Governors Versus Predecessors’ Ego Fight May Ruin APC, Says Adamu

Governors Versus Predecessors’ Ego Fight May Ruin APC, Says Adamu

POLITICS DIGEST- The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, has accused some current and past governors of working at cross purposes to tear the party apart.

While Senator Adamu declared that state governors are leaders of the party in their states, he said the APC constitution does not have a provision for dual leadership in the states.

According to him, ego is at the root of the crisis between serving and former governors.

He however conceded that former governors are leaders in their own rights as well, urging serving governors to accord them all the necessary respect.

Noting that President Buhari has saved the APC from implosion and shamed its detractors, Adamu said the task before the party is a moral burden of leadership.

He said: “We must take urgent and target steps now to unite our party at all levels; federal, states, local governments and wards. Our political party must emerge from incessant challenges in order to prepare for the coming tasks ahead. Secondly, we must begin the process of banishing disagreements.

“The lack of unity in our party is such that none of us can pretend not to be aware as it was the efforts to unite this party that led the previous caretaker committee to set up a reconciliation committee to find lasting peace. I know Mr President is not unmindful of what happened to PDP in 2014/2015, our party is not immune to a similar fate should it conduct itself in such a way that continues to undermine the legacy of the founding fathers to build this party.

“I was the chairman of the reconciliation committee and came out of the assignment fully conversant of the problems. The battle really is a battle for supremacy between serving state governors and their predecessors in office. It is a crisis fuelled by ego. So, ego is the enemy. Ego between former and serving governors, ego has turned them into bitter enemies. Because of ego, the two groups are putting our party in jeopardy and the effect will be in the polls next year.

“The serving governors and past governors are powerful men, each of them is a leader in their own rights in their states but when two elephants fight, the grass suffers. Similarly, when two powerful politicians fight, the party suffers, because the speech and actions of these powerful men will bring a filthy and odious stench to our party.

“Our party must have the courage not to pay lip service to it but the serving governors of our party in their various states are the leaders of the party and this is in line with our party’s constitution. It is important that the former governors recognize that the party structure must be respected. Our party’s constitution makes no room for two party leaders in a state. There is no reason to compete with serving governors for the leadership of the party.

“The former governors some of who are in the Senate are also leaders in their own rights and with enormous influence. They must also be accorded their due respect”, he counselled.

Responding to Adamu’s speech, Kebbi State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum PGF, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, hailed the president for enthroning “due process” in the party which he said led to a seamless national convention.

He also thanked the president for the unrestrained access granted to the 22 APC governors, who he said the president has continued to treat equally.

Bagudu disclosed that there is a situation in about five states where governors are at loggerheads with National Assembly members but that the PGF has been working to ensure peace, adding that the development is not peculiar to the party as there are 12-non APC states who are also facing a similar crisis.