Of the thirty six (36) states chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) billed to be inaugurated on the February, 4th by the Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Committee Chairman and Yobe state Governor, Mai Mala Buni, only thirty four (34) were inaugurated, the remaining two, due to court litigations were put on hold. Out of the thirty four, Isaac Omodewu, former Commissioner and the elected,though disputed Chairman of Oyo state APC was among those sworn in. By that single act, members opposed to his emergence contend that the doors of reconciliation and compromise seem permanently shut.
In a way, the protracted silence among critical stakeholders who felt shortchanged by the disputed congress of October 30, 2021 is believed to be pregnant with meaning. That continuous silence for example may further implies a calculated attempt and behind the vein plots and permutations that may further frustrate the needed peace, unity and stability of the party which obviously appears to have given the ruling People’s Democratic Party in the state, a one leg up in the next election.
In a sense, the crisis rocking Oyo APC from a macroscopic standpoint is a reflection of the party National mess. States like neighboring Osun, Ogun, Kwara to name just three are mired in leadership tussle. The Aregbesola and Oyetola factions are still at loggerhead while that of Lai Muhammed and Governor Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman are on each other’s throats in Kwara. Added to this is the Amosun and Dapo Abiodun war of attrition. In the past, analysts are quick to say the crisis is a family matter but now, it’s a full blown war that have deified all manner of interventions.
Not quite surprisingly, the cosmetic National Reconciliation committee set up to wade into the rows and bring warring factions under one roof could not even stem the tide of the internal bickering rocking the party across the state of the federation. In fact, the committee report shows a party in existential crisis whose survival now looks bleaker than at any other time in its entire history.
And with the inauguration of the state chairmen, it seems the crisis is far from over. To take one of the crucial issue that may make or mar the chances of the party in the next election, it helps to look at the state of the party unity. The issue of disunity in Oyo state is not anew. As a matter of fact, the party has been alternating between peace and internal wrangling even when the party was at the helms of affairs in the state. For instance, the protracted gulf war between members loyal to the immediate past Governor of the state, late Senator Isiaka Ajimobi and those opposed his leadership style dearly cost the party last election in the state. Plus if care is not taken, that same scenario which strategically played into the hands of Governor Seyi Makinde may still play out in the next election.
For example, my article on the 13th of November, 2021 titled “In Oyo APC: It’s Progressives and Conservatives, I point out that “ since the disputed congress of October, 30, 2020, the various stakeholder meetings that followed have found the party balkanized, polarized and factionalized. And that, the outcome of the congress “has continue to cripple the party’s support base while stifling its relative political advantage”. But now that the party chairman has been inaugurated, the discord and disunity seem to have deepened more than it was compare to when the hope for a reconciliation and peace initiative was still much alive.
Likewise on the 5th of November, 2021 in an article titled “Oyo APC Crisis: What’s New, What’s News and What’s Next?”, I posited that “it is undemocratic for a tiny minority to decide and dictate who becomes the party chairman at the detriment of the large majority and that such move is tearing apart the opposition party in the state.
How APC will resolve its self-inflicted intra-party dispute remains unclear. But in the light of that inauguration, what’s clear however is what will follow the party’s inability to put its house in order. To put its house in order, the various gladiators in the party would have to place the interest of the party above theirs and work for the progress of the party instead of their own self-driven ambitions and aspirations.
Though the ruling PDP in the state still enjoys relative peace as opposed to what it may wants the public to believe; by all indications, it seems the party is demonstrating its ability in managing various disparate interests and that it can still ensure all hands are on deck for the overall interest of the party. In essence, the inauguration of Honorable Isaac Omodewu means two things for the re-election of Governor Seyi Makinde.
First off, if all bigwigs in APC decide to work hands in glove with the new party chairman, it means the Governor will have to work harder and ensure his party is united more than before. It would simply implies that the next poll will be a tight and tough race that will be hard to call. Although, the likelihood of those party gladiators working in the interest of the party is slim and improbable, there is still glimmer of hope that things can pan out in the party.
But should the loggerhead in APC persist till the next poll, Governor Seyi Makinde can as well sleep with his two eyes closed as election will automatically swing in his favor. Like the saying, a house divided against itself can not stand. For APC leaders in the state, the earlier they realized this simple ancient truism, the better.
OYO101, Muftau Gbadegesin’s opinion on issues affecting Oyo State, is published on Saturdays. He can be reached via muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com and 09065176850.
