3 things we learnt from governing party's convention

Former Edo Governor Adams Oshiomhole is the new national Chairman of Nigeria’s governing party. A slew of other executives were named to fill in positions in the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

Here are 3 things the APC convention taught us all…

1. The nPDP faction has got no liver

Months before the convention, the nPDP (the new PDP faction in the APC) couldn’t stop assailing us with press statements of how they will walk away from the APC if their demands aren’t met bla…bla..bla..

Some members of the nPDP are Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker of the House Yakubu Dogara, former Kano Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Sokoto Governor Aminu Tambuwal, Kwara Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, Barnabas Gemade and former PDP Chairman Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, among others.

The nPDP became a thing in our nation’s politics when Alhaji Atiku Abubakar led seven aggrieved governors of the PDP out of the special delegates’ convention of the party in Abuja, on August 31, 2013.

[No available link text]

These aggrieved PDP members headed straight for the Yar’adua center and addressed a press conference to say they were no longer going to be a part of the PDP. Former Rivers Governor Rotimi Amaechi was the man with the microphone on the day.

Days later, these angry PDP members pitched tent with the APC and the rest is history.

Given how much noise the nPDP has made in recent times about its disenchantment and dissatisfaction with the APC, not a few Nigerians were expecting them to stage another walkout from last week’s elective convention—especially with the whole world watching.

They didn’t.

We don’t want to hear or read of another nPDP rant again They had a golden opportunity to walk the talk last weekend by holding the APC big boys by the balls--but blew it.

Pussyfoots!

2. APC is still a divided house

The enduring images from the APC convention were those showing delegates brawling and punching themselves as President Buhari delivered his speech.

Trouble began when a group of delegates loyal to Imo Governor Rochas Okorocha, arrived the pavilion reserved for Imo delegates and ordered other delegates loyal to Okorocha’s deputy, Eze Madumere, to vacate their seats.

When Madumere’s loyalists refused to vacate their seats, a free-for-all fight ensued; with chairs and blows thrown around the place for full measure.

Okorocha’s private security detail had to forcefully remove the stubborn delegates from their seats.

With security officials still battling to contain the brawl at the Imo end of things, delegates from Delta State engaged themselves in an even more brutal fight.

The Delta chaps were fighting because of O’Tega Emerhor (who leads the APC in Delta) and a former governorship candidate in the State, Great Ogboru.

ChannelsTV reports that the fight at the Imo pavilion broke out after the faction loyal to O’Tega Emerhor stepped out for lunch only to find out upon return, that their seats had been taken over by members of Ogboru’s faction.

Kogi State delegates also had brawls of their own. Reports say the Ajaokuta LGA chairman had to nurse head wounds by the time some angry delegates from Kogi were done with him.

Everywhere you looked during the convention,a fight or a fisticuff was going on.

And Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso said he didn’t attend the convention because he didn’t want his supporters to fight with supporters of Kano Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.

And from far away United States, Senator Dino Melaye called his party’s national convention a huge joke.

A divided APC? You bet!

3. The APC doesn’t care about young people

A day before the elective convention of the governing party, young contestants were telling Pulse how they had been told by party chieftains to step down for older contestants.

One APC youth said plans had been concluded to “impose a youth leader who is over the stipulated age limit of 40 years”.

The chap warned that: “This is a clear case of injustice and the youth are not going to take it lightly”.

A member of the party’s leading youth group from the South East also expressed dissatisfaction at the marginalisation of young women in the party’s youth leadership structure.

Some young APC members also promised that they were going to disrupt the convention if a so called Unity List was followed.

Well, that Unity List was followed to the letter and heavens did not fall. For one, Oshiomhole became Chairman because the powers that be within the APC had settled for him.

Same old, same old.