Could This Be The End Of APC And PDP? -By Raymond Yehovah

On June 10, 2022, after the initial silence that followed his defeat at the All People’s Congress presidential primaries, vice-president Yemi Osinbajo while speaking in Abuja at the campaign office of The Progressive Project(TPP), a coalition of support groups that aided his presidential ambition, offered these words:

“…what is new is that we have a firm belief that a new Nigeria is possible and it is possible through us who are here.”

He added, “we went to the convention, and the results showed us clearly that we lost, but it is only a battle, it is not the war. There are battles ahead, but we will win the war for a new Nigeria. I have no doubts in my mind that we will win the war for a new Nigeria…I am committed and will remain committed to that dream(of a new Nigeria),… As a matter of fact, the story has just begun, this movement has just started.”

The Vice President further said, “once the genie comes out of the bottle you cannot put it back. The word has been spoken; it cannot be taken back: it is time for a new Nigeria.”

Now, what makes a man who just lost his chance of becoming his party’s flag bearer, with it the opportunity to effect his agenda to achieve a new Nigeria, to suddenly appear after a period of silence to speak with such certitude?

First let’s analyze his speech.

Points:

The TPP is a coalition of support groups that aided the Vice President for the presidency. The question is, if the VP already lost his chance at the presidency, having lost the APC presidential ticket, why does he make the following statements to the TPP:

“A new Nigeria is possible and it is possible with us who are here…”This seems like an ordinary motivational statement until you read these excerpts below and ponder over them keenly:

“…as a matter of fact the story has just begun, this movement has just started…

“There are battles head, but we will win the war for a new Nigeria. I have no doubt in my mind that we will win the war for a new Nigeria,” he said.

And then, with prophetic confidence, he seals his belief with this parable:“…once the genie comes out of the bottle you cannot put it back. The word has been spoken; it cannot be taken back: the time for a new Nigeria has come.”

Amazing! Did you notice that he didn’t make this last statement in the future tense? He spoke in the present tense. That is to say: his agenda for a new Nigeria is now! This implies that Osinbajo wasn’t making a speech to his core supporters, the TPP, to keep their dream burning long term. He was preparing them for the struggle to achieve the dream now!

Once again, I ask, how does a person who has lost his chance to become the presidential flag bearer of his party, and the opportunity to achieve his dream of a new Nigeria as president, look his supporters in the face and declare: our time is now! We have lost this battle but we will win the war!

What battle and war was Osinbajo referring to? It’s simple: the battle is the APC primaries; the war is the 2023 presidential elections. So, Osinbajo clearly told his supporters that although they lost the APC primaries, they will win the 2023presidential election. Interesting!

In this light, I’d say that Osinbajo’s congratulatory message, to Mr Tinubu, president Buhari and his party was made in the spirit of sportsmanship, and not a concession of his presidential ambition and new Nigeria dream.

You see, if there is one thing Osinbajo has proven in his political career so far, it is that he is unpredictable and swear his allegiance to himself, his goals and the wishes of his core supporters. As a matter of fact, not many expected the erudite, soft spoken professor of law to run against Mr. Tinubu; some even swore he’d never run against the man who introduced him to politics, but after a long silence, Osinbajo did. Similarly, not many can imagine Osinbajo dumping the APC to seek his new Nigerian dream elsewhere, but what if he does? He has not only told us in that speech, he actually has prophesied that he will become the president of Nigeria to build a new Nigeria. Maybe we just weren’t listening well enough.

Surprisingly, very recently, news broke about a likely VP Osinbajo/Kwankwaso ticket. I read and was smiling to myself and thinking: where else would Osinbajo decamp to if not the New Nigeria People’s Congress. Which party aligns best with his agenda of a New Nigeria? It could be somewhere else who knows.

It is not news that there was an outright surge in the ‘Obi-dient movement’ the moment Osinbajo lost the APC presidential ticket. Many saw the emergence of Mr. Tinubu and PDP’s Atiku as a rotation of the old guards to ensure that the norm in the corridor of power remained the status quo, and were squaring up for a showdown with the ‘Obi-dient movement’. If the VP moves to join the NPPC, the chances of a ‘third force’ as it is now popularly called, to clinch the presidential ticket will sour to high heavens.

Could this be the end of APC and PDP? Are the Nigerian youths about to take back their country and retire the old guards? Only time will tell.