THE motto of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is “Justice, Peace and Unity”. Motto as a concept, is beyond sloganeering though deploying it most times, especially in English language, comes as a catchphrase for rhythm sake. 

There are multiple perceptions to defining motto but the most appealing to me and probably most applicable in the context of use here is the dictionary definition that renders it, as “a short sentence or phrase that expresses a rule for sensible behavior”.

There is also a broader definition of motto, being “a short sentence or phrase expressing a belief, purpose, ideal or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, organisation or institution”. 

Etymologically, motto is Italian, derived from Latin’s muttum which in English translation is any of “a mutter, a grunt, a mumble or a murmur”. By the 15th century when it came into English usage, its meaning from the Latin days, had obviously been expanded. It is no longer what you grunt or just mumble, but something that should speak to the very essence of what or who you are projecting. Latin’s “muttum” is close to the mutum in Hausa’s babban mutum, which means a great man or an influential man. Latin’s muttum may be speaking to some ordinariness in communication, but its “twin” around here is conveying importance, just like the anglicized version. 

If motto is to express a rule for sensible behaviour, then the Lagos chapter of the ruling party, which is also the ruling party in the state, may not have been following its own rule for sensible behaviour, which is the tripod of “justice, peace and unity” in the handling of its business , especially the just-done nomination of candidates for the July local government election in the state. More than a week after the so-called primary election at the party’s Acme state secretariat, the public has yet to know peace, as disgruntled party members daily flow into the street protesting what they have termed a disgusting fraud, in varying coinages, expression and petitions. 

The conduct of the what should be the party’s internal affair, was so allegedly flawed that protests erupted almost simultaneously in all council areas, despite the handlers centralizing the exercise, possibly to achieve certain end. 

The party leaders, reportedly entrusted with the exercise by President Bola Tinubu, were alleged to have been so shameless in the naira and kobo, trade-by-barter bazaar that preceded and dominated the process, that at a point the president switched off his phone in anger, after hearing enough of sleazy stories from his base. Did someone say they learned from the master? 

Aggrieved aspirants and their supporters also flooded the social media, with my phone soaked and dripping with various “video evidence” sent me by those protesting the outcome. I confess at this point that I had a dog in the game, but my person has moved on after his victory was handed an opponent with dodgy academic credentials and now made to play second fiddle. The so-called apex leader of the party in his local government played a fast one on him. While pretending to be pushing his case when it was obvious that he was the ilu nfemi loye (preferred candidate) of the people, the former senator was all along wheeling and dealing elsewhere for his son, who he obviously couldn’t bring out in his base. By the time the final candidate list was printed and advertised in The Nation newspaper owned by the president, his son’s name had surfaced in a faraway council area where the leader has zero political presence, further rekindling the suspicion he deliberately left his backyard open to be raided by an outsider, so he could play away elsewhere, to the shock of my person, who all along, had held the former senator a beacon of fidelity. 

The question is how do politicians sleep when they complete this kind of shenanigan? How do they still look associates and subordinates they sell off in the eye? Does treachery not have a bitter taste to these people, especially the old men who enjoy the ignoble kola of their so-called politicking? My person would have possibly backed his thrown-away son (currently holding a state appointment) for their LG seat if the old man had levelled up with him from the very beginning about his desire to also enthrone a family member like other so-called leaders did during the exercise, state-wide. But the wily old man led him on like a cruel groom who already knew he would abandon the bride at the altar, to really pepper her as the street will capture abandonment pain. 

It was learnt that the president who has always been the undisputed leader of the ruling clique since 2002 after dislodging the Afenifere leadership in the state, put the old men in the GAC  in charge of the process, but they allegedly lost control because of their greed to keep almost all in the family. Even at that, practically most of them got their children or handpicked relatives in, save those on the chainsaw of the president for their alleged roles in the legislative coup that almost toppled his boy, Obasa. Even the Speaker was reportedly constrained to trade away his support for some aspirants in other local councils, to secure his Agege base, to the chagrin of his backyard opponents who have also taken to the streets.

That the primary process was fractious isn’t news. Since any ruling party (even a mushroom one) in a given state conducting council poll, is certain to clear all the council areas as the disturbing trend has shown, tickets of the ruling party are gold cards straight to the victory owambe.  All the 57 fellows picked by APC are just awaiting their coronation. Who doesn’t want “sure banker”. The main question those on the street are asking the party leadership reportedly behind the so-called “consensus list” that eventually emerged, is why selling nomination form to all aspirants at the exorbitant rate of N5 million with another N500,000 as administrative fee when they knew from the very beginning they were settling on a so-called Unity List? And to think they aren’t refunding the angry aspirants who were schemed out of play.  Isn’t that fraud? 

Two, is Lagos APC saying qualified children of non-influential parents and family trees can’t aspire to represent their communities ever again, with the way the 57 council areas have been distributed to the so-called leaders, including term-restricted LG incumbents, when the grassroots administration is supposed to be for the people by the people? 

Now that the entire council administration is in the pockets of these old men and their so-called Abuja pointsmen, where is the hope for accountability and probity considering they have the ears of the president who in real sense oversees the anti-corruption agencies. 

Since the Supreme Court has ruled that how political parties conduct their internal affairs is their business, the ruling party can arrange its house the way it likes in Lagos or elsewhere but it is the people that should be angry enough to say o to ge (enough is enough) to this jeun soke, jeun sapo, apapin (state capture) nonsense.