The All Progressives Congress (APC) stormed onto Nigeria’s political scene in 2013 through a merger of Nigeria’s three largest opposition parties, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) - along with a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and a breakaway group from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), riding a wave of public discontent and promising a refreshing era of change, particularly an unwavering fight against corruption. “Corruption will be history,” they declared, their voices echoing across the nation. Fast forward to today, and the reality appears to be a stark, bewildering contrast. Instead of an association of progressives, many now question if the APC has, inadvertently or otherwise, become an “Association of Political Criminals” – a haven where past financial sins are conveniently forgotten, or at least strategically shelved, upon defection to the ruling party.
Let’s dissect this grand deception with a few glaring instances, shall we?
The Akpabio Effect: From EFCC Probe to Senate President’s Gavel
Consider the curious case of Godswill Akpabio, former Akwa Ibom State Governor. Once a prominent figure under the EFCC’s microscope, facing probes into alleged financial improprieties amounting to a staggering ₦108.1 billion, ₦1.4 billion, and issues related to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The air was thick with the scent of potential prosecution.
Then, presto! In August 2018, Senator Akpabio made the strategic leap from the PDP to the APC. And what a magnificent leap it was! Within months, the once-vociferous EFCC probes seemed to quiet down, fading into the background like a forgotten whisper. He ascended to the position of Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, and now, he wields the gavel as the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. One might sarcastically wonder if joining the APC comes with a magic wand that makes corruption charges disappear, or at least, become incredibly shy. A true “miracle of defection,” as some have dubbed it, where a change of party wardrobe apparently launders more than just clothes.
Orji Uzor Kalu: The Supreme Court’s Technicality Triumph
Next up, the saga of Orji Uzor Kalu, former Abia State Governor and now a serving Senator. His journey through the justice system was a long, winding one. Arrested by the EFCC in 2007, he endured a 12-year trial culminating in a conviction in December 2019, sentencing him to 12 years in prison for a ₦7.1 billion fraud. Justice, it seemed, was finally served.
But wait, the plot thickens! Kalu, having joined the APC earlier, experienced a rather convenient twist of fate. Just five months after his conviction, the Supreme Court, in a stunning turn, quashed his conviction not on the merits of the case, but on a mere technicality: the judge who delivered the verdict had been elevated to the Court of Appeal during the trial. Kalu was not acquitted; he was simply set free to face a new trial. The irony? That fresh trial has, predictably, remained largely elusive and unheard of, while Senator Kalu continues to enjoy the privileges of legislative power, representing his constituents in the hallowed chambers of the Senate. It begs the question: is the Nigerian judiciary playing a complex game of musical chairs, where the music stops just long enough for the right players to land safely within the APC’s embrace?
These instances, among others, paint a perplexing picture. The APC’s loud-mouthed anti-corruption campaign, which once resonated with such promise, now sounds increasingly like a hollow echo, drowned out by the convenient silence surrounding the past transgressions of its new, influential members. Is the party truly fighting corruption, or is it merely rebranding it for political convenience? The answer, for many discerning Nigerians, is becoming painfully clear.
