Senator Ali Ndume has said that the All Progressives Congress is not factionalised in any of its state chapters as is being reported.
Ndume, who represents Borno South in the Senate, said this at the News Agency of Nigeria forum on Sunday in Abuja, adding that the party was at peace and united across the federation.
He, however, admitted that the party might be having crisis in some of its state chapters, which he said, was normal in every political setting and even among families.
He said: “I do not think the party is factionalised in some of its state chapters as is being report.
“Yes, there are crisis in some state chapters, there is no doubt about that, but there is crisis everywhere, there is crisis every time, even in homes and families.
“It is normal, sometimes you have quarrel with your wife or one of your children there is crisis.
“If your wife refuses to talk to you or decide not to even cook for you, that does not mean you have a faction in your house.”
He maintained that it was normal, especially when interest came to bear at this critical time when politicians were looking for tickets to stand for elective positions in 2019.
Ndume added that naturally, in such a situation, there would be crisis, but stressed that the party`s leadership had the capability to address any crisis that came upon it.
He said the APC had the capacity and internal mechanism to get over any crisis that confronted it.
Citing the alleged crisis in Taraba and other state chapters of the party, Ndume said: “We will get over it”.
He added: “It is just that we are in the storming period now, where we are about to land and it is natural, but is not like we have faction.”
He expressed confidence in the leadership of Adams Oshiomhole, the APC National Chairman, saying that he had the ability to move the party forward.
He said Oshiomhole was committed and doing well, and putting all his energy into running the party.
Ndume said: “But of course, he is a human being, and when you have a unionist running a democratic institution or a party like the APC, then, there is a problem of balance between unionism and politics.
“That is one of the problems he is facing, and you know the Adams nature again, the union people, it is like every union leader normally is somebody that is extrovert, that talks much, that is it, but I think he is doing well.”
On the gale of recent defections, the Senator said it was unfortunate that the Nigerian political foundation was not built on political ideology which was supposed to be the first and the most important thing.
He noted that from 1979 to 1983, we had politics that had some kind of ideology, saying that while the then National Party of Nigeria was known to be some kind of conservative or capitalist, other parties were known to be more of a socialist.
Ndume said among this was the defunct People’s Redemption Party known to be more of a socialist party, adding that these days, political parties were just more of a platform.
He, however, added that it was only now that the APC was trying to move itself towards government of socialism or to progressive government as the name implied.
He said: “And as you can see now, the PDP is moving towards the ideology of capitalism or conservative people, this is happening a bit naturally, but this is supposed to be the first thing.
“The party is supposed to be set or based on ideology, that is why in all the parties, you do not hear anybody talking about manifesto or ideology, because they are not there in the first place.
“And therefore, cannot be referred to or deferred to in what the parties are doing.”
This, he said, was the reason most political parties, especially opposition parties, were playing trivial opposition and waiting for the party in government to do something that they could debate and lash on.
He, however, maintained that the only thing that was supposed to drive the democratic process was credible opposition which according to him, is presently lacking.
He said: “The PDP is trying to play that role, but they have issues of credibility, they are opposing, but they lack credibility to be opposition or a minority party so to say.”
