Torrents of accolades from politicians and desperate Nigerians welcomes the news of the birth of the newest Nigerian democratic baby, the new All Progressives Party (APC). Nobody captured the euphoria more accurately than the no-nonsense anti-corruption tsar, AIG Nuhu Ribadu (rtd). Ribadu, in his usual blunt manner declared: “It’s not the end; it’s the beginning of the end of misrule and cluelessness.” Nothing could be a more objective assessment of the situation. Much as people should celebrate this success, they should also be mindful of the task ahead. Truly, it is only the beginning.

One thing that should not be lost people is the fact that APC, just like PDP is going to be a party that will be managed by the same people with Nigerian blood and background. Any expectation of a different result from the PDP should not be based on glib expectations but solid plans build on the ability of APC to institute a culture of respect for internal party democracy, discipline and the much needed patriotism required to rescue the nation.

Considering the odds stacked against the new APC, nothing less than sacrifice should be expected from all and sundry. The need for a vibrant party to salvage the little left of what used to be Nigeria cannot be over emphasised. Perhaps, that may explain the tension of the last few days when rumour mills were agog with allegations of clandestine moves to frustrate the registration process of the new party by INEC.  True or false, it was a wise decision by INEC when it disproved such allegations and registered APC. This is one stitch in time that really saved nine.

Of course, denial of such ambitions is not new to Nigerians. FEDECO, one of the ancestors of our present day INEC once denied Progressive Peoples Party (PPP), a merger of the then Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) a factions from the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Great Nigeria Peoples Party (GNPP). FEDECO was supposedly encouraged by then ruling National Party of Nigeria (NPN) to scuttle the initiative.

In a way, INEC restored some of the lost confidence people have in its neutrality as an unbiased umpire. It remain to be seen how far INEC can go in its determination to respect the rules of the game. Of course, INEC need to do more in terms of its neutrality to convince the public about its sincerity. This is particularly necessary if we recall how INEC stood its ground and refused to release the necessary documents that should have been used to forensically verify numerous allegations of election fraud during the 2011 polls.

The jubilant mood of the new All Progressives Congress (APC) may be justified by the recklessness of the ruling PDP which consistently failed to justify the huge support base it always claimed to have built through decent means; but which everybody knows better. It is important that the new APC should not be fall into the trappings of these celebrations. These are no times for celebrations but careful preparations for the next lap of the race.

Let it be clear to those that matters that APC can only translate the huge goodwill and sympathy it generated in the last few months into concrete democratic gains with meticulous plan and strict adherence to democratic norms and culture. In this regard, it is expected that its leadership should strive to build a good party out of the strong values the APC was founded. It would be a costly mistake to attempt building a party – at least, one expected to give PDP a good run for its money on any principle but those of equality, fairness and justice.

To achieve this, APC need to avoid the temptations of power that reduced PDP into the pitiable state it has been reduced to. APC should be everything PDP is not. Faced with a desperate ruling party determined to remain in power despite losing all rights to it, APC have to start on a sound footing of uncompromising respect for party supremacy, internal democracy and discipline. These are easily achievable by simple respect to the constitution of the party and strict adherence to set objectives of the founding fathers.

More importantly, the willingness of the party to be fair and just may be the shortest possible route to an assured victory. By no means, and under no circumstance should the party be allowed to be hijacked by moneybags and undemocratic forces that will definitely be lurking behind the shadows waiting for the first signs of structural weaknesses  that can be used to distort the original configuration of the party and strip it naked of its appeal.

The APC couldn’t have come at a better time. Just in time to exploit the socio-economic chaos and institutional decay created by the ruling PDP to sail home to victory.  No doubt, Nigeria is in dire need of a substitute to the disaster that PDP has been reduced by few self-styled modern day democrats that hardly understand the difference between democracy and autocracy.

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Read this article in the Leadership Newspapers