By Jude Opara

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) may have successfully conducted its much awaited National Convention. The exercise took place at the weekend with former governor of Nasarawa state, Sen. Abdulahi Adamu emerging as the national chairman.

Recall that the advent of Adamu into the national chairmanship race began like a rumour about two months ago. Prior to that time, the senator representing Nasarawa West was chairman of the APC National Reconciliation Committee.

However, he gave away his interest when he argued that the position of the national chairman of the ruling party must be given to someone who is experienced and not just to someone who has not been tested as a governor or senator.
“We have to keep our fingers crossed and see what will pan out at the end of the day. But what I will add is that a party like the APC who is also the ruling party, we must look for a seasoned and experienced person to lead as we go into the 2023 general elections. At least one, who will have the ability to control the members because as the chairman, you have to deal with governors, senators and even the president. So being a one term senator in my view is not enough qualification to emerge as the national chairman of the APC”.

Considering the way and manner Adamu emerged, the days of the long knife are yet not over for the APC because while the president eventually got his ways, the governors who also decide who becomes what took the advantage of foisting their own candidates on the party under the now controversial ‘Unity list’.
Yes, Adamu may have emerged via the consensus arrangement which gave the leadership of the party including the President the opportunity to handpick the people they wanted to become members of the National Working Committee (NWC), but the major task ahead of him is to immediately hit the ground running by reconciling the various interests whose ego and aspirations have been bruised and dashed.  

The likes of Sen. George Akume, Sen. Tanko Al-makura, Sen. Sani Musa, Mohammed Saidu-Estu, Saliu Mustapha and Abdulaziz Yari may have signed a document that they agreed to the consensus arrangement in line with the letters of the Electoral Act 2022, but deep down in their hearts, they feel shortchanged. Therefore they need to be reassured that they can still realize their political aspirations in the party. We saw how the National Youth Leader aspirant, Olusegun Dada broke down in tears as he was literarily forced to step down for the consensus candidate, Abdulahi Israel. Some other aspirants who refused to bow to the dictates of the godfathers and forced elections all lost. Certainly, such individuals would not be happy with the party. 

It is heartwarming to note that one of the contestants, George Akume last week paid a solidarity visit to Adamu at the National Secretariat of the party, but so far he is the only former chairmanship candidate to have done so.   
The young people are not well represented on the new NWC and certainly they are not happy about this. The NWC can work around this by introducing a youth mentorship programme that would help to rebuild their confidence in the party.  

In most of the states, the APC is in crisis with different factions all claiming legitimacy. While the defunct Caretaker Committee headed by Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe state recorgnized the factions that came to Abuja as state delegates, the fact still remains that those subdued members may not have given up. At the appropriate time, they will stir the crisis once more.
There are indications that most of the party stalwarts are on their way out of the party. Some of them have started moving by having their foot soldiers decamp while they still pretend to be party men. I know of a particular former governor who has more or less left the party but only waiting to see how the Adamu led NWC will handle issues. The truth is that when such political bigwigs are forced out of any political party, they usually cause some imaginable damage to the aspiration of their former party. We all can remember what the PDP did when they left the then ruling PDP for the APC.

However, one advantage Adamu may have depending o how he plays his cards is that as the former Chairman of the APC Reconciliation Committee, he must have had a clear picture of what the crisis I each state looks like. Some analysts believe he was chosen as the consensus candidate for the position because of the fact that the leadership of the party knew that they must have to move fast to douse tensions and they felt that the best man for the job was the man who went round the states, meeting with the different factions.
The governors are indeed mostly engrossed in the crisis. Indeed, in almost all the states, there is nowhere the sitting governor was not involved either with the former governor, a minister or federal lawmaker in the fight for the soul of the party. It therefore means that the way and manner the National Chairman will engage them will go a long way either to exacerbate or calm the matter.

If he really wants to save the party from an impending implosion, Adamu must bring to bear the advantage of his experience both as an elder statesman and a former governor and lawmaker who has seen it all. He must not allow himself to be drawn to the apron of the governors who are always insisting in dictating what happens in the states.
The APC NWC must realize that this is an election year ad many people will be vying for various political positions and the way and manner they conduct their primaries will go a long way to either make or mar the chances of the party. Many analysts have advised the party to be careful with how they romance the consensus arrangement because it has the potential of polarizing its members.

While hopefully the party completes the renovation of his office which is now at the ground floor, Adamu should continue to give direction to the ruling party.
The NWC may have scored a remarkable goal when the National Women Leader, Dr. Betta Edu announced that that APC has resolved to encourage women to contest elections by granting them free nomination forms.  
Adamu has severally vowed to guide the party to win the 2023 elections, however to achieve that task means that all hands must e on deck. He should move fast to bring every member under the authority of the party because a house divided against itself cannot stand.
How far the APC could go under the Abdulahi Adamu led-NWC would be manifesting in the coming weeks.