ANPP Crises in Perspective

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“It’s not to offer a monkey in captivity a cup of water, but how to retrieve it and intact” – late Oyi of Oyi The Rt. Hon. Dr. Chuba Okadigbo.
 
The above quote reflects the current happenings at the headship of the supposed main opposition party in the country, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). It is on record that the duo of Admiral Augustus Aikhomu and Chief Don Obong Etiebet were received into the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) family in 2002 and accorded the greatest hospitality any political party on earth could offer a personality no matter his status or class. I recall that the scenario was the National Convention – Cum – Presidential primaries of the party terminating the tenure of Governor Attahiru Bafarwa of Sokoto state as Caretaker Committee Chairman. The idea was to raise a formidable team that would ensure the party clinch the highest political office in the country, the presidency. Since the support of every zone in the country was required to achieve the desired goals political arithmetic, as the late Dr Chuba Okadigbo would say, was applied. While General Muhammadu Buhari, from the North-West emerged as the party’s presidential candidate with the late Dr Chuba Okadigbo from the South-East  as his running mate, the South - South, which has always been a political ally of the North, came in with some of their leaders as a faction from one of the then newly registered political parties – the United Nigeria People’s Party (UNPP). In order to ensure national spread and Regional representation in the quest to wrestle power from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the duo of Admiral Aikhomu and Chief Etiebet emerged as the party’s Board of Trustee’s Chairman and National Chairman respectively. It was envisaged that since both men had held exalted positions in the past, hence commanded some degree of respect from their zone, they would increase the fortune of the party. Don Etiebet, it was assumed for instance, had been a Petroleum Minister and therefore would not mismanage the party’s resources but rather add value to it. That, however, wasn’t the case as the chap threw dignity and accountability to the wind and ran the party’s account without fear or finesse. The Annang Chief, it was further alleged, created bogus salary and allowances for himself and his chains of real and non-existing aides. He single-handedly collected and expended the hundreds of millions of naira allocated to the party by the Independent Electoral Commission of Nigeria (INEC)without recourse to the party’s decision making organ -  the National Executive Committee (NEC). It is on record that ANPP accounts were never properly kept, nor were they ever audited according to the rules. This, no doubt was what prompted the A NPP Senators and Members of House of Representative to withdraw their monthly contribution for the running of the party as there was no explanation as to how monies accruing were being spent. Chief Don Etiebet as ANPP Chairman to say the least was an unmitigated disaster, who allowed the party lurched from one crisis to another, progressively lost relevance and potency as a viable opposition party and virtually became a rudderless, sinking ship. Also, Etiebet’s leadership style cost the party influential and respectable members. Indeed, rather than woo new members, re-assure old ones and amicably settle rifts, Etiebet thrived in stirring up crises and sowing seeds of discord. He unilaterally dissolves state Executives whom he perceives as not being loyal to him and replaces them with Caretaker Committees. It goes without saying that his single minded objective was to destroy the party - a brief handed to him by the opponents of the party (ANPP).
 
What is more disheartening is that some ANPP Governors who by virtue of their offices are supposed to be custodians of the party, have been the ones actively aiding and abetting Etiebet’s treasonable deeds. If not, how on earth can you support an opposition leader who sat on the high table of a presidential forum and said “whoever says the administration of president Obasanjo has not been good to Nigerians should have his/her head examined”.
 
How can you support a man who summons an illegal NEC meeting and declared that ANPP should pray that the much touted “third term” becomes a reality as according to him the ANPP would be saved the trouble of fielding a candidate. What do you do with a party chairman who preferred to join president Obasanjo and the Queen of England for diner instead of attending the burial of his party’s vice presidential candidate.
 
It is very unfortunate that a group of ANPP Governors could sit at Jigawa Governor’s lodge, prepare a script for Don Etiebet to present at their February 10, 2006 illegal NEC meeting and shamelessly ask him to make a u-turn after sensing the reaction on “their third term declaration”.
 
There is no gain saying that the ANPP Governors supporting Etiebet have concluded plans to render the party impotent as a condition to selfishly serve another term in office either through the 3rd term arrangement or by being awarded automatic ticket. This, they intend to achieve, by getting the party and their state Assemblies to support the unpopular constitutional amendment, installing Governor Ali Modu Sherif of Borno state as Caretaker Chairman to replace Chief Don Etiebet who will subsequently ensure the emergence of an unserious presidential candidate (a walkover for pre-Obasanjo).
 
Be that as it may, it’s now obvious that the ANPP has now been divided into two factions. Faction ‘A’ is led by General J.T. Useni and has Governor Attahiru Bafarawa of Sokoto State, ANPP leadership and members from both chambers of the National Assembly, most of the state chairmen, and NEC members in the line-up. Faction ‘B’ which is easily third term group, with Chief Don Etiebet and the six (6) governors as well a coterie of hand-picked “caretaker” officials.
 
If the ANPP must remain relevant and assume the role of the main opposition party, I think it is high time all patriotic and faithful members Nationwide resisted the continued perpetuation of Etiebet and his Co-travelers.
 
If the ANPP must survive – and it must then Etiebet must be kicked out, otherwise the proverbial cup could not even be retrieved.
 
 
Festus Okon 
97, Sabon Layi, Gangare, Jos.