There is a noticeable pattern in the just concluded ward and local government congresses of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC across the country.
It has been carefully observed that founding leaders of the party are gradually losing grip or control of the party in their various States.
In the states these founding leaders come from, the party structure are being taken over by State Governors, except in Lagos State where the prevailing dynamics seems to be intriguing.
This has put some of the founding leaders and their supporters on the edge of the party.
In Lagos State, national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is on the verge of completely losing out in controlling the party structure, which he had maintained a firm stronghold for a long time.
Tinubu, nicknamed the Jagaban of Lagos, has temporarily lost the party structure in Lagos State, to group called Lagos4 Lagos, a movement championing equality and a level playing ground among members of the party in the State.
The ward and local government congress held by this movement was recently endorsed by the Caretaker Extra ordinary convention planning Commitee, CECPC last week, which implies they are now in control of the 20 local government chapters in Lagos State.
In Imo State, a similar scenario has played out with another founding leader of the party and former governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha, losing the party structure to Governor Hope Uzodimma.
Okorocha had led a faction of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA to merge with ANPP, ACN and the New PDP to form the APC in 2015.
Okorocha and his men had boycotted the ward and local government Congresses, after they had stayed away from the party’s membership and revalidation exercise.
With the ratification of the ward and LGA Congress by the national leadership of the party last week, Okorocha, alongside another top member of the APC in the State, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume have lost the party structure to Governor Hope Uzodimma.
In Ebonyi State, it is a ding dong situation as the camps of Governor Dave Umahi and Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, are involved in a battle of supremacy for the party structure.
Onu is a founding leader of the APC having led the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, to be part of the merger in 2015.
The Umahi/Onu camps lay claim to the party structure at the ward and local government levels.
The State Congress will determine which camp eventually takes over Ebonyi State chapter of the APC,though political indices point in favour of the Ebonyi State Governor.
In Ogun State, Governor Governor Dapo Abiodun and his predecessor Senator Ibikunle Amosun are still at loggerheads and both the wards and the local governments congresses in the state still confirmed the animosity they have for each other.
They both held parallel congresses, but from the look of things Governor Abiodun had an edge over Amosun as the former governor’s parallel congresses were not recognized.
The Local Government Congress Committee of the (APC) to conduct the congress in Ogun State said a parallel event by a group within the party would not be recognised.
Amosun was among State governors of the ACN which joined the merger with the ANPP, CPC and a faction of APGA to form the APC in 2015.
