The ruling All Progressives Congress is a party that is in need of a leader who deals in hope. It is no longer news that George Akume, a former governor of Benue State is one of the frontliner who is interested in contesting for the position of the National Chairmanship of the party.
Regarded by many as a square peg in a square hole. He is today, the best man for the job.
Not many politician contesting for this plum position has the resume as rich as the former governor of Benue state. No wonder, even though, he has not publicly declared his intention to contest for this position, many are of the view that the APC which is in dire need of repositioning, needs Akume as the best man for the job.
It is self evident that Akume would run a smart and vibrant campaign for this position when he accepts to contest and would also run a smart and vibrant administration when voted in as the Chairman of the APC, because for those who knows him, he is a smart and vibrant politician.
Akume possesses the top qualities required to be the next Chairman of the party. The leadership qualities he would bring with him as Chairman of the APC are many and inexhaustible, but to mention some that are germaine in leading the APC to victory as the party forges ahead, includes:
Akume understands the messages encapsuled in the Constitution and ideology of the party. He as National Chairman knows that his job did not include forming any policy thrust for the party, he would gardly be a liability for this.
He would hardly even be seen ruminating publicly about public policy. Akume would as Chairman only be seen echoing the position of the president, who is the leader of the party.
This would be a complete departure from the past where party chairmen are in conflict with the president over policy issues.
Akume as the APC Chair will deliver to the party the demonstrative mastery of machine politics and proving in the process effective as a fixer-footsolder to the party.
Akume did not jump just quickly to national politics. He has been there since 1999 as first, the executive governor of Benue State from the State Civil service where he was a Permanent Secretary.
He left after eight years as governor. He won his elections to become a two term Senator.
There is a growing call for the APC to look moving forward, on the issue of character, charisma, experience and most importantly charm in its choice of its new National chairman.
If and when George Akume decides to compete to be the next National Chairman, I think he feels the bill perfectly because he possesses all these attributes mentioned above.
The APC who has now finally rolled out the date for its national convention to elect and put in place national officers to steer the affairs of africa’s largest party. These officers are members of party’s national working committee; the highest decision making arm of the party after the national convention and national executive committee.
Also, it is expected that words would come out from the party on where the officers of the various offices would come from, but many believes that as a party formed on the foundations of equity and justice, the zoning formular would be obeyed.
Given the consensus that the expected successor to the present President Muhammadu Buhari should come from the South, it is natural that the post of the National Chairman of the party comes from the north, with particular emphasis on the north central zone.
Aside zoning, APC leaders and supporters are uncertain about what to look out for in electing a new National chairman. There are those who believes that experience in administration should count. That any aspirants to the office of the National Chairman should have the proven records of a great administrator of men and resources.
Such an aspirant, this school of thought believes, must have held a noteworthy political office, like that of a governor or its equivalent. George Akume has the requisite experience as a former governor of Benue state. He is also imbued with fresh ideas which is a radical departure from the past approach and a pragmatic and systematic approach to the future type of leadership.
Chief George Akume when he becomes the National Chairman has the mien to be a bridge between the centrifugal and centripetal forces between the old and new brigades in the party.
Akume as an amiable person would bridge the interplay between this forces for the good of the party. The party this time around does not need a gritty person as national chairman but an amiable aggrandiser of persons rather than an aggravator as Chairman and Akume fits the bills.
If what we need at this point in time is an amiable, cool head, experienced and hardworking National Chairman to heal the wounds in the party – Akume is the man and way to go.
It is important for the APC as a party to continue its winning ways all over the county.The party which is today regarded as the largest party in Africa must re-oil its winning machine through ideas and leadership vision.
The ideals of the founding fathers, if it must be fulfilled and realized through leadership, then George Akume is the answer.
Political parties and platforms all over the world are regarded as veritable tools to provide leaderships at all levels of government.
The APC is in dire need of improvements in its leadership recruitment processes and the whole world is watching starting from this conventions the type of leadership through ideas that will be elected to steer the party to victory.
George Akume is known as a winner. He is not a neophyte in the political contestations. The man is highly skilled in persuasive politics and this is his high point as a politician.
APC needs a winner and George Akume is the man.
Unlike politicians who prefer desperate schemes. George Akume is known as a man who prefers fence mending resolutions to all members of the APC. He sees members of the party as a family and the leaders as parents. To Akume, the party is always supreme and everyone must be given the platform and never excluded in using the party, as enshrined in its constitution, as a platform to achieve their political dreams.
If we must as a duty, keep and nurture the APC as a political party, not for its sake, but ours as members. We must make sure by fighting to make the seed of this great party, planted and nurtured by its founding fathers yield the needed fruits. Party platforms all over the world are founded on some basic tenets and I think, it is important at this juncture of our party nurturing for growth, we must begin to review other progressives party in the world and imbibe the lessons of their parties strength and growth potentials.
George Akume is a pure democrat who would allow the democratic tenets to reign supreme in the decision making process. That is why the APC needs him now as party chairman at the national level.
Today, there are many roadblocks to the reformation and nurturation of democratic tenets in the APC.
We need a Chaiman in the mould of George Akume to fix the rot in the party nationally. It is a fact that nationally, there is a growing discontentment among members because of the alledged injustices of the past. The party must have a direction or succintly put, the old negative, corrupt and inept direction of the PDP, must not be inherited into the party and so, the APC needs a stabiliser and George Akume is the man.
Alhaji Usman Adams writes from Abuja and can be reached on: muswady7424@gmail.com
