Envy Not INEC …Beyond APC Registration

L-R: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Nurudeen Mohammed; Minister of Water Resources, Mrs Sarah Ochekpe and Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, at the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja last Wednesday

Nigeria’s ultimate electoral umpire, Prof Attahiru Jega might have had the most peaceful sleep, last week Wednesday, July 31, 2013. It was the day the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) shed the dangerous bone in its throat­-the All Progressive Congress (APC), a merger of three opposition political parties. They are the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP and the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC.
Since June 12, when, the interim leadership of the merging parties submitted its request to shed their previous identities and merge into a single party, APC, there had been all colours of suspicion, intrigues, threats, false or true alarms, hope and fears. And when on July 1, 2013, INEC eventually replied the new party leadership with a request for more documents the rumour mill went hay wire, not to forget threats of public protests.
First accusation was that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP was scared stiff of the emerging APC that it was influencing the INEC to deny it registration. It was even more so, when another political association also seeking registration, the African Peoples Congress (APC) challenged the intended registration of the All Progressive Congress (APC). The questions were: Should the merger be denied because the acronym APC sounds like the association also seeking registration? Should INEC refuse an APC merger when the three parties involved, ACN, ANPP and CPC were already full-fledged registered parties, in preference for an APC still awaiting registration.
Morally, the answers were clearly in favour of the merging APC but legally, there still were issues awaiting interpretation before a court of competent jurisdiction. It was in the middle of that, APC was registered last Wednesday by INEC amidst loud commendation for INEC by members of the merger.
Expectedly, INEC has in the past few days enjoyed the most opposition approval and praise. Infact, key opposition politicians like leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and former Lagos State Governor Bola Timibu, CPC leader Major-General Muhammadu Buhari and indeed the Progressive Governors Forum poured encomiums on INEC in ways never seen since 1999, with many describing it as responsible, unbiased and indeed patriotic.
Unfortunately, these are words that shift as quickly and often as Nigeria’s political pendulum, depending on which party or individual is at the receiving end. Infact, here in Nigeria a politician sees a political umpire as unbiased only when the outcome is favourable and biased when the opposite is fact.
In his re-election bid as Governor of Edo State, last year, Adams Oshiomhole virtually blackmailed both President Goodluck Jonathan and INEC to win. In weeks leading to the election, Oshiomhole sang Jonathan’s praise for his contribution to democracy by breaking away with the past, when, incumbent Presidents did everything to wrest power from opposition party-ruled states.
In near frequent public rallies Oshiomhole told the Edo electorate that Jonathan had assured Nigerians, and he believed him that the people’s vote would count. In same manner, he lavished encomiums on Jega, INEC chairman, describing him as a man of integrity, impartial umpire and indeed rare nationalist.
Even so, Oshiomhole did not take chances and caused early results to be announced even while, still praising the INEC and President Jonathan, and vilifying the ruling PDP to such extents that painted the picture that President Jonathan belonged to another party other than the ruling PDP.
When the elections ended and Oshiomhole was declared winner, he expressed total faith in INEC and commended Jonathan for keeping his promise to deepen democracy. Not too long after, Oshiomhole became the comrade governor that found the duo of INEC and Jonathan as dangers to democracy, over perceived delay by INEC in registering APC.
What of Buhari? A man who, so sure that Nigerians needed him as their President in 2011, but suspicious of the same INEC and the ruling party, threatened bloodbath and afterwards describing INEC as a ministry in the ruling government, is today praising the same electoral umpire’s neutrality, for summoning the courage to register APC against perceived fears of and opposition to the project by the PDP.
One lesson that must be learnt of Nigerian politics is that politicians speak the truth when it is favourable especially if it concerns institutions like INEC, the Judiciary and the Press, and cry blue murder when the tide ebbs against them.
For instance, Nigeria’s judiciary tasted the most lavish of praises, Thursday, July 25, 2013 when an Abuja High Court restrained the ruling PDP from further proceeding to  conduct its planned special national convention slated for last Saturday August 3, 2013. The opposition described the judiciary as the last hope of the common man that seemed bent on checking the culture of impunity. It praised the courage of the court in standing for the truth and that way, helped to save the nation’s democracy.
