also commendable that the earlier attempt by some people within the Party to derail the Party from its founding vision has been put in check.

The APC been a product of radical progressivism and democratic activism would have failed itself had it not taken the most legitimate step in ensuring a democratic transition of power as enshrined in its own rule books.

It is left for it to ensure that the processes leading to the congress and convention are not hijacked by some dangerous moneybags who gate-crashed into the Party after it has won elections.

As the only serving Senator from the Southeastern part of Nigeria elected under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu can be deemed very fortunate, as he has no one to compete with.

Uwajumogu’s position in the committee is the position reserved for a senator of the Party from the Southeast zone of the country.

Had there been another Senator of the Party from the Southeast, it is very unlikely that Senator Uwajumogu will be holding this position today.

The Umuihi born former Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly also has Governor Rochas Okorocha to thank for helping him to such an enviable position.

Whatever position Senator Uwajumogu gets today as a Senator would not have come, if Owelle Rochas Okorocha did not put everything into work to ensure his emergence as a Senator of the Federal Republic.

The present position he occupies in the Party’s Convention Planning Committee is also to the credit of Owelle Rochas Okorocha.

Senator Ben Uwajumogu may deceive himself all he wants, but he cannot deny the fact that without Owelle Rochas Okorocha, his presently blossoming political career at the national level would have been a mirage.

His emergence as the APC Senatorial candidate in 2014 would not have been possible if Owelle had stood against it. The story of how the senatorial rerun election happened in Okigwe is still very fresh in the minds of most of us.

Even though, Senator Uwajumogu has chosen to tell himself lies, Owelle does not regret assisting him to get to the position he presently holds.

The John Odigie Oyegun led NWC must be commended for re-strengthening the confidence of most Party members on its readiness to conduct transparent congresses that would culminate in the convocation of a national convention, however, it must guard against the tendencies of some black legs within the Party, especially at the highest echelon of the Party who are hell bent on derailing the Party’s vision of entrenching a democratic and progressive system in the country through transparent electoral processes.

The same people who tried to ensnare the Party into a serious political suicide by illegally elongating the tenure of present officers of the Party are certainly not resting yet on their oars.

They will stop at nothing to ensure that the Party is reasonably weakened before the general elections.

The fairness and transparency of the recently constituted national convention planning committee and other committees that will see to the conduct of the congresses and convention of the Party will go a long way in determining the fate of the Party in the coming 2019 elections.

It is important to note that the major function of a convention planning committee is to lay out modalities for the conduct of a transparent convention and not to determine those who will emerge through that process.

A convention planning committee is not too different from an organizing committee set up to coordinate a ceremony like say, a wedding reception.

The members of this committee are servants who take the necessary steps to ensure that everything works according to the desires of the bride, groom and their families.

Just like a wedding reception organizing committee cannot have any influence on whom the groom chooses as his bride, the national convention committee cannot have the slightest influence on who emerges as an officer of the Party at any level.

It is impossible for the fate of over twenty million members of the APC across Nigeria to be left totally in the hands of less than two hundred people.

These millions of our Party members are the ones who will eventually decide on who becomes what in the Party through their votes.

From ward to local government, to State and finally at the national convention, the choices of the majority of our Party members shall ride the day.

Those who are hinging their hopes on manipulating delegates list and maybe buying off some officials of the Party to smuggle in fake names into the Party will be sorely disappointed.

Officials of the Party who will be unfortunate enough to allow themselves to be used to carry out any fraud in the Party’s electoral processes, will surely have themselves to blame, because, this Party founded on the principles of fairness, transparency and accountability cannot allow its reputation to be soiled by corrupt and perpetual election riggers and impostors.

Party members who are interested in vying for any elective position are advised to start reaching out to fellow Party members to advertise themselves and their programs for the Party to these Party members, because these Party members are the real owners of the Party, and the kingmakers who will decide who will get what and who won’t get anything from the Party.

In Imo State for instance, a group of black legs within the Party who are most likely, moles planted by the opposition to destabilize the Party are always in Abuja going from one Party official to the other seeking for easy way out, while Governor Okorocha and Ugwumba Uche Nwosu have stayed back home, harmonizing interests with Party members and reaching out to grassroots leaders and members of the Party on the need to keep the Party strong.

By the time, these men carry the day in the coming congresses, as expected, some people will cry wolf where there is no dog.

The colour of democracy is the people, and if you must win election you must stay close to the people, get involved in programs and policies that are beneficial to the people and work assiduously to protect the interest of the people.

It is the height of insult to make the millions of Imo APC members, especially, at the grassroots level to see themselves as irrelevant to your goals by throwing out the drums to celebrate the emergence of someone as the secretary of a committee, as if that is all you need to have your way in the Party.

Governor Okorocha and Ugwumba Uche Nwosu hinge their political hopes on the ordinary people, because they know that that is where the power lies.

To them, it does not matter who is the chairman of even the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as long as they have the people with them, anyone can be anything, but the people will vote and stand to defend their votes.

Let me sign off on this by declaring with every confidence that: Owelle Rochas Okorocha is the shepherd of the APC flock in Imo State. He knows his sheep and his sheep are happy with him, they hear his voice and they come to him whenever he calls them.

The group of black legs in the APC may continue to sleep in the APC national headquarters in Abuja or even set up tent in Aso Rock villa, what is sure is that Imo State election will be held in Imo State and that is where Ugwumba Uche Nwosu has set up his own tent.

Those in Abuja may go ahead and contest election in Abuja, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu is running for governorship of Imo State and he is sticking very closely to the people of Imo State.

Imo is moving forward…

By Onwuasoanya FCC Jones