The Latin expression, Nomen est Omen translates roughly in English to mean that a name is a sign. Otherwise stated, the character of a person or something is reflected in their name. Given the ongoing battle over rival claims to the APC abbreviation by three different groups, it is rather unfortunate that the coalition of opposition parties which first announced their merger under the name All Progressive Congress (APC) is allowing itself to be distracted from the urgent national imperative of creating a viable alternative platform for democratic governance that initially informed the merger. This need not be so. Instead of wasting time and resources in what eventually will be a protracted legal fracas that would distract them from their mission, the opposition should look for a new name for their party and move on.
With the logo of a hand holding a broom; a motto: “Justice, Peace and Unity” and “Change” as its slogan, the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP) and the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) announced a united front to challenge the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 Presidential elections. The new All Progressive Congress (APC), whose primary objective, as articulated by its promoters, is to save Nigeria from “the years of the locusts foisted on the country” was greeted with euphoria across the country, as an alternative to the PDP; which for 13 years has failed to live up to the peoples’ expectations.
But even before the All Progressive Congress (APC), was officially registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), a controversy erupted when INEC said it had earlier received an application from another group seeking to register a political party; the African Peoples Congress that has the same APC acronym as the All Progressives Congress (APC) merger of the opposition parties.
Against the backdrop of efforts by the leadership of the shadowy African Peoples Congress (APC) to clarify the public controversy over the identities of promoters of the group, a third group; All Patriotic Citizens, emerged to stake its own claim to the same (APC) abbreviation. With the All Patriotic Citizens (APC), and the African People’s Congress (APC), the yet to be registered opposition All Progressive Congress (APC) seems to be dogged in an identity crisis which threatens to derail and distract it. This is where the PDP wants the opposition to be in the countdown to 2015. The opposition should be smart enough to avoid this political booby trap.
When the opposition APC merger was announced, Huhuonline.com broke the story about a sinister plot being hatched by the Presidency and the PDP to torpedo the move by destabilizing any genuine efforts to form a united opposition front against Jonathan come 2015. Instructively, the opposition APC has dismissed the African Peoples Congress (APC) and the All Patriotic Citizens (APC), as fifth columnists and faceless groups, which to all intents and purposes, are acting out the script of the PDP. But instead of taking the high road, the opposition APC has vowed not to let go of the APC abbreviation without a fight to defend what they see as their “intellectual property.” This approach is pig-headed and wrong!
The opposition reaction is predictable; but it is borne out of anger and ill-advised. Fighting over the APC name betrays a lack of political sophistication by the opposition which raises fundamental questions about the level of their political maturity and their ability to govern. It also points to an uncompromising addiction to garrison politics and noisy, public grandstanding. Nigeria is in dire need of an alternative to the PDP, but this requires a viable and formidable platform of mobilization and organization, which, the APC merger holds out as a precursor to Nigeria becoming a two-party democracy, devoid of elite-driven identity do-or-die politics of abusive patronage and ethnic-inspired clientelism.
Going by the national effervescence the opposition merger initiative has generated, it is obvious that Nigerians genuinely want it to succeed. The onus is now on the opposition not to disappoint by engaging in counter-productive distractions like fighting over a name. Already, barely twenty four hours after unveiling its own headquarters, logo, manifesto and constitution, the African Peoples Congress (APC) claims it has uncovered plots by persons believed to be inspired by the opposition merger to attack and possibly eliminate its key officers. This is an ominous sign of things to come. It is a vicious political gimmick that can be employed by a desperate regime to use the law to disqualify opposition candidates, including future opposition presidential aspirants on the basis of frivolous lawsuits arising from the APC name fight that will be pending in courts as elections approach. This must not be allowed to happen.
Former Head of State and three times Presidential candidate, Gen Muhammed Buhari struck the right note when he suggested that, should INEC refuse to register the new opposition party, the parties in the coalition could choose to present a united front under the banner of an existing party in the merger. This is shrewd political dexterity and statesmanship that speaks directly to the higher noble ideals of a united opposition that can offer alternative perspectives of politics and governance for national development, beyond the mere expedient desire of ousting the PDP from power. Although the task of restoring Nigeria’s greatness requires a broad-based coalition that transcends current party divides, the point must, however, be made that just uniting against the PDP is certainly not an end in itself.
Contemporary history of Nigerian politics shows that the bane of sustainable coalition building amongst political parties has often been undermined by contentious issues such as zoning and power sharing, clash of personalities and ego-tripping, as well as interests. Instead of wasting time fighting over a name, the promoters of the current opposition merger should be working extra hard to avoid the pitfalls of previous experiences. They can pick any other name such as; the Nigerian Progressive Congress (NPC), the Nigerian Peoples Congress (NPC), or the All Nigerian Congress (ANC) which has a popular historical antecedent from South Africa. What is important is not the name; but the fact that all parties involved must be willing to make sacrifices where necessary, for the overall interest of the country. Let INEC, the PDP and Jonathan remain with the APC abbreviation; after all, what is in a name?
Huhuonline.com Editorial
