Review… Five issues which show that APC is in trouble

 In from Ripples Nigeria . . .
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has been in power for almost a year and there are signs that all is not well within the party which made history last March when it became the first opposition party in Nigeria’s history to defeat a ruling party at the presidential level. From internal wranglings, to lack of funding, to discontent in the land, below are five issues which show that the APC is in trouble.
It’s all about the money
The APC is broke. That’s one of the biggest challenges. Unlike the former ruling party that was always awash with cash, the leadership of the APC has been unable to find a sustainable formula to fund its activities and run its operations. This is due to President Muhammadu Buhari’s politics which is averse to footing the party’s bills from government funds.

Even the national chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, admitted last month that the party was broke. He said they were working on plans which will be launched in a month or two to raise money from members. A meeting held between the leadership of the ruling party and the president in January ended with the president advising the party to think of ways to fund itself. Buhari does not want the APC to fall into the same ditch which ensnared the PDP when it began to use resources of the nation to fund its activities. But if the party is unable to find a way to raise money soon, it won’t be long before party members begin rumbling in public.
The APC is broke. That’s one of the biggest challenges. Unlike the former ruling party that was always awash with cash, the leadership of the APC has been unable to find a sustainable formula to fund its activities and run its operations.
Faster, faster, Mr. President
Another source of disquiet within the ruling party is that Buhari has continued with his snail-like pace in making crucial appointments. Everything about the Buhari administration takes time and the party faithful are getting impatient.  The president (in) famously waited six months before inaugurating a cabinet, which then led to the bungling of the budget proposal for 2016, as ministers did not have enough time to settle in and get their priorities right before the budget presentation deadline loomed. It did not take long for Nigerians to begin to dissect the shoddy work done in the budget. The embarrassment which the administration has suffered is a direct effect.
Now, Buhari is continuing to delay in appointing heads of boards of parastatals and federal agencies. Interestingly, the president’s sluggishness seems to be affecting APC state governors as well. Most of them waited until Buhari forwarded his own list to the senate before they sent names of commissioner-nominees to the state assembly. Just like the president, many governors have still not appointed heads of boards and even special advisers. This is a big source of concern for party members. The ‘spoils’ of their March 2015 victory needs to be shared and quickly too.
During the meeting of members of the Rivers APC with the National leadership of the party, they lamented over the fact that board members appointed by former president Goodluck Jonathan still held sway and were using the offices to ”victimise” APC members. Supporters of the party who worked for the party’s victory last year expect to be rewarded, and so far that is not happening. A key point to note is that a presidential committee on the reconstitution of federal government boards headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Babachir David Lawal, is yet to submit its report.
There are some who argue that the delay by Baba Go Slow (as Buhari is often called) in making the board appointments is because of the infighting within state chapters of the party. However that argument holds little water, as ultimately appointments are discretionary and President Buhari has the final say. Continue here http://www.ripples.com.ng/review-five-issues-which-show-that-apc-is-in-trouble/