“Dangers and difficulties have not deterred us in the past. They will not frighten us now. But we must be prepared for them like men in business who do not waste energy in vain talk and idle action.” – Nelson Mandela.
It is no longer news that all groups in APC in Lagos State have been proscribed. But the news is the planned mega rally of the PDP in Lagos East where an anti-Tinubu initiative will be the engine to actualise this rally. The Wikes, Obasekis, Makindes and others have threatened hell and promised to mobilise against our party in the rerun election.
One of the structures of political parties is ‘caucus’ or ‘group’.
In 1850 USA, the Democrats were split between the Bourbon Democrats representing Eastern Business interest and Agrarian elements comprising poor farmers in the South and West.
The Democratic Party and the Republican Party in the US had various factions or groups, with significant overlap and enough agreement between them to co-exist in one party while the Republican had five factions to itself.
One forms his personality in line with the influences impressed by the given environment, to the degree of the intensity of his imitation.
Apathy And The Dwindling Election Results
The two most influential groups in Lagos Progressive Party were the Justice Forum and The Mandate Movement. These groups were the foundation and bedrock of the progressives in Lagos State and the success story behind all the elections in Lagos State.
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I’ll be biased here – I belong to The Mandate Movement and the leadership of Mandate was not given to quick, almost intuitive appraisal but to analysis. The foresight of these leaders in working towards goals, and seeing the potential pitfalls and obstacles in the path made them more outstanding and formidable.
Comparing the results from 1998 during the time of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to 2019 during the time of Gov. Babajide Sanwo Olu, gives room for worries as the dwindling results show we are sitting on a time bomb.
When we observe Lagos reflectively, we discover many questions hidden in the depths of our conscience. How did we start? Why are we where we are today? Is the cord binding us together still intact? Where are we heading to? Is proscribing of groups within the party the best solution? How can we work out the mystery of the reality of defeat? How do we consolidate on our strongholds? What is the ultimate meaning of victory? How can we extend our winning steak?
It is amazing to see a lamb flee from a wolf, since the wolf is its enemy. But seeing a lamb fall in love with a wolf is cause for wonders. Ours is a generation which out of relative obscurity has been given a mission to discover. It is either we fulfil the mission or betray it.
PARTY SUPREMACY
We are not in contest with the supremacy of the party neither are we in power tussle with the party. We are all party faithful and are in conformity with party directives. But recent events show that the groups within the party are the heartbeat of the party. The groups spark the vibes and through their activities and bring life to the party. The election results would have been even worse without these groups.
Governor Ambode versus Governor Sanwo-Olu as a case study: it was the party who presented Governor Ambode on its platform. Gov Ambode in his bid to return used the state’s resources and machineries to ground the activities of the party; he suppressed all the party’s advancement. But a group took the bull by the horn, stood up to him, risked everything and brought back smiles and lives into the party.
As Winston Churchill said, “Criticism may not be agreeable but it is necessary. It fulfils the same functions as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.”
Same goes for having ‘caucuses or groups’ in the party; it may not be agreeable but it is necessary.
At this juncture, the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC) must as a matter of urgency: (1) reintegrate and allow groups to fully participate in mobilising for the party.
(2) set up an independent campaign group to work hand in hand with the party campaign team for the rerun in Lagos East.
(3) reconcile all aggrieved members.
(4) put in place a rewarding mechanism where all those that worked at the last election for the success of the party are rewarded bountifully – from the polling units to the state level.
(5) set up a committee to cut across the 20 old LGA and come out with a position on the problems and solutions of the 57 LGAs & LCDAs.
Finally, addressing the above can reposition our party and defuse the time bomb we are sitting on.
Once again; the independent campaign group should as a matter of urgency be composed to complement the party campaign team in Lagos East for the rerun election.
*Comrade Alani Babatunde Kazeem is a political analyst, member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Alimosho LGA Collating Officer at the last gubernatorial election.