***We worked against ourselves and strangers in APC need to excuse themselves From Leadership- Duhu
***Party needs another round of reconciliations- Adamu
By: Our Reporters
As reactions continue to pour out, stalwarts of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC have expressed fears that the outcome of the Governorship election in Osun state, which was won by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, may affect their parties fortunes in the 2023 general elections. unless issues causing internal wranglings are urgently addressed.
Speaking to our correspondents in separate interviews, prominent party leaders were of the view that, with the defeat of the APC in Osun, which is the homestead of prominent APC stalwarts, including it’s Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, there is the urgent need to return to the drawing board.
According to them, the party needs, to restrategize ahead of 2023, in order to avoid the fate that befell the PDP in 2015.
Alhaji Yusuf Adamu, former Political Adviser to the Presidential running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima as Governor of Borno State however noted, that, the PDP did not defeat the APC in Osun and should not start celebrating their pyrrhic victory, stressing that the APC worked against itself in Osun.
A situation where major stakeholders of the party in Osun were seen openly working for the opposition is not a palatable development, he noted, and the earlier the APC addresses such salient developments, the better it will be for it’s future outings.
While aligning with the others that, there is the urgent need to address internal wranglings amongst major stakeholders, the party, he said, must see the Osun Elections as a warning signal and must work to arrest further drift.
Adamu said, with the situation in states like Kwara, Osun, Zamfara, Kano, Cross Rivers, Rivers, amongst others, the APC needs to take urgent steps at addressing emergent trends, as witnessed last Saturday.
Some of the party stakeholders confirmed to our correspondents that, already the party leadership is working on setting up reconcilation panels, with a view to addressing the numerous grievances, arising from seeking to control the soul of the party or in nominating candidates for elective positions.
There is no official confirmation by the national leadership of the party on this assertion, as several call put to them were not answered.
But, Alhaji Yusuf Adamu dismissed the celebrations of the PDP over the Osun Elections, stressing that, the APC will come out stronger, if the advices offered for reconcilation are heeded.
He said the PDP is only grandstanding, as they know that the APC will be the party to beat in 2023; with it’s solid combination of Tinubu and Shettima as it’s standard bearers.
“Saturdays outing in Osun is by no means a yardstick for measuring APC’s outing in 2023” Adamu added, noting that, those who dismiss the APC will get the biggest shocks of their lives in 2023.
While the PDP is basking in the euphoria of victory, with some of it’s stalwarts predicting a repeat of the Osun story in 2023, the APC leadership has hinted on another round of reconciliations, with key stalwarts, who were dissatisfied with some actions the party took in the recent past, Adamu added.
But Dr Umar Duhu, another stalwart of the APC in Adamawa state was of the view that, the APC may have shot itself in the foot, with the manner it’s present crop of leaders emerged, during the last National Convention of the party.
According to him, those who came together to form the APC had their original plans for the party, and the coming on board of the present crop of leaders, most of whom were strangers to the original concept, seem to have distorted the original plans, leading to some of the problems.
He said President Muhammadu Buhari, as the leader of the party may need to weld the big stick, by asking some of the strangers in leadership of the party to excuse themselves from leadership positions, if there should be hope for 2023.
While noting that, the choice of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima remains a perfect blend, but for the fact that they are both Muslims, in a country that is heavily polarized along religious divides.
Dr Umar Duhu cautioned the APC against any attempt to further estrange it’s key stakeholders, as doing so may be the APC’s greatest undoing in 2023.
Our correspondents who have been monitoring the mood of party members report that, some party members in Osun joined the PDP in celebrating their party’s defeat, even as some of them were heard saying, they voted against their party to rout out a non performing Governor, and not because they have left the APC as a party.
It may be recalled that the PDP candidate, Johnson Adeleke defeated the incumbent Oyetola with over 280, 000 votes, a situation that prompted widespread speculations, that Osun may be a precursor of things to come in 2023.
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