By Steve Osuji
It’s bad enough that APC is an agglomeration of strange elements; worse is that the All Progressives Congress is neither progressive nor even democratic at that. The so-called political party has in its near eight years at the apex of power, proven that it’s the very antithesis of its name and all the essence of a political party.
First, APC is everything but progressive. In its membership are among the most rapacious and power-mongering politicians in the land. They seek power, not for the good of the people or the society. They seek power not even for the sake of it, no. The rump of the APC are power-hungry hogs who’s only mission is to devastate the treasury.
And for APC, it’s a zero-sum game. It’s power or nothing. APC would hamper any institution or ford any bloody river to grab power. APC would play blood politics and genocidal games to get power and keep it.
A few examples will corroborate this point.
On May 14, 2012, then Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, addressing CPC members from Niger State had made the now infamous statement to the effect that should the general elections of 2015 not be perceived by him to be free and fair, “the dogs and the baboons would all be soaked in blood.”
Already, an orchestrated violent protests had greeted the results of the 2011 polls in the north, claiming the lives of hundreds of Nigerians. This infernal and gory sound byte by Buhari unsettled the polity and went into the annals as the most unstatesmanlike comment by any Nigerian leader.
But either by design or coincidence, the land has indeed remained soaked in blood since 2015 when President Buhari ascended the presidency of Nigeria under the flag of the APC.
Not only have the dogs and baboons been soaked in blood, Nigerians, male female, young, old and of all tribes and tongues have been embroiled in endless violence and wanton bloodshed.
Karma is, of course, known to be an unforgiving bitch and President Buhari has through his eight years in office, been tasked with cleaning up the gory mess he once dreamed about. The bloody post-2015 violence has had its epicentre in the northwest, President Buhari’s very home turf.
All of a sudden, terrorists-from-hell, euphemistically called BANDITS, had emerged from the hills and forests of the northwest. Recall that this was perhaps the most peaceful part of the country, untouched by the Boko Haram of the northeast. The so-called bandits that came in the wake of APC election victory and rise to power in 2015 has turned out to be more violent, more disruptive and more devastating than even Boko Haram.
According to Amnesty International, in 2020 alone, bandits kidnapped about 5,295 persons in the northeast for ransom. They included students, women, children and even security agents. Thousands have been killed and thousands more displaced. Schools were shut and many are still to reopened till date.
Many top government and security officials who ought to know have fingered the APC to be responsible for ‘importing’, arming, and camping bandits in the hills of the northeast for the purposes of violently claiming victory should the 2015 elections not be in their favour. But having ‘won’ the 2015 elections, APC couldn’t manage their “northeast brigade”, it was alleged. Mayhem was therefore unleashed on Nigerians at a proportion worse than dogs and baboons being soaked in blood.
There are even more examples of APC’S genocidal politics.
The nearly 15-year-old Boko Haram terror also has its roots traceable to the APC. Though BH predates the APC, elements currently playing crucial roles in the APC are known to be the brains behind BH. Most notable among them are Senator Ali Modu Sheriff (SAS) and Ibrahim Shettima, both former governors of Borno State.
SAS is currently among the executive committee members of the APC while Shettima is currently its vice presidential candidate. These two men were in the centre of activities in the halcyon days of the formation and blossom of the Boko Haram sect. In the run up to the 2007 general election, some elements of a Muslim sect had been militarised and deployed in order to win reelection by hook or crook. After he won 2nd term, SAS couldn’t manage his militia. By 2009, Borno State had become ungovernable and indeed a no-man’s land.
It was long ago determined that the terror group, Boko Haram emerged as a result of power tussle and vaunting ambition of politicians more than religious differences. According to a 2012 special report on Boko Haram by the US Institute of Peace, … “When one looks deeper, however, one finds that politics – more precisely, control of government patronage – is the primary cause of many of these conflicts.”
APC’S stint at the centre in the past nearly eight years has proved beyond doubt that politicians would stop at nothing to grab power, control government and dispense patronage. Their evil schemes would include funding wide-spread insecurity by way of bloody violence in targeted areas, tampering with the electoral system, attempting to yank the chief umpire midstream and even disruption of the entire process if perceived not to be favourable.
Signs are emerging and the auguries are dim that some politicians may be contemplating a devious PLAN B. The other day the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had signalled there might be postponement or outright cancellation of the February elections.
The notice came from no mean a personage than the chairman of The Electoral Institute (TEI), Professor Abdullahi Abdu Zuru. He had anchored his worries on the wave of election insecurity across the country.
Zuru may well have been flying a kite of sort as INEC’S spokesman, Festus Okoye promptly stepped in to allay any fears of the elections not holding. Stopping short of condemning, Prof. Zuru, Okoye reassured Nigerians that INEC was ready and willing to carry through the elections come February.
Yes, there has been a fresh wave of senseless violence and blood shed around the country, especially in the southeast. But who is to tell the masterminds.
For instance, when former governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim was attacked on the 2nd of this month, he had told the media that it could only have been the handiwork of a sophisticated group and not the usual suspects like the IPoB secessionists. He and his children survived the attack which left four police escorts dead. He had noted that the weapons deployed in the attack could only have been high calibre military types.
In summary, APC is currently in a desperate and vicious mode. After a two-term debacle in government and in its serial bungling of everything, couldn’t manage to find a viable presidential candidate, the party would engage the devil if that’s what is required to win the February elections.
BOTTOMLINE: APC has no scruples whatsoever or any pretences to democratic ethos. More blood of innocent Nigerians have been shed in the last nearly eight years than at any other time in our history. The party doesn’t give a hoot about the life of the average Nigerian … all it wants is power.
Remember this party bequeathed us Boko Haram; they masterminded the killer Bandits; and have we forgotten the Chibok Girls?
Remember over a millions fellow Nigerians are still languishing in IDP camps and let’s spare a thought for the genocidal killings in Kaduna, Benue and Plateau the Kaduna train attack and abduction; the Kuje jail break and more … all in the last eight years.
Hardly anyone was apprehended or tried or jailed for eight years. Names of financiers were concealed by government; perhaps they are top APC members.
As they fine-tune their zero-sum game, let’s remember it’s time to cleanse our blood-drenched land and unite Nigerians.
As the elections draw near, Nigerians must watch the bloodthirsty APC closely, they are up to no good!
Osuji, an accomplished Journalist, Columnist, was a Member of the Editorial Board of The Nation Newspaper and a former Media Adviser to a former Governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha
