Rivers APC crises: We can and should get it right

by Engr. Beks Dagogo-Jack OFR, FNSE
To state that the Rivers APC, under the leadership of Governor Rotimi Amaechi made very significant contributions to the record setting victory of the Party , as the first opposition party in Nigeria’s history to defeat a sitting government in the 2015 Presidential election , would be the understatement of the decade.
It’s also a matter of public record that following that victory , Amaechi, who is the leader of the Party in Rivers State, rose up gallantly to the twin challenges of performing his duties as Federal Minister of Transportation as well as resourcing the National Executive of the Party in diverse ways, as it worked on consolidating the gains of the victory and facilitating cohesion across all stakeholders, the
Executive and the Legislative branches for the smooth delivery of the APC social contract with the Nation.
Accordingly, whichever way one chooses to look at it , there will be only one conclusion from an objective assessment : that Amaechi has paid his dues and earned his place on the national landscape of the Party. Nearer home, since that fateful mass exodus from PDP to the APC in time for the 2015 elections led by Rotimi Amaechi, ably supported by many others including Magnus Abe, there has never been any speck of doubt as to the leadership of the State Party structure , which has resided unchallenged with Amaechi.
Against this backdrop of Amaechi’s earned political stature at the National level and his position as the undisputed leader of the Party in the State, the Party’s repeated unsuccessful outing in all State elections since 2015, has become a veritable source of serious concern to all well meaning members of the Party.
Considering the very widespread assessment of the current government as grossly under-performing going by all rational development indices, the APC’s continued failure to beat the incumbent at the polls , even in spite of some comparative advantages, has become a very uncomfortable spectacle for all honest members of the Party , especially at the grassroots, where the impact of this failure on the morale and livelihood of our struggling followers is most felt.
It is quite tempting to follow the rising public sentiments by going on various fishing expeditions for who to blame, accuse , demonize and villainize.

Unfortunately this will take us no where. Whilst there is enough blame to go round for the situation we have found ourselves today, this time calls for all the leaders to focus on the big picture , see the unfolding cataclysmic threats ahead and to bring out the very best in all of us, to confront this existential threat to the political fate of our Party and faithful followers who continue to make sacrifices for
the Party.
Going down memory lane , I recall my personal meeting in November 2015 with Hon. Minister Amaechi , where the plan to join the Party was introduced , discussed and agreed upon. I informed the Leader that my personal commitment
to the principle of equity and power rotation in the State is sacrosanct and once that principle got violated in the 2014 primaries of the PDP, I lost all interest in that Party and I decided to act true to my principles than to remain there, just to seek disposable personal material gains.
I also to the Leader that between the so-called riverine players at the Apex of the PDP of that time, who worked assiduously to violate power rotation and he, Rotimi Amaechi who insisted without any duress, to stick to the principle by fielding a riverine candidate, Dakuku Peterside, he had proved to be a closer brother in the samaritan parlance and he has also demonstrated an innate passion for equity and justice , a very rare attribute upon which other stakeholders including myself can rally to build and fill the gaping vacuum of conscientious , fair and inclusive leadership in the State.
I then pledged that once on board , I will always give him my honest feedback and advice in furtherance of this mission deriving from my years of experience in both the public and private sector, at state and national levels. To the best of my ability , conscience and the level of opportunity presented for me to make contributions , I can say without any mental reservations, that I have lived up to my pledge. I firmly believe that the Leader, will , if circumstances demand , attest to this too. Ordinarily, I have a deep aversion to pushing my deep thoughts on a “family matter” into the public space, considering that it is vulnerable to all manners of ingenious and disingenuous interpretations and quite often by readers who hardly bring the depth and objectivity required to see the core purpose of the effort.

Ordinarily again, I function better by preferring to sustain intense engagement with the Apex Party leadership believing that , once reason prevails at that level, action would trickle down to solve the pressing problems wherever they may be. Sadly ,these are by no means ordinary times and I’m under pressure from within me , to do things differently this time around.
Our Party in the State is facing a very perilous situation , an existential threat, which has been morphing into a state of malignant cancer and it is now becoming more improper by the day to either speak in muted tones or fence sitting. I’ve therefore chosen to go against my conventional approach to air this communication in this way , as a personal sacrifice for the greater good of our
Party and State. I shall deal with the consequences thereafter.

