I REVERT to this medical metaphor for two reasons. First, blood is easily recognisable. Second, we know that internal bleeding can lead to death. Therefore, both literally and metaphorically, internal bleeding could be very dangerous.
Unfortunately, today, President Muhammadu Buhari is dealing with two serious cases of internal bleeding, and he does not appear to be paying due attention. One, the presidency is bleeding. Two, his political party, the All Progressives Congress, is also bleeding.
There are several symptoms of internal bleeding within the presidency. However, the present diagnosis is concerned with only one of them, namely, the mischievous allegation of misappropriation against the Vice President, reportedly by a former Deputy Secretary of the APC and other accomplices.
The details of the allegation are somewhat sketchy. It first appeared on social media and it soon spread like an epidemic. Essentially, it alleges that the VP mismanaged some 90 billion Naira allegedly provided by the Federal Internal Revenue Service to fund the 2019 general elections, including the presidential campaign.
The allegation looks like a parody of the 2015 allegations against some officials of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration on the mismanagement of funds said to be allocated for national security but diverted to fund Jonathan’s failed presidential campaign.
Furthermore, by implication, the present allegation is not only against the VP; it is also against the President, who allegedly authorised the use of FIRS funds for the general elections. Indeed, according to the allegation, the purported frosty relationship between the President and the VP was precipitated on the alleged mismanagement of the funds.
In clear language, there are three parties involved in the allegation, namely, the VP, the FIRS, and the President.
So far, the VP has come out bluntly with three steps. First, he staunchly denied the allegation. Second, he instructed his lawyers to sue the perpetrators of the allegation. Third, he pledged to waive his immunity for the proper prosecution of the culprits.
This last step has, however, attracted some controversy, because immunity is constitutionally required of the holder of the office of VP. The question is: If he cannot be sued, can’t he sue for sedition? We must give it to the VP that, as a Professor of Law and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, he would know the proper steps to take.
Similarly, the FIRS has come out to deny the allegation on two grounds. First, it does not have that kind of money as its annual allocation by the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee has never grossed N100 billion. The fund is barely enough to cater for its over 150 offices and 8,000-member staff and trainees. Second, its accounts and operations are public and, therefore, could be verified.
The expectation is that the President would be the next to deny the allegation by making it clear that he never authorised the FIRS to release that kind of money. However, only few are disappointed that the President has not spoken on the issue.
True, the President’s taciturnity is legendary; but why would he say anything, if, indeed, the allegation is baseless? There is the argument that once the President begins to respond to baseless allegations, there will be no end to the nonsense.
Nevertheless, it is standard practice in civilized democracies for Presidents or Premiers to defend their Deputies against allegations. The confidence expressed in them is considered necessary to sustain the image of the presidency. This is what many expect President Buhari to do at this time.
Instead, it would appear that the President has taken some steps which are believed to have some direct effects on the office of the VP and its operations. I will not go into those details here. The question is whether such steps were taken to signal the erosion of confidence in the VP or to maximise the efficiency of operations in the presidency.
Last Sunday night, the presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, indicated on Channel TV’s Sunday Politics, hosted by Seun Okinbaloye, that the latter was the case and that the former was no more than an insinuation.
Be that as it may, there is another disease in need of urgent attention by the President: The APC is said to be suffering from internal bleeding as well. The party bled through the 2019 elections but was lucky to remain victorious. It is believed to be bleeding again in readiness for the 2023 general elections. There are indications that each of the three major parties which formed the APC alliance in 2014–ACN, CPC, and ANPP—is strategising for the 2023 presidential ticket.
It is further speculated that the Southwest is targeted as the theatre of intrigues and manipulations in the belief that it should be the rightful zone to produce the next Presidential candidate for the party. At the same time, however, it is also believed that there are Northern interests in the ticket within the CPC/ANPP bloc. However, the APC may lose lose out were the North to cling to power beyond 2023.
Understandably, two battles are already brewing in the Southwest. On the one hand, the zone is the focus of intrigues by Northern interests. On the other hand, various interests within the zone are being played against each other.
We may have been witnessing the interplay between the two battles in the form of unauthorised 2023 posters, unfounded rumours, and spurious allegations. There surely will be more to come against notable Southwestern targets suspected to be interested in 2023.
The fear is that the party may well be on the road to perdition, if care is not taken early enough before it is torn apart by factionalism, ethnic strictures, and the cleavages of religion as these are overlaid on the political ambition of certain individuals within the party.
The disintegration of the party will be a sad legacy for President Buhari. He may be viewed as the leader of the party, who looked away as the party faltered and splintered under his feet. He may be viewed as an ingrate for whom the party toiled for two consecutive elections but who did not care once he secured a second term.
He must act swiftly to avoid this image, by preventing a free-for-all fight between the North and the South for the 2023 ticket. And he must protect his VP against this fight.
