The Telegraph reports that there are fears within the APC that a mass defection of some top members of the party might be looming. According to the report, many of the APC leaders are worried that the party might be going the way of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the days of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
A similar crisis in the Jonathan administration led to the defection of the then Speaker of the House of Representatives and now governor of Sokoto state, Aminu Tambuwal. Five serving governors of the PDP then also followed the same route. The defectors closed rank and formed the APC which defeated the PDP in last year’s presidential election.
The report stated that many top leaders in the APC are worried that the party might soon recreate the Tambuwal scenario if the current crisis between the executive and legislature continues.There are already rumours of discussions ongoing between some disgruntled members of the APC and their PDP counterparts on either the formation of a new party completely or an alliance that would see a mass defection from the APC.
A chieftain of the APC who spoke about the tension within the party leadership noted that the party was running out of time and risks being rejected by Nigerians at the next general elections in 2019. The chieftain who spoke under the condition of anonymity, blamed the ongoing crisis on interest and the executive’s interference in the affairs of the legislature. His words:
“The leadership of the APC is worried that the lack of cohesion by the party’s elected members are still leaning on their old party blocs, which have practically made it impossible to see themselves as members of one family.
You will recall that APC is a merger of various interests ahead of the 2015 elections, but having won the presidential election as well as the majority in both houses of the National Assembly, many had expected that the various interests would have closed ranks by now and work as team to deliver the promises the party made to Nigerians during the campaigns for the last elections.
This development is a source of worry for the party leadership, although it is putting measures in place to resolve it so that the party can focus on governance and deliver on its promises. The fear is that we are running out of time, even as the nation’s earnings have drastically dropped due to the fall in oil prices at the international market.”