𝐁𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐍𝐳𝐞
The All Progressives Congress (APC) is a political party that has over the years since its formation in February 2013 ahead of the 2015 election shown, and proven that she wanted power at all costs. The party which came into existence as a result of the merger of Nigeria’s three largest opposition political parties namely, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and kicked out the incumbent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Nigeria’s national leadership. The presidential candidate of APC, Muhammadu Buhari unseating the PDP’s Dr Goodluck Jonathan was in deed an interesting event considering that it was the first time in the history of Nigeria’s politics that an opposition party unseated an incumbent, and power transferred peacefully.
With the victory of APC at the presidential elections in 2015, there was really excitement among the masses in the country, they felt relieved that the sixteen years of uninterrupted mafia politics of PDP in the country had eventually ended. The joy, the masses had was quite enormous while PDP growled in pains how APC rigged the elections. Their pains and disappointment were further worsen when their candidate, the then President Goodluck Jonathan made it clear that he was not going to challenge the results of the election in court even when there were clear indications that the election was marred by some irregularities like underage voting in the Northern part of the country, which boasts of more geopolitical zones than others.
The masses didn’t really care if truly the election was rigged or not, they were sure they voted massively for APC to oust PDP’s 16 years of misrule that met the pump price of petrol at 20 naira per litre in 1999 when they took over, and increased it to 87 naira which angered the citizenry. Also, other things, that contributed to the masses anger were epileptic power supply, and how corruption was thriving especially in Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. Though the economic conditions of Nigerians were not really as bad as it is now but many Nigerians felt that the country could do better since she was already beginning to consolidate on the gains of democracy and steady revenue from the sale of crude oil. Hopes were very high, but unfortunately, the results were not commiserate to the expectation.
Then APC fully well ‘packaged’, came in with their campaign. The party hired David Axelrod’s firm, the Chicago-based AKPD, a political and media consulting firm that was responsible for providing strategic campaign support to the former President Barrack Obama, for three weeks to create their campaign strategy. The ‘Change’ mantra was cleverly rolled out, it identified succinctly, all the weaknesses of Jonathan’s administration particularly the 276 Chibok school girls kidnapped by Boko Haram on the night of 14–15 April 2014, from the Government Secondary School in the town of Chibok in Borno State. APC proved with that, that Jonathan’s administration failed woefully. And promised Nigerians Paradise on Earth.
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The ‘Change’ campaign of APC painted an awful picture of Jonathan’s administration, which made the Nigerians in the diaspora practically disdain Jonathan, and his PDP, and to a very large extent the Nigerians in the diaspora often influence election back home with their financial support for their preferred candidate. With the change campaign, it was pretty clear, that PDP would not win the presidential election. Nigerians were done with PDP, the promises of APC were too good to be ignored, and Buhari, being the flag bearer of the party who publicly preached against corruption, and had in the past contested the presidential elections on two occasions, and lost was seen as the man with the Midas touch to turn things around for Nigeria, and having Pastor Yemi Osinbajo, a professor of law, and former attorney-general of Lagos state, the masses were confident that the duo would sincerely bring the desired change that Nigerians were clamoring for.
Expectedly, APC won, and the duo of Buhari and Osinbajo assumed power, tension eased in the land, and Nigerians heaved a sigh of relief that the long-awaited change has come. Then Buhari implemented the Treasury Single Account that was proposed in 2012 by the Jonathan’s administration, but refused to appoint his own cabinet members since that of the previous administration had been dissolved. This slowed things down badly, and there were unnecessary bureaucratic bottlenecks that affected the progress of their administration, then the complains started, they said that they met an empty treasury, Jonathan and his economic team debunked their claim, and immediately they kept quiet. Oftentimes, Osinbajo, being very eloquent was used to cover up the lies, and cluelessness of their government. Initially, peole, did not notice it till after sometime, and when the did, Osinbajo lost the reverence many Christians gave him as a pastor. He was now seen as liar under the guise of Christianity.
