By Eki David Greg, MKO
UGHELLI, DELTA STATE - As the All Progressives Congress, APC, warms up for crucial primaries across Nigeria, the party stands at a crossroads: consensus or crisis. The rush to anoint consensus candidates without clarity, consultation, and candor threatens to fracture the foundation the party fought to build. Leaders must tread with tact, not impose with impunity.
WHAT THE ELECTORAL LAW STATES ON CONSENSUS
The Electoral Act 2022 is unambiguous. Section 84(9) provides that a political party that adopts a consensus candidate _shall secure the written consent of all cleared aspirants for the position, indicating their voluntary withdrawal from the race and their endorsement of the consensus candidate.
Section 84(9)(a) adds a critical caveat: Where no such consensus is obtained, a direct or indirect primary shall be conducted.
Translation: Consensus is consent, not coercion. No signatures, no consensus. No agreement, no anointment.
THE DANGER OF BACKROOM DEALS
Today, some leaders are consensing without the consent of aspirants. They convene in caucuses, craft candidates in corners, and expect aspirants to accept in silence. That is not consensus; it is conspiracy draped in party colors.
When leaders choose selfishness over statesmanship and bias over balance, they divide the house they claim to defend. A party built by many cannot be run by a few. The broom must sweep together, not splinter.
SEEK THE ASPIRANTS, NOT JUST THE ELITES
True consensus is consultation before conclusion. Leaders must seek the opinions of all cleared aspirants, listen to the pulse of the people, and weigh the weight of the ward. Politics is local. Popularity is earned on the pavement, not pronounced from the podium.
If one aspirant commands the confidence of all others, let them sign. If not, the party must not force a false peace. If aspirants fail to step down for a particular aspirant, then direct primary should be conducted.
WHY DIRECT PRIMARY IS THE BEST TEST
Direct primary is democracy in its rawest form. It is the acid test of acceptability. It drags aspirants from the comfort of caucuses to the court of the common man. It asks the hard questions:
1. Does the person have street credibility or just structure?
2. Is the person loved at the grassroots or just liked by the godfathers?
3. Can the person command a crowd without cash?
Direct primary separates social media senators from street generals. It rewards those who have watered the wards, not just those who watered the wallets of leaders. It exposes pretenders and enthrones the people’s choice.
THE WAY FORWARD FOR APC LEADERS
1. Obey the Law: No written consent from all aspirants, no consensus candidate. Period.
2. Reject Bias: Leaders must be arbiters, not actors. Selfish selection will scatter the sheep.
3. Test with Direct Primary: When doubt exists, let the delegates and party members decide. Ballots are better than backroom deals.
4. Preserve Party Unity: A primary lost is better than a party lost. The goal is 2027, not just today.
The APC broom is strongest when its strands stay together. Consensus without consent is a cord that will cut. Let leaders listen, let aspirants agree, and where they do not, let the people pick.
Consensus can heal, but only when it is honest. Direct primary can divide, but only when the process is dishonest. APC must choose transparency over tension, and the grassroots over godfatherism.
*No more coronation without consultation. No more selection without signatures. Let the popular, not the powerful, prevail.
