By all standards, the just concluded 2014 convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had all the trappings of a well-organised event.
From the security arrangements to the crowd and traffic control techniques adopted, and the organisation of the voting booths, it was a lesson for other parties to follow.
Another high point of the event was when all the governors, senators and other government functionaries let down their guard and freely mingled with the crowd of supporters.
There was also enough to eat and drink for the multitude of people, who also composed themselves in an orderly manner till the end of the process.
The presidential candidates and others like Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Bola Tinubu, Chief Audu Ogbeh, Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah and other speakers at the event, specifically commended former Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who was chairman of the convention planning committee for the quality of event.
But There Were Glitches
Everything went smoothly until it was the turn of the Delta State delegates to vote when trouble started. A physical attack on one of the party officials caused some commotion that almost marred the convention.
One Dr. Alex Ideh, who had insisted that the Delta State delegates would not vote, got the beating of his life when the delegates, who suspected foul play pounced on him. It took the quick intervention of security operatives and the APC National Chairman, Chief John Oyegun, to bring the situation under control.
Intrigues that Led to Atiku’s Defeat
Though some may see Atiku’s defeat in the primary as one of political misfortune, he put up a good fight in the race.
But in trying to pinpoint why he lost the primary, a number of major factors would explain the former veepee’s woeful performance.
First, he had the leadership of the APC to contend with, as the top echelon of the party, who more than ever, are determined to wrest power from President Goodluck Jonathan, had evaluated that Buhari who enjoys massive support from the downtrodden in the north would be easier to market to Nigerians.
There was also concern that Atiku may not be as attractive as Buhari in the North-west, which is one of APC’s strongholds and officially the most populous region in the country.
The leadership also viewed the Turaki Adamawa with suspicion owing to his track record of hopping from one party to another, which has been driven by an overriding ambition to rule Nigeria.
This was not helped by the fact that he was deemed too independent, held strong views and would be less malleable than a Buhari, who would need more guidance.
Though Atiku has persistently denied that he was corrupt and has never been charged for corruption, the corruption stigma stuck like a leech and was another reason for his waterloo.
The timing of the release of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s autobiography My Watch on the eve of the primary could not have helped his cause either. Obasanjo, who has been hobnobbing with the APC leadership lately, went as far as saying that the APC must not give its presidential ticket to Atiku.
So it did not come as a surprise that the party’s leadership plotted to stop him in his tracks. The covert gang up against him, led by 12 governors of the party, was indeed a masterstroke in political brinksmanship, as it had the desired effect of influencing how the delegates voted.
Voting Pattern
Investigations revealed that Buhari garnered more votes mainly from North-west, South-west and the South-south delegates.
For instance, THISDAY authoritatively learnt that Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State had told his delegates to vote Buhari as early Wednesday morning.
On a similar note, the Kwara State delegates waited till midnight on Tuesday to take a unanimous decision to back the former military head of state.
In Kogi, the voters were divided. The APC leader in the state, former Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Audu, did not mince words about his support for Kwankwaso, while the former speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Clarence Olafemi, preferred Atiku.
Bayelsa Joins Anti-Jonathan Clamour
A delegate from Bayelsa State, Mrs. Ruby Nyanonyo, who spoke with THISDAY about why people from President Goodluck Jonathan’s home state are hoping to collaborate with the opposition party to displace one of their own, said the people are “looking for an alternative to poverty”.
“If you have been to Bayelsa lately you will see that nothing tangible has happened there lately. Even where you observe that new buildings are springing up, they are mostly being built by a few people who have access to state funds.
“There is widespread poverty among the people of the state and the people are tired of it. So it doesn’t matter if it is Buhari or any other person that can get us out of the shackles of poverty, we will support him. It is about the well-being of the majority of Nigerians, Bayelsa inclusive,” she said.
When the Crowd Hailed Nda-Isaiah
The counting of votes started at exactly 9.22 am but the Founder of Leadership Newspapers Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah did not get a single vote until about two hours after. However, when he recorded his first vote, he got encouraging cheers from the crowd.
He got similar cheers for every vote counted in his favour because they came in very sparingly and in between long intermissions while the counting lasted.
At the end of the exercise, he managed to garner 10 votes.
Aspirants in Anxiety Dance
Presidential aspirants may not have anticipated it, but the APC convention committee pulled a surprise on them by requesting that they all danced holding hands.
Coming shortly after they delivered their speeches on the podium trying to woo the delegates, the aspirants managed to dance in a tension-soaked atmosphere before the voting took place.
Though they danced holding hands, the expressions on their faces betrayed their emotions.
Delegates Desert Convention Venue
Voting had hardly ended before most of the party’s delegates began to troop out of the venue in droves. By the time the counting of votes was well under way, more than 70 per cent of the delegates had left the convention venue.
THISDAY learnt that some of those who left the arena departed when they sensed that their candidate was losing. The day prior, most of them had slept at the stadium to cast their votes and also were probably exhausted after a very long convention.
They also had flights and buses to catch to return to their various destinations.
THISDAY
Sayelba Times 