2023: Trouble In APC, As Chieftain Threatens Party Over Tinubu |The Source

By Adesina Soyooye

Even though a two-time Governor of Lagos State, and a National Leader of the Ruling Party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has not declared his interest to run for the seat of the President in 2023, his political party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, may break over him.

Tinubu’s campaign for the seat has already kicked off, with different groups ranging from politicians to Traditional Rulers in his Zone endorsing him, and going round the country to sell him to Nigerians. He has neither encouraged them, publicly, nor asked them to stop.

Strong speculations are, however, that he is behind the early campaigns and the groups rooting for him.

Already, the APC is being threatened with a run in the party if it denies Tinubu the Presidential ticket in 2023.

An APC chieftain and former member of the House of Representatives, Hon Shaheed Akinade  Fijabi, has already sounded a strong warning to the APC.

Speaking on a Radio Programme in Ibadan, Fijabi told the APC to be ready for a split the moment Tinubu is denied the ticket.

He submitted that a third political party for Tinubu would emerge to challenge both the APC and the People’s Democratic Party, PDP. If that happens, there will be no price for guessing who will be the founder and financier of the new party.

Said Shaheed when asked what would happen if Tinubu does not get the ticket: “Our people are unpredictable. There might be the emergence of a third party to counter the two existing ones (APC and PDP) if Asiwaju Tinubu is denied Presidential ticket by APC in 2023.”

Many are of the opinion that the recent strong presence by Tinubu in the North, were aimed at selling himself to them.

For instance, when the Katsina market was razed by fire, Tinubu was one of the first to rush to their aid.

On a condolence visit to Katsina Governor, Aminu Governor, over the fire incident, he donated the sum of N50 million to the victims, to the anger of not a few Lagosians who pointed out that he never did the same for traders in Lagos who suffered the same fate.

This other day, he was at hand to deliver the high profile Annual Sir Ahmadu  Bello lecture series for 2021, at the Arewa House.

Within the same period, he  celebrated his 69th birthday in Kano. The host was the Kano State Governor, Dr. Abddullahi Ganduje. Kano always posted the highest number of votes during Presidential elections. The reason for Tinubu’s choice of Kano to celebrate his birthday was, therefore, not lost on anybody.

Most recently, a viral video of thousands of bags of rice embossed with Tinubu’s photograph surfaced in parts of the North. Tinubu denied he was behind it, but was appreciative of those whose idea it was.

Not a few people argue that the Asiwaju began to prepare for a shot at the Presidential seat the minute President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn-in as President. Said a party insider: “Why do you think he was instrumental to making Buhari President in 2015, and again 2019? It was with an eye on 2023. For Tinubu, he sees 2023 as a pay back time by Buhari. He expects to be backed by the President.

Yet, the obstacles before him are many. Of course, some prominent Northerners have spoken in support of the South producing the President in 2023, they may not have him in mind.

Even though he nominated Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for the position in 2015 when many party chieftains rejected him, Tinubu, as Buhari’s running mate, not a few of them think Osinbajo will be a better successor to Buhari than Tinubu. “Osinbajo has proved himself loyal”, a strong Buhari ally told this magazine, recently.

Others are also looking the way of either former Lagos State Governor, and current Minister for Works, Babatunde Fashola, or the Governor of Ekiti State, the cerebral Dr Kayode Fayemi. Fayemi is, also, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum,  a powerful political platform which, it is speculated, think a member should be the next President.

Whoever, a strong battle lies ahead, not just within the APC, but between it and the main opposition party, the PDP, for the Presidential seat – all things being equal, considering the worsening security situation in Nigeria.