The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) is currently Nigeria’s second largest political party controlling Lagos, Osun, Ekiti and Edo states, the last three by virtue of court judgments which restored to ACN victories earlier credited to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). ACN was founded essentially by former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar who used it as a platform for contesting the presidency in 2007 before returning to PDP to seek its nomination in 2011. It is interesting that in 2007 and 2011, all the four individuals on the ACN presidential tickets have strong roots in the PDP-Atiku’s running mate, Senator Ben Obi (who also returned to PDP) was a PDP Senator and Special Adviser to the National Security Adviser;
Nuhu Ribadu was appointed EFCC Chairman, served in the Obasanjo economic team and was influential in PDP internal politics especially the 2007 primaries; and Fola Adeola his running-mate was Obasanjo’s nominee to Blair Commission, and was appointed Transcorp CEO and Pension Commission Chairman by Obasanjo. He also considered a Senatorial campaign on the platform of the PDP. In this election, many ACN governorship candidates are also straight from the PDP! While some (such as Ibikunle Amosun in Ogun and Senator Mbu Jnr) may be considered “progressives”, it is difficult to attach such label to Abiye Sekibo in Rivers State; ex-Governor Saminu Turaki in Jigawa; Senator Ifeanyi Araurume in Imo and many other PDP decampees across the nation that the ACN has handed governorship and legislative tickets to!!!
This trend illustrates the ideological confusion that has seemingly engulfed the ACN with the implication that in spite of posturing and propaganda, it has not sufficiently differentiated itself in the political space, at least based on rational and sincere analysis!!! However the party seems to have done one significant thing right-its selection of Babatunde Raji Fashola as Lagos State Governor has been prescient, and Fashola’s performance is undisputable evidence of progressive politics and administration that the ACN can hold forth. Tinubu during his governorship, was self-assured enough to assemble a first-class cabinet, second to none in Nigeria, and developed policy templates which enabled his successor to hit the ground running. Beyond these, the ACN stands guilty of all the problems afflicting Nigerian politics and is often worse in internal democracy than the others!
Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the ACN presidential candidate is 50 years old. He graduated in law from Ahmadu Bello University in 1983; was called to the Nigerian bar in 1984; earned a Masters Degree in Law, also from ABU and commenced a career as a police officer. Ribadu was nominated by Atiku Abubakar and appointed by Obasanjo as Chairman of the newly-formed Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2003 and re-appointed (and also promoted to Assistant-Inspector General of Police) in 2007. Both promotion and re-appointment did not stand as the government of Umaru Yar’adua incited by Ribadu’s former foes got him removed as EFCC boss, demoted to Assistant Commissioner of Police and dismissed from the force. President Jonathan restored his rank and converted the dismissal to retirement when he became substantive president!
Ribadu had a fruitful but controversial time at EFCC. To his credit, for the first time in Nigeria, it seemed that corruption had consequences! On the other hand, it is accurate to add that this was true, particularly if you were an adversary of Ribadu’s then boss, Obasanjo!!! It was unfortunate that Ribadu often allowed the EFCC to be used as a tool of political persecution-to blackmail state legislators into supporting controversial impeachments of state governors or produce advisory lists of indicted politicians which Obasanjo attempted to use to frustrate politicians whose ambitions he did not support. Nevertheless Ribadu’s courage and passion for the job won him support from many Nigerians, including this columnist.
However Ribadu cannot wave away the moral questions raised by his running on the platform of the ACN whose leader he had publicly criticised for corruption and who appears to have since developed deep business links with the Chagourys whose role in Nigerian corruption Ribadu is aware of! When Ribadu claims that the PDP has embezzled $300million, he raises the question as to how much of this was between 2003 and 2007 when it was his job to prevent or detect such behaviour, and how much of this was stolen by his close friends within the government. When Ribadu’s running-mate calls PDP, “poverty development party”, it is legitimate to ask if pension reforms were part of that process of developing poverty! Ribadu has developed a well-written manifesto focused on human capital development (health; education; women; and social security); economic management; corruption and governance; Niger-Delta; power and infrastructure and agriculture etc and selected a very good running-mate Mr Fola Adeola, former GTBank CEO, who could help him execute those plans.
All things considered, I personally doubt that Ribadu has the temperament and maturity required to function successfully as president of Nigeria! I score him 6 for personal qualities; 6 on vision and leadership; 6 for policy platform and manifesto; 7 on economic management; 6 on anti-corruption; 6 for international relations; 6 on national unity and stability; 4 on democracy and institution-building; 5 for human rights, press freedom and open society; 7 for administration and execution and 7 bonus marks for his running-mate totalling 66 out of a possible 110 marks.
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