THERE are emerging indicators that the leadership of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) is at a critical stage of bargaining and
tradeoffs towards the post-election sharing of “political profits.” A
reliable source from the top hierarchy of the opposition APC revealed to
this Reporter that a National Leader of the party and former Governor
of Lagos State, Asiwaju
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is purportedly
negotiating with the APC Presidential candidate, General Muhammadu
Buhari, for allocation of oil wells in the Niger Delta as compensation
for his support and huge financial commitment into the party from the
stage of negotiations for merger and registration as a political party
to the electioneering campaigns into the general elections. The party
source, who sought anonymity but disclosed that he is a close political
associate of the APC Presidential candidate, alleged that the two
national leaders of the leading opposition party have been involved in
secret meetings on the issues of allocation of oil wells and sharing of
political offices, expressing optimism that the opposition party will
win the February 14 Presidential election.
The party source
emphasised that the former Lagos State Governor may have been using the
enormous wealth at his disposal, his political influence in the South
West, to force the negotiation on Buhari and compel him to seal a deal
as pre-condition for his total support for the former Head of State in
the presidential election coming up in three weeks' time. The former
governor was said to have allegedly demanded for about three oil wells
license rights as compensation to him for the persistent support he has
been giving to the party's presidential candidate and aiding him in
scheming out other presidential contenders who were considered to be at
advantage of having more funds and would have picked the APC ticket if
he had not supported him at the National Convention and in mobilizing
other party members for that cause.
The APC stalwart revealed
that both national leaders of the party have resolved that after winning
the presidential election, immediately the APC assumes office in May,
the APC-Federal Government will revoke all existing licenses of people
allocated oil blocs in the Niger Delta, then, open bidding for new
allocations. That is the process Tinubu was alleged to anticipate giving
himself the advantage to acquire the license for oil wells allocation.
The
party source observed that the party's candidate, whom he often
referred to as his principal, considered the negotiation on oil wells
allocation a difficult bargaining to concede to Tinubu but that Buhari
has been under pressure to succumb in order not to lose the South West
votes which he overwhelmingly relies on Tinubu to mobilize. The APC
presidential candidate was, however, said not to have given his word on
the oil wells allocation demand but solicited for little time to make
consultations before they would reach final conclusion, though, Tinubu
was alleged to be opposed to such consultations, and had purportedly
told the former head of state to “either concede to his demand or forget
the votes of the South West.” It was alleged that the APC presidential
candidate decision is expected to be made as soon as possible, before
the February polls.
There was an insinuation that Tinubu
allegedly made similar request in 2011 when he was negotiating with
President Goodluck Jonathan for the South West support in the
presidential race. It was gathered that he was promised both money and
oil wells but was first compensated with money and told to wait for the
oil well allocation later. It was disclosed that he did not get the oil
well allocation, thereafter, and has since then, not been happy with
President Jonathan for that disappointment.
Other issues said to
be placed on the table in the secret negotiations between the two APC
leaders were indicated to include the sharing of political offices at
the federal level. They were said to have both agreed on the Senate
President being zoned to the North Central, reserving that position for
Senator Bukola Saraki, former Governor of Kwara State. Tinubu was,
however, alleged to have demanded that the Speaker of the House of
Representatives be zoned to the South West, or in alternative the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, to augment the Vice
President, who he considered does not have constitutional powers but may
be playing nominal roles in government as may be delegated to him by
the President. The former governor was further alleged to have also put
on the negotiation table to be given the power to influence certain
ministerial appointments. He was purported to have shown interests in
influencing the appointment of the Minister of Finance, Minister of
Petroleum, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice as
well as Minister of Aviation, which he was alleged to be further
requesting to be given to his political camp. The former Governor of
Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode John Fayemi, was alleged to be considered for
either the Finance or Aviation portfolio by the APC national leader in
the South West.
Tinubu, it was disclosed, assured Buhari that
given these demands, he will do everything possible to ensure victory
for him in the presidential election not only in the South West but also
in several parts of the South-South and the South East.
The
demands made in the secret negotiation was further said to have placed
Buhari in dilemma because he has at all-time vowed to stamp out
corruption from the system and, therefore, found himself at a crossroad
of bribing a party member for support to win election. “The issues of
insecurity, unemployment, economic slide, corruption and others will be
tackled with all sincerity…,” Buhari had repeatedly declared in his
campaign.
Buhari, it was disclosed, had been reminiscing on what
former President Olusegun Obasanjo told him at Ota, Ogun State that, “a
political party is like a microcosm of a nation, which would consist of
near saints, devils, rapists, and armed robbers;” and how Obasanjo
admonished him that he may use rapists or robbers for the purpose of
electioneering campaign but that when the party wants to go into
government after the elections, it must look for men and women of
integrity. The former President had further stated that people of
integrity make things better for a government, the country and the
citizenry.
The APC presidential candidate's associate also told
our Reporter that his principal, as he called Buhari repeatedly, is
having the big problem of discussing such personal demands with the
entire leadership of the party, particularly, the northern caucus of the
APC, who he said are expected to play different roles in the nomination
or appointment of party members into various political offices after
the elections. He added that in all, Buhari acknowledges the immense
contributions of Tinubu, in terms of funding, making himself available
at all times, committing his political structures in the South West to
the APC set goals, mobilizing other party members for common cause and
personal interventions to minimize conflicts in the party.
Is this what we will be seeing?
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