By Yahaya Moh’d Usman (Kano)
The problem with most political parties in Nigeria is the refusal to follow their own constitution strictly, they are either forced by privileged or influential members to bend their own rules or the less privileged or less wealthy members in Key party positions bend the rules to suit the interest of privileged or wealthy members.
The case of APC Kano is just a typical example that has gained notoriety and public traction because the two contending groups are of almost equal forces on both sides, Shekarau a former Governor, Presidential aspirant, a Senator and some legislators on one side and the incumbent Governor on the other, Shekarau’s group is also lucky to have a court judgment in their favor, making their case watertight, not for that, the APC won’t even listen to them especially that the rebellion is against a Governor, no matter how germane, legitimate or legal their grouse is and irrespective of how reckless the Governor bends the party constitution against them. That is the way Parties are run in Nigeria.
The political parties only care to please privileged members.
This impunity is not limited to the APC, it happens in almost all parties including the PDP, recently the PDP Niger state Congress to elect new state executives was held down for over 17 Months within that period several caretakers were set up, just because former Governor Babangida Aliyu objected to a congress because he knows his preferred candidate will loose at a fair and free congress election, he connived with the now former Chairman, Uche Secondus, at some point Saraki too, joined them as Chairman of PDP National Reconciliation Committee to hold down the Party congress in the state for that long with a plot to install their most preferred candidate as state Party Chairman, with no regards, Saraki even asked the two candidates who purchased forms, cleared for contest over a year before, to step aside and let new persons come up for the Congress to hold, who does that? In whose interest? What about the interest of their supporters? Where is the party constitution? They don’t care! All they want is to muscle their way.
Niger PDP members stood their ground, congress was later slated against the wish of Saraki, Dr Babangida Aliyu and the members voted their preferred chairman.
Same in Kano PDP, between Senator Kwankwaso and other “non-Kwankwasiyya” PDP members, it’s a battle of wits raging.
In Edo State, the whole party structure was handed over to the Governor who fought against the PDP for almost 12 years, simply because he was coming in as a Governor, the constitution or interest of the hard working committed members was just left hanging, today it is a battle, it’s not very prominent in the news because the forces are not equal like in Kano but it is raging.
APC Niger state has an almost similar crisis like that of Kano, two groups, one supported by Governor Sani Bello is given all the Party support from the National body because he is Governor, while the other is left in coolers despite being committed members of the opposition even before Governor Bello dreamt of leaving PDP for the opposition APC, they bought forms to contest the party exco positions but were shut out against their own party constitution. They are in court. But the issues are not prominent in the news because the other group are ordinary party members not wealthy and not holding key positions in Government.
In Zamfara, Governor Mutawalle who by providence of Court became Governor under PDP is now in APC, party handed over to him, infact he is overseeing the “sharing of kano APC” to veteran APC members like Shekarau and Ganduje. He is also fighting the PDP in his state including his Deputy who has chosen to remain in the PDP.
Several instances abound, the political party system can only be strengthened by the electoral act, making laws stringent and tough, but as could be seen, even the National Assembly is now a “rubber stamp” pandering to the whims of the Presidency instead of Nigerians.
The Judiciary should now step up to save the nation, in so far as leaders will emerge through political parties, parties should be made to obey their own constitution to the latter.
The parties should be whipped into line especially when they break their own laws, INEC is compromised beyond the parties, only the Judiciary can do that and save the nation for now. They did it for the Niger State PDP. They can do more.
Yahaya Moh’d Usman,
Twitter: @boyemdee
