Gbenga Olorunpomi: The birth of APC – INEC’s moment in the sun

by Gbenga Olorunpomi

Gbenga Olorunpomi

Now, the ACN has shown its hand. It is time for the other partners to follow suit.

On Thursday, April 18th, the leadership of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) took one of the biggest gambles in the history of Nigerian politics. Determined to play the Big Brother role in the proposed merger and demonstrate its commitment to this marriage of political entities, the ACN bit the bullet and announced its intention to over 4,000 party delegates from all the states in the federation as they gathered at the Onikan Stadium, Lagos.

The scene couldn’t have been more emotional. Here were politicians and party officials giving up their comfortable and considerable positions of influence for the unknown.  The party leaders at the state, local and ward levels were asked to kiss and make up with leaders of the other parties with which they might have tussled in the last elections. Some might even have to give up their positions to a former opponent who might have said mean things to and about them in the past.

It was a hard sell, like having to swallow whole wheat bread in the hot afternoon without the refreshing complement of cold water. But it had to be done. Personal ambitions had to be set aside for national salvation to be achieved. And so the merger was roundly and totally approved. The logo, slogan and manifesto of the new party was accepted and cheered. The ACN – a veteran of one general election, guardian of 6 state governments, occupier of 92 National Assembly seats and numerous local political offices – was technically no more. The All Peoples Congress (APC) was birthed. Change is now the new song. Long live the Broom!

On that day, there were several emotional speeches, not the least of which was that of the Party National Leader and political juggernaut, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. His speech was masterly crafted and expertly delivered. The contents have been thoroughly discussed on other fora, so I’m not going to take that route here. However, I have always said the wisdom of Asiwaju was somewhat hidden under his clout as a dogged politician. I’m happy a little of his intelligence shone through that afternoon. Expect more from the Jagaban of Borgu.

Now, the ACN has shown its hand. It is time for the other partners to follow suit. The General Muhammad Buhari-led Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) must now have their national conventions and adopt the new party as theirs. This will bring to a conclusion months and months of negotiation to finally make the opposition have, for the first time in the current democratic contraption, a truly national platform to challenge the near-invincibility of the ruling party at the federal level. It will ensure that Nigerians now get to have a true alternative to the monstrosity that the PDP has become and now have the privilege of choosing good over evil. And this leads me to the crux of today’s writing.

The umpire of political contests in Nigeria, the Independent National Elections Commission (INEC), has a chance to write its name in gold on the pages of history. It has a chance to show to Nigerians that ordinary citizens can have dreams and see them come to pass. It is the one constitutionally empowered to allow this merger is safely delivered or a stillbirth. Given that this is the first time the commission will be handling such a task, it is sure to be laden with complexities. Which is why I must praise all the parties involved for agreeing to risk their political machineries because they must first surrender their party certificates, file an application for the new party and wait for 30 nerve-racking days to see if they have been approved. With a presidency that is growing more paranoid and exhibiting the kind of desperation and hysteria we assumed dead when Idi Amin Dada fled the Uganda he had wretched, there are many unsettling days ahead for the merging parties.

It is left for the INEC to seize its moment in the sun and assure us of its fairness and commitment to the Nigerian Project. It must do all that they can to make this merger sails through. Yes, there are sure to be complications and minor details may be left out. Those should be considered beginner’s error and let slide for the good of the nation.

Moderating this merger process would also allow the umpire to exercise some of its powers that it has not used before. Its success will also encourage other smaller parties who wish to merge to do the same, knowing that INEC is credible and worthy of their trust. Ultimately, this might just end what Governor Fashola calls the era of our ballot papers “looking like poll sheets.”

As a concerned Nigerian, I call on the INEC to recognize it is standing at a very crucial point in history and will be judged by the choices they make in the coming few weeks. Attahiru Jega, the ball is in your court. Be wise. History got an instant recording, all-weather digital camera and the focus is on you.

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Gbenga Olorunpomi is a senior digital marketing strategist. He has over 5 years in the marketing communications business and has designed social media strategies for major brands like Coca-Cola and The Economist.  He is experienced in the media, having worked for two years at one of the country’s biggest public relations firms as Media Relations and Content Manager. Gbenga is a Principal Consultant with Cyborg Nigeria. He is affiliated to the ACN. He tweets from @gbengagold

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

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