Weeks came, and rolled into months, yet no appointment of ministers, the first quarter was gone. Then Nigerians began to grumble, and ask questions both on social and print media then Buhari tried personally to clarify the situation this time that he was,”Baba Go-Slow,” and that he would be very slow in working so that he could it get it right. Finally he appointed his ministers after six months.
Their cabinet was mainly occupied by Northerners, and Yorubas, the President’s people and his Vice, key strategic appointments were given to people from their own parts of the country regardless of competence. Nepotism clearly in the appointment superseded competence, they cared less so long as their own people were in charge. With the appointment of their cabinet members, rational Nigerians knew it was a huge mistake allowing APC candidates into power, then within one year, exactly May 11, 2016, they slammed on Nigeria, a new pump price of petrol at 145, and said they were removing subsidy, meanwhile, before Buhari became president he had joined in the protest of increment of fuel price with Osinbajo, they both condemned it vehemently, and Buhari, being a former federal commissioner for petroleum and natural resources, said subsidy was a fraud, and never existed but here he was talking about the same subsidy. What an irony!
The menace of Boko Haram became worse than in the previous administration, churches, government properties were regularly attacked, and people gruesomely murdered. The terrorist group tore Borno state into shreds, in fact the entire North-East, is still being ravaged by Boko Haram explosives. The terrorist group sacked Nigeria’s Army base in several northern locations, the army whose recent leadership has now become very weak unlike the Jonathan’s administration, where it tried to at least put up some fight to resist the terrorist organisation is being defeated regularly by Boko Haram.
While the APC led government was still heaping blames on the previous administration, the Fulani herdsmen began unleashing their violence in the lands, the killings skyrocketed, and this time directed towards the Southerners, they killed like professional assailants and this led some experts to find out that there was actually more to the killings and those behind it than the Farmers-herders clash that was reported.
Classified reports explained that the Fulani herdsmen were actually some Fulanis from Nigeria, and these countries: Mali, Senegal, Niger Republic, Chad, Libya that were recruited, and trained as militia by the APC cabal to go into war with Jonathan’s administration in case he wins or refuses to hand over. The APC Cabal, is the mafia leadership which controls the party, and currently led by Abba Kyari, who has an official position as the Chief of Staff to the President of Nigeria but in pragmatic terms, he is fully in charge of the affairs of the country. Among other members of the Cabal are, Mallam El-Rufai and Bola Tinubu.
Prior to the election, in a secret meeting with the new recruits to be trained as militia, Buhari explained to them clearly that, “the British handed Nigeria over to us, the Fulanis at independence. The land (Nigeria) belongs to us. We must reclaim what belongs to us.” And that they, (Fulani machinery/herdsmen) must fight until they regain the control of political power of the country. He further re-assured them that the Nigerian Army was solidly behind them.
Miyatti Allah Cattle Breeders Association was used as a cover for them, as if they were in deed herdsmen, about 6,000 of them were fully trained, equipped, and prepared to go to war but Jonathan’s concede to defeat willingly changed the narrative, and Buhari, and his cohorts made it obvious to them that the Cabal would not be needing their services again. They were abandoned in their various camps in the North without the usual royal treatment they were given, and when they complained, the Governor of Kaduna state, Mallam El-Rufai who was part of the APC cabal behind their recruitment, in his usual arrogance told them that they were no longer needed, and they should go back to where they came from, the mercenaries demanded settlement but were ignored then they moved out of the camps, grouped into gangs, and went into the communities to fend for themselves, they first began from Kaduna, pilfering, stealing, and eventually killing, to get the attention of El-Rufai for their settlement. Gradually, they infiltrated the whole North, and went into the Southern part of the country often disguising as innocent Fulani herdsmen with no intention of causing any trouble. The Nigerian government are fully aware of them, but lack the courage to arrest or proscribe them despite their nefarious activities.
…to be continued.
