APC’s Search For Consensus Is Coming Too Late -By Babatunde Qodri

When Abdullahi Adamu was made the Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, it was interesting at the beginning until President Buhari singularly anointed Adamu to become a consensus candidate among other contestants. The bad side of this, should Buhari repeat the same tomorrow, is that candidates would be forced to forgo their 100million used to procure nomination foms. This amounts to unfairness.

The presidential primary is a day to go. The APC’s search for consensus candidate might not be feasible. Even with what is happening in the ruling party, one would not think that the primary would be a very tough contest. In fact, there is a messianic tendency that the outcome would be filled with petition upon petition against whoever emerges their flag bearer. The problem is even beyond zoning. It now boils down on hate, ungratefulness, power tussle and others. It’s game of number yet game of money. It would be similar to the openly dollarized primaries of opposition party primaries. We watch as events unfold.

For instance, people have contended that the ticket should be given to Bola Ahmed Tinubu whose huge bloc of the collision that gave birth to APC. Now that the president has identified with the clamour for Southern presidency, Tinubu seems to have bigger opportunity of becoming the flag bearer to challenge PDP Atiku.

We don’t need oracular evidence to under that the north wants to retain power in real terms, more reason they wanted to drag Jonathan into the race. Having seen Tinubu as the major trouble, the region intended to give the former president just for 4 years and get it back for another 8 years. This has been the core of the political permutations playing out in the party.

Tinubu has seen this coming. That’s why he revealed the hidden secret about how aided Buhari’s ascension to the presidency. This means that everyone in the northern region would see Tinubu as the major factor for their being in power.

If it’s about delegates, Tinubu has gathered the support of more delegates than other contentants have. The presidency has romanced President Buhari to impose a candidate and lure other candidates to step down through consensus. But what happened to Oshiomole may not happen to Tinubu as regards consensus. When Oshiomole was unconstitutionally removed, he was begged not to run to court in the interest of party unity.

As aspirants are to be in Abuja tomorrow, we await a lot of intrigues, one of which relates to the outcome of the meeting convened by Southern aspirants and how it will affect the convention. The stand of the president on the whole drama (don’t forget he hinted at choosing his successor the other time).

This means that there is no other means to dent Tinubu from going into the primary. The game is on!

My final take: The All Progressives Congress should make every candidate to go to a free and fair primary to produce her flag bearer. The money put down to purchase the from is staggering, and how would you expect a candidate to forgo the money? ‘If the party imposes on any candidate without the consent of others, there might be a problem for the party in the future. We must have an election that’s free of rancour and unfairness in order to unify and solidify the party.

Babatunde Qodri writes in from Ilorin. He can be reached via babatundelaitan@gmail.com