THE Federal Government under the control of the All Progressives Congress, APC, is in separate pieces. Chaos rules the roost. Two years into the supposed regime of “change” the nation appears to have been abandoned to an autopilot mode, as there does not seem to be anyone effectively coordinating and controlling the machine of governance.
President Buhari joined by R-L: Senate President Dr Bukola Saraki , APC National Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun, Ondo APC Gubernatorial Candidate Rotimi Akeredolu and his wife as he joins in a group photo with Ondo APC Gubernatorial Aspirants shortly after meeting with APC Stakeholders in Ondo State on 19th Nov 2016
The chaos started from Day One, with the failed attempt of the leadership of the APC to dictate who emerged as the leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives in order to tie the National Assembly to the apron string of the Presidency. This failure elicited an equally failed attempt by the party and the Presidency to use the Judiciary and the anti-graft agencies to harass, weaken and change the leadership of the two chambers of the National Assembly. In the end, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, appeased the party by giving its preferred candidates soft landing.
In the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki the Senate President and his Deputy, People’s Democratic Party, PDP’s, Ike Ekweremadu, also survived the siege by the Executive. President Muhammadu Buhari’s political relationship with major party leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, somehow, went into a brief “off” mode, especially during the governorship elections of Edo and Ondo states in September and November 2016. The increasingly visible Buhari group in the APC successfully won the elections against Tinubu’s wishes. At a point, it seemed that Tinubu was plotting an alternative platform, but he rescued himself from the brink just in time.
Meanwhile, Saraki, the main arrowhead of the “new” PDP wing of the APC, seemed to have filled the brief void that Tinubu created and became welcome once against at President Buhari’s side. Some of the cases against him were withdrawn. He became a frequenter of Aso Villa and started striking the posture of an emerging confidant of the President even during the latter’s protracted medical vacation controversy. In fact, Saraki became so integrated into the APC fold that his best known acolyte, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, was appointed the National Publicity Secretary of the Party to replace Tinubu’s former lackey, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who is now the Minister of Information and Culture.
However, after a brief excursion in the doghouse, Tinubu has gradually inched his way back to Buhari’s side through his gift to the Buhari Presidency, Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo. Osinbajo’s excellent performance as Acting President while Buhari was on his sick bed brought the Tinubu group back to the centre of the Buhari Presidency. Such is the nature of the tidal wave rocking the APC as a ruling party.
In terms of governance, the chaos is evident in all the three arms – the Judiciary, Executive and Legislature. President Buhari’s queer handling of the confirmation of Hon. Justice Walter Onnoghen as the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, was nimbly solved by Osinbajo as Acting President when he was away.
While Buhari was away for nearly two months, Osinbajo simply did the right things and the country which was in turmoil from militancy in the Niger Delta, armed herdsmen attacks and killings, pro-Biafra protests and rising discontent in the populace over the worsening economy miraculously calmed down. Those of us who noticed the difference and said so were accused of trying to drive a wedge between Buhari and Osinbajo or dividing the Presidency. How moronic can you get! Unfortunately, since Buhari came back, many of these demons, particularly the her