The recent Supreme Court judgment, which saved the mandate of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and his party, the All Progressives Congress , came as a sudden blow on the fabric of the federal governing party.
The fact that the formation of the party was very superficial was all too evident to all, such that the former Special Adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Doyin Okupe, declared that the party would flounder at birth. Bafarawa had disclosed that while he was doing a course in the United States, Tinubu visited US as part of guests to the inauguration of Barack Obama as first black President of US. Bafarawa explained that after exchanging pleasantries and analysing the historical change of baton in the world’s greatest democracy, he told Tinubu that unless opposition parties came together in Nigeria, it would be hard to dislodge PDP.
There was a temporary snag. With the 2011 experience at the back of their minds, some of the stakeholders expressed the need to appease Tinubu. The former Lagos State governor was said to have told Buhari that I have been a Senator, a governor, what remains is the Presidency. Sources disclosed that it was at that point that Tinubu was promised that if Buhari wins the Presidency, it would then be the turn of Lagos to take over and re-enact the magic of the Babatunde Fashola years.
Barely two years into the administration, the internal discontent within the party exacerbated. Out of the sheer mistrust among the component parties, APC failed to hold a mini convention during which it would have filled vacancies in the National Working Committee occasioned by the exit of former occupants after their appointment into the Federal cabinet.
True to expectation, while on an official visit to commission some projects in Edo State, President Buhari commended Governor Adams Oshimhole for the marvellous projects his administration had initiated and completed in the state. The President pleaded with Edo people to allow Oshiomhole to come to the centre, stressing that the Federal Government had work for him to do.
One year into the office as chairman, Oshiomhole led the party to another presidential victory. But, his utterances, including claims that he would not tolerate the excesses of Buhari’s ministers and insistence that APC’s control of the National Assembly should not pander to inclusion of the opposition, peeved a lot of stakeholders.Oshiomhole was accused of being very mercurial more than conciliatory, in the management of intraparty affairs.