VIEW: APC and the Limit of Propaganda - Adebayo Adeneye-Adejuwon

My starting point in this piece is APC v APC: Ile ti a ba fi ito mo, eri re me wo...

If you are not Ijebu ask your Ijebu friends for help.

In the days preceding the 2015 elections, I stated several times on my Facebook Wall and elsewhere that APC as then constituted will never birth the New Nigeria of our dream.

I also recall arguing that APC and PDP are two sides of a counterfeit coin neither of which should be acceptable as legal tender in any sane political market.

Not only did I insist that the difference between PDP and APC is analogous to the difference between six and half a dozen, I also opined that means and ends are co-terminus and that a destructive means can never produce a constructive end(apologies to Pastor Tunde Bakare).

Let me be clear about this by stating that what Nigeria had to contend with in the 2015 elections was a choiceless democratic experiment in which electorates were sandwiched between two Satanic Siamese twins, APC and PDP, and an election in which a choice had to be made between a capacity deficient candidate and an overrated dinosaur.

My take then was that even in spite of the obvious constraints,Nigerians ought to have been more circumspect and reflective.

Of course, we were not.

At that time,some of my friends, especially the unrepentant APC apologists virulently attacked me.

Not only did these characters attacked me, they called me names.
Some even went to the extent of insinuating that I was PDP as though Nigerian citizenship is dependent on membership of APC or PDP.

That was the era of empty grandstanding,political correctness, and opportunistic sophistry.

That was also the era in which partisanship was clothed in the garb of public intellectualism

Indeed, that was the era in which some of our very cerebral people wrote as if they knew what we did not know.

That was the time when Bukola Saraki was a good boy. It was the period when Saraki was the true son of his father. That was when nPDP's move against PDP was a patriotic national task that must be done.

At that time, there was election to be won and that election must be won at all cost.

Morality and antecedents of people who will make the election winning a reality did not matter.

All that mattered was empty repudiation of PDP and denunciation of Jonathan.

Make no mistake about it, PDP needed to be repudiated just as Jonathan deserved to be denounced.

But certainly not at the expense of introspective reasoning and deep reflection.

At least the antecedents of those doing the repudiation and denunciation was supposed to be interrogated and evaluated.

This was not so with my people in so far as the congregation of wolves in APC would bring votes.

And the votes came. But some other things came along with the votes.

Saraki came. Dino came. And several other men and women of stained characters came on board.

And this was to be followed with denials of several APC campaign promises.

And then came the big one..... APC turned its back against the first item on item on its manifesto: restructuring.

Nigeria is not negotiable, Buhari decreed!

Restructuring is not a priority, APC Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun thundered.

Then entered Vice President Yemi Osinbajo....he said one thing in his speech at Elizade University only to turn full circle a few hours after in an interaction with a select journalist during a Google Hangout chat.

The summary of VP Yemi Osinbajo said is what my people describe as 'enu opuro ki seje.'

Before then , Atiku, a top APC Chieftain had spoken in favor of restructuring.

It has been argued that Atiku is an incurable opportunist. And an insincere politician!

This may be true.

But is there anyone sincere among the triumvirate of Buhari, Oyegun and Osinbajo on restructuring?

Is APC sincere to Nigerians?

At least, General Alani Akinriande do not think so!

And by the way, where is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in all these?

What is oko Oluremi position on the restructuring on Nigeria as at now?

It is not good that Omo Mogaji's once upon a time loud voice on restructuring is now being heard in the loudness of ominous graveyard silence.

The days ahead promises to be very interesting.

How do I know?

Please read General Alani Akinriande's interview http://guardian.ng/…/akinrinade-it-is-political-suicide-fo…/

Is this all about campaigning in poetry and governing in prose as Mario Cuomo postulated?

Perhaps!

For me, I do not see any light at the end of the tunnel for Nigeria until we restructure our dysfunctional federation.

This is place to start.