There are indications that as part of the commitment to party discipline and strengthening of the party ahead of future elections, the Presidency and the Ruling party is considering sanction on sitting Governors by way of refusal of second term tickets and denial of Federal appointments to sitting Governors who could not deliver their states to the party during the Last general election.
Inside sources in the Presidency and the National Working Committee revealed that it will amount to encouraging non performance and indiscipline in the party to allow a Governor who could not deliver his state to the party during the presidential election.
Some of the governors who are seeking second term in office are that of Ondo, Edo and Kogi States, out of which Ondo and Edo States lost their states. Kogi was won by the APC but investigation conducted revealed that the APC won the State narrowly because of the personality of the President as the people of Kogi State are dissatisfied with their Governor whose performance they considered abysmal.
In ondo , the Governor was accused of working against his party with the result that APC lost woefully except with the exception of one Senatorial District won by Senator Boroface and a very few national Assembly seats.
Edo state presents a gloomy picture of a sitting Governor who could not win his unit , ward ,Local Government , Federal Constituency and Senatorial District owing to his alienation of the entire political class in the State. In the case of Edo, despite the prediction carried out by the presidency that the Governor will lose his local government, he did nothing to ward off the loss, as he inspired no one to work for the party. He is therefore considered as a liability for the party should he be fielded in the next elections as the Political classes across party lines are unanimous that the Governor of Edo State Godwin Obaseki is an example of a bad and disloyal party man who cannot be trusted. Inspite of this assessment he has continued to hunt those who dare to tell him to alter his approach to the politics of the State, a counsel he has refused to heed insisting instead on blackmailing the party leaders of asking him to share the State resources. The Governor on addition is also said to have engaged the National Chairman’s supporters in a needless battle of survival by harassing and intimidating them with the apparachik of State powers for daring to challenge his second term ambition. This group led by former Minority Whip of the House of Representatives, Hon Samson Osagie and Former Attorney General of the State, Hon Henry idahagbon are said to consist of the political egg heads in the state many of whom supported the Governor to win elections in 2016 and have themselves been elected representatives of the people in the past. Coming under the aegis of the Edo Peoples Movement, the group is said to enjoy the support of the National Chairman, gubernatorial aspirants who contested against the Governor in the primaries in 2016, Business men with huge financial war chest, powerful traditional rulers and a silent but vast majority of APC members at the grassroot level. He is said to now embark on panicky strategy of attempting to buy people over with meetings across the state and sharing fifty thousand to attendees of his meetings. He recently got some influential party leaders and Aliko Dangote to support him to intervene in the dispute between him and his predecessor, the National Chairman. How far these efforts can save his second term bid, observers say is yet to be seen. But many believed that he cannot be trusted by the political class in the state with another opportunity.
In ondo , Akerodolu faces the battle of the South West where the National Leader of the
party holds away. Since 2016 when He emerged Governor of the State against the wish of the National leader who supported another candidate in the primaries he has been having a running battle with the forces of the Leaders supporters in the state led by Senator Boroface, a third time Senator of the Governor’s Senatorial District, Ondo North. Also , he is said to have performed below average as a section of the Ondo elites have written to the National leader to rescue them from Governor Akeredolu’s misrule.
In Kogi, Bello, appears to be fighting several battles of survival and his chances of winning a re election is almost near impossible. His failure to pay huge salary arrears and deliver on the dividends of democracy is so much talked about in all the books and crannies of the State. The party and the presidencmay have ruled him out of a re election.
Interestingly, the Adams Oshiomhole led NWC appears firm on enthroning discipline in the party and promoting internal democracy which Governors will not be able to manipulate in their favour. Consequently, the travails of the National Chairman in recent times in which a minute section of the media goaded by these Governors have been calling on the National Chairman to resign for flimsy and phantom reasons. At the head of this campaigns is the Deputy National Chairman of the party, Senator Lawal Shuibu. The attempt at forcing out the National Chairman of the party appears at the time of writing this report to have died on arrival as the NWC have passed a vote of confidence on the Chairman and set up a committee to try Senator Lawal Shuaibu. A case of the hinter becoming the hunted!
As things stands , there appears to be no clear signal in the horizon for these Governors as there are very serious moves to deny them ticket and get more politically viable candidates to fly the party’s flag to victory in those states Concerned. When the party eventually bares its fangs on this governors it is believed that internal democracy of the party will be promoted and it will encourage performance by elected Governors.
As for appointments, those who couldn’t deliver in the elections to the party like Sen Abiola Ajimobi, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Rotimi Amaechi and a good number are said to be having a serious challenge getting the needed endorsement for cabinet appointments as well.
This will ensure party discipline and promote the much talked about party supremacy.