Can anyone stop to imagine if an Abuja High Court had restrained INEC from registering APC the time it did? Would it not be blamed on PDP or the federal government?  Is it normal, judging by history of African leaders to expect judicial statements unfavourable to the ‘throne’? Bottomline is that whatever the judiciary does, someone must describe as either great and gruesome and fair judgment or miscarriage of justice. Just like INEC.
This is why INEC and APC should savour the moment while it lasts. APC is happy, and rightly so, that it had its way and sees INEC as unbiased. This should be permanent, in good times and bad times, for better for worse. But the only way to ensure that, is for the opposition to develop a positive integer, aware that the fight to unseat a party that has been in power since 1999, will surely require more than one and half years and more than three, not­ too-successful opposition parties, to wish away.
It is even more so, when viewed from the facts that even with the merger of the three parties, the APC’s political fortunes still do not match the PDP, the APC’s biggest gamble being, that some key members of the ruling party, particularly governors, Senators and members of the House of Representatives may jump ship. That remains to be seen but the facts are clear that to PDP, APC remains codine.
With merger of ACN, ANPP and CPC, APC now parades 10 governors, with one other on individual basis. They are Kashim Shettima, Borno (ANPP), Adams Oshiomhole, Edo (ACN), Kayode Fayemi, Ekiti (ACN) and Babatunde Raji Fashola, Lagos (ACN).
The others are Tanko Almakura, Nassarawa, (CPC), Ibikunle Amosun, Ogun (ACN), Rauf Aregbosola, Osun (ACN), Abiola Ajimobi, Oyo (ACN), Ibrahim Geidam, Yobe (ANPP) and Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari, Zamfara (ANPP) while, Rochas Okorocha, Imo State governor’s party, APGA’s total merger still remains shrouded in  intra-party confusion.
Sadly, in 1999, the PDP which controlled only 21 states, today has 23 states, the federal capital, Abuja and the Presidency. This means, rather than making necessary inquests, the opposition has lost grounds. The merger of the three dominant opposition (not sure CPC fits) parties, it must be stressed, does not and should not be expected to translate into automatic victory. This is why positive integer is necessary: One that does not expect too much, accepts any outcome no matter how modest and not the over-estimation, the APC seems to be enjoying.
APC can only become a true alternative to PDP with a truly progressive, clear-cut, different ideology that clearly convinces the electorate of its service agenda, far different from the known; shed tribal garbs, ensure party discipline and internal democracy at the same time, to ensure harmonisation of various interests and individual ambitions, wear a national toga and most importantly, be ready to face and address the dangers of a marriage of strange-bed fellows which the new party, has inadvertently become.
How progressive for instance, should say a Tofa be perceived by the new ensemble after publicly opposing what June 12, represents and calling it, history, a complete departure from the progressives’ viewpoint? What of Buhari whose only reason to remain in partisan politics seems the Presidency?  What of the like of Nuhu Ribadu who believes that the Presidency is the North’s in a merger, where, majority view must count, in this case, the ACN’s.  Or is the ACN of the view that it is incapable of producing a national figure, popular enough to become President of Nigeria? What of plans to address the interests of possible fresh comers from other parties, including PDP vis-a-vis, ambitions of other party members, who through thick and thin had waited patiently till July 31, 2013 to actualise their dreams?
These are not very easy problems that can be solved in a year and half, and still remain strong enough to unsit a ruling party. But this is Nigeria where anything can happen.
My Agony is that the tune may change, from Great INEC to Biased INEC, Wonderful Judiciary to Corrupt Judiciary, and Patriotic Media to Partisan Press, if by 2015, after all the parties have rigged, (In Nigeria, none is innocent) and INEC gives judgment in disfavour of the opposition.
My prayer is that what the Lord has done for INEC…..should be permanent, so, an APC Praise shall endure.