By Tom Garba
The leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, under the Chairmanship of Barrister Idris Shuaibu, has considered the unity of the party paramount and most needed to its growth and ability to gain success in the coming elections.
For these reasons, Idris alongside the secretary of the party, Dr. Raymond Chidama, the Party organizing secretary, Mustapha Atiku Ribadu, the Woman leader, Mrs. Patricia Yakubu, the Youth Leader Abubakar Maianguwa, and other officials of the party visited senior party Men, women seeking their support on the need to unite.
Idris has on Many occasions believed that a house divided against itself can Never stand and this has been typical of the APC in Adamawa State over the years. Division and rancors, losing confidence on Party Men by candidates who are flagging up the party’s banners seeking elective positions.
The Party at the edge of success or victory lost elections for lack of unity among its members who prefer personal interest to triumph then the collective interest of the party. Crap that consumed the party on many elections instances.
If I can rightly recall, the only time Adamawa APC had a sustained and elaborate unity, was in 2015 when the bandwagon of former president Muhammadu Buhari’s mantra of change had its sway of automatic victory. That was the time in the spirit of mantra of change victory Senator Muhammadu Umaru Jibrilla Bindow won the election with an unexpected margin.
Typical of the party, despite huge developmental strides recorded during Bindow’s government, the bigwigs of the party decided otherwise against their own son who they have betrothed to political wolfs of opposition and sliced him to failure to all they care.
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The rest has been an embroidery of internal party squabbles in the party fabrics with sharp disunity leading to gross failures in the subsequent electioneering years.
In 2019 despite the Party’s numeric strength and power in both the government at centre stage, and the government at the state level lack of unity has caused them the Governorship seat, senators seats, and many national and state houses of assembly seats.
They have paid dearly and experienced the dire consequences of losing but it appeared Party critical stakeholders, loyalists, and influential members didn’t learn the lessons with wisdom the hard way. In 2023 with all the understanding of why they must unite to win as the strongest opposition Party whose might is in the government of the center stage, they handcuffed able and capable politicians in the embience of disunity at the First instance of party internal democracy, during its primary good guys were not allow to successes through the process of free and fair primaries. Stakrholders and party officials have failed to rally round the right candidate to get the Governorship ticket. That in a way fueled up more crises that remain a curse on the party to always lose election at the glimpse of victory till today.
I’m sure these are some of the few reasons among many others that Idris and his mind likes colleagues since his assumption Into office when Alhaji Ibrahim Bilal was removed during the boiling crisis of the party saw the need to build on people confidence through the unity they are currently canvassing. Idris has been harping on party unity as the supremacy virtue to gain back the glory of the party. He has gone to many towns and villages of Adamawa State seeking unity pact among many aggrieved, disgruntled, and injured politicians who are in one way or another hurt unjustly.
It was tagged “grassroots consultation” and they toured the twenty-one local government areas seeking a unity pact, an understanding they desired from all the party members.
This time around, Idris Shuaibu and his colleagues are in Abuja moving from one point of contact, call to meet with the party’s critical stakeholders preaching on the gospel of peace, and unity established to sanitize the party from all acrimony before the drums of 2027 elections begin to play out and singing loudly of it by political game players.
The question is who and who of the party Idris and his colleagues visited or should lined up in their itinerary to visit? Should their consultation be to those that matter in the political game of Adamawa? Who is at the epicenter of the seeking unity? What are the responses, the feelers of other Party members? What are the responses of those contacted? What is the hope of the party in finding lasting unity as a result of the ongoing reconciliation consultations? These and many more questions this medium will seek to unravel in a sooner time.
In the spirit of unity, the party Men and Women consulted among many others are; Marcus Gunduri (Senior Party Man, and SDP Gubernatorial candidate before the merger), Senator Silas Zwingina (he represented Adamawa Southern Zone), Abdulrazak Namdas (Former HoR Lawmaker represented Mayo Belwa, Ganye, Jada and Toungo constituency), Dr Engr Buba Bindir (former SSG, senatorial aspirant), Delu Yakubu (SSA on Humanitarian affairs), Barr Aliyu wakili Boya (HoR Lawmaker representing Fufore, Song), Abdullahi Ahmed (Senatorial aspirant from central zone), Hon Jafar Abubakar Magaji (HoR Lawmaker representing Mubi South, Mubi North and Maiha), Yusuf Yakubu Buba (Former HoR Lawmaker represented Gombi/Hong) and Amb Engr Omar Suleiman (Former Nigerian envoy to Congo).
The above names are no doubt APC Chieftains who ought to have been purveyors and channels of unity, party fraternity, and preachers of unity ringing and sounding the bell of unity at all times. But what happened to their love for the Party? Maybe they were sidelined, not giving the opportunity or be at the know what is wrong well or wrong with the party.
It has now become a watch-and-pray step taken by the Adamawa State APC leadership to see how the party becomes as all eyes are Open widely watching with a keen interest in the next unfolding drama of political crisis in Adamawa State.
Suffice it to say, unity under whatever guise or move, is a step in the right direction, especially for those who have the party at their heart. I’m one of the APC card-carrying members, maybe my passion for the party is driving me crazy to believe that Adamawa is APC State and APC is in Adamawa despite the molecules of penchant enemies brewing within the heart of party faithful.
May I as an ambassador of peace, call that if APC leadership in Adamawa went out genuinely to consult men and women of the party in the spirit of unity, please do accept them,that might bring the needed change that will take the party back to its former glory.
To Idris Shuaibu, Chairman Sir, consult more, visit more party Men and Women it seems to be the only persify opium that will heal the wounded lions, the jackals, and the hyena that were injured in the political battles field in Adamawa State since 2015.
Peace, unity, and brotherhood spirit I see- this is the Man I’m. An apostle of unity, in Peace I come.
Tom Garba,fspsp, false, fimc
A journalist, who is a publisher of TGnews lives and writes from Yola -Adamawa State
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