Now to my unvarnished observations :
For precision , this will be narrated in bullet points , describing the observed conditions:
• Preponderant orientation towards an acutely short tunnel vision, focused , not on building a carefully nurtured sustainable political structure with clear divisions and order but on using a hurriedly bandaged up team just to win elections.
• Incredible level of internal mistrust, even for a partisan enterprise, with extremely narrow tolerance for mutual confidence, a pointer that the structure might still be operating from a level of infancy which requires careful nurturing. Every normal child will learn how to crawl first , then stand, then walk, then run.
• Disproportionate number of people ruled by fear, suspicion and negative mindsets, with near zero appreciation of the huge damage such conditions have on team morale &and preparedness , which directly impacts on performance in the field.
• Abysmally opaque & amoebic leadership structure , with extremely weakened
capacity to drive order & discipline in an objective, sustainable manner.
• Far more lip service show of respect than a genuine appreciation of age, experience, integrity, pedigree, etc which define true capacity.

• Uncountable number of manmade “silos and cocoons” most of which operate from an US vs Them template , where even open general meetings, serve more to provide useful information for silos to use selfishly, than one where honest feedback is freely expressed to advance the interests of the political family.
• Embarrassing level of double speak, pretentious hypocrisies, callous spread of gossips , not operated to move the group interest forward , mostly to remain in the good books of the Leader, whilst aiming to bring others down.
• Apparent lack of leadership will to design and operate a transparent and effective welfare administration system to cater to our grassroots political base and preference for under-the-table practices which tend to exclude many , worsen divisions and tensions in the body politic.
To be clear , this list is by no means exhaustive , nor is it unique to us , but broadly symptomatic of the growth trajectory of many political enterprises which are corrected through best practices.

Having submitted the above observations, let me also add the following views : • Rivers people like most of the principal driving faces of the Party leadership,who unfortunately, for the most part , have chosen not to like themselves;
• Many prefer the APC to its main competitor , the PDP. This is no fairy tale. Thereare a huge and increasing number of mistreated and humiliated PDP followers of repute all across the LGAs who would rather try a new thing than continue to rot in the hole they’ve been abandoned in.
• Outside the realm of dreams, miracles and fantasies, between now and 2023, any Rivers person interested in politics or public service, would live with a binary choice : do so in either APC or PDP. Its therefore very clear that anyone insisting on the continued crises in the APC is either doing so to commit a political suicide or promote the interest of the competitor , or indeed both.

My ideas on the way out of this existential threat: • Those who through their political positions past & present occupy apex
leadership positions must place the group interest over and above personal egos. As individuals, most at this apex level have been abundantly blessed and may have no lack on life but that’s not an excuse, by omission or commission to compromise the political future of those following behind them. Leadership place the burden of making peace as a fundamental responsibility.
• Those who have lined up behind all the real & imaginary factional groups/leaders/tendencies, who see only themselves and the immediate benefits they can reap from the divisions from this crises should step back , detox themselves of the poisonous thoughts they’ve harbored all these years , wear the right lenses and see how much they’ve missed because of this crises & STOP fanning the embers through their careless, insulting and unproductive daily social media somersaults. They should SHUT UP , SHUT EYES & just follow their leaders.
• There is a fierce urgency of NOW to resolve this crises , so that we can have enough time to rebuild and prepare the Party for elections after overcoming this storm .
• Those pressing for any sort of intra party elections , congresses , etc to take place now, should be please push back a bit for this dust to clear , because without first reaching a point of considerable genuine reconciliation & resetting of buttons across the different tendencies, any such move will only serve to escalate the crises & refuel the wars of internal attrition.
The naked & inviolable truth is that we are all Rivers people. We all have a deep shared history of attending the same primary, secondary & in many cases tertiary institutions. We’ve lived beside each other on the same streets or the same side of the city. Many of our children grew up as best friends.

Accordingly , I , Engr. Beks Dagogo-Jack, relying on the unique traditional responsibility thrust on the apex leadership of every society by all traditions across the State and in true spirit of patriotism , hereby, most sincerely call on our leader Rt Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi CON to make the first open move on reconciliation, embrace all the current divisions without exception, engage to
resolve all thorny issues through give & take, & deliver a home-made sustainable reconciliation, which we all can proudly own & showcase to the world.

The challenge before us all, is to see beyond the trees in front of us , so we can appreciate the forest just ahead. Let’s do it for our followers’ sake. Let’s do it to give Rivers people a chance for better governance. Let’s do it for God’s sake.
RIVERS APC CRISES : WE CAN & SHOULD GET IT RIGHT BEFORE ITS TOO LATE.
May God through His Holy Spirit , flood the hearts of all leaders & followers with wisdom , understanding and courage to overcome this crises. Engr. Beks Dagogo-Jack OFR, FNSE
10.6.2020