NNAMANI AND APC’S SEARCH FOR A STATESMAN

Ken Nnamani is the most dependable presidential hopeful, reckons AK Agbor 

“Political parties are on a hunt to search and destroy each other, as though we were in some kind of an enemy combat, rather than the work of statesmanship” 

– John Lewis 

As the All Progressives Congress (APC) begins its search for President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor, the dynamics of leadership recruitment should rather be the guiding principles of Nigeria’s progressive political party. One that will shepherd both the country and party in a more cohesive manner. Being the ruling party, APC is in a critical position in terms of crafting its message and campaign agenda for a better projection of her presidential candidate.  

To achieve that, it is imperative that APC would-be presidential candidate fits the bill from being a democrat, statesman to a bridge-builder with the institutional knowledge and understanding of how government works. The dynamics of the 21st century, amid the global Coronavirus pandemic, disruptive technology and social mobility do not have room for a president of a country like Nigeria to learn on the job. It should be someone with the requisite leadership skills and experience willing to build bridges, defend democracy and retool the economic growth of the nation as the front burner issue. 

Deep down, as the world evolves, Nigeria is confronting several layers of challenges that only a statesman is capable of providing practical answers; by diagnosing the problems first not through perception and political idiocy but by strategic critical thinking. One (a candidate) that has been sharpened through past leadership roles and reliable records in defence of democracy. Such should be a candidate within the mould of a democrat, statesman and who also understands the urgency of a market economy that pans to both the states and the needs of the have-nots. 

In interrogating the pile of presidential candidates filing out to run under APC, is Senator Ken Nnamani a possible presidential hopeful whose antics and antecedents fittingly square up to the bill? In unbundling that puzzle, there is need to set out a template for possible choice ahead of the APC’s presidential primaries. First, it is pertinent to zero on a candidate who plays cohesive politics – not division; one who understands President Buhari’s place in Nigeria’s history and the strategic role of APC as a ruling party. It is mandatory that such a candidate have a full grasp of state craft, international exposure to navigate global politics and diplomatic relations. Someone capable of overcoming and managing institutional bottlenecks occasioned by divergent needs of the three branches of government – the executive, legislature and judiciary. Such a presidential material should be one with an understanding of the dictates of the market economy, and capable of distilling pervasive obstacles confronting Africa’s biggest economy. 

If we are to proceed from the above template, a Ken Nnamani as APC presidential candidate has the global and national cloud to stir the party to a 2023 win. Not just on the basis of anticipatory projections, but based on track records and the presidential character imbued in him. Thus, the character of democracy, requires not just ordinary politicians, but committed democrats who are willing to dispel personal gains for the interest of the nation. A democracy built on strong institutions – as opposed to strong men should therefore be the expected endgame and goal.

Therefore, in conceptualizing the Nnamani’s candidature, his legendary intervention in saving Nigeria’s nascent democracy in 2007 remains a magnus opus – that points to a man unafraid of constitutional vandals during the Third Term debacle. Nnamani at the time had all the structures of power to cause the vandalism of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution – tinkering with two-term limit of eight years. The national vault was slit open; generals keyed in; the lawmakers instead of defending the Constitution smiled to the banks; civil society became muted; citizens in Paradise Lost; Nigeria’s democracy was on the verge of returning to dungeon and barracks, it was at that critical juncture that Nnamani rose to the elevated and vintage position of saving Nigeria’s democracy. He damned the consequences of a blackout, a witch-hunt and penury, for the love of country. 

If history is our guide, and at a time Nigeria is expected to face a new phase of its democratic survival, Nnamani can somewhat be the answer to APC’s search for a presidential hopeful. Not merely as a former Senate President, but as someone with the tenor, mien and rigour both in politics and the private sector. Added to that, Ken Nnamani’s disposition to building bridges across the Niger; repurposing the North and South partnership for a more brotherly bond makes him the most dependable presidential candidate in our ever changing polarized times. 

Nnamani, beyond building a vast national political machine is also a global figure whose international network will fetch Nigeria fortunes if the country can tilt its diplomacy to economy boom. His stay and experience with the private sector, and blend with the political class is a perfect combination that can converge both politics and business for common good. Given that economy runs the show in 21st century world, APC is in a better position to consider Nnamani as a a strategic aspirant capable of ensuring sustainable democracy and development in a post-Buhari Nigeria. 

What image do APC wants in a post-Buhari political environment? Granted, Africans generally want good leaders everywhere, but institutional contradictions have constantly disrupted the chances of positive change. One of such obstacles is the way and manner political parties are structured in Africa. APC can reset this poor trajectory by focusing and ensuring that its next presidential candidate combines the attributes of a democrat, statesman and global view of the world. How does APC counteract the narratives of marginalisation, inequality and injustice in today’s Nigeria, particularly as canvassed in the South East? How does the party prepare for modern state craft, multilateralism and globalization in the age of big data? Is Ken Nnamani the pivotal answer to APC’s dire need of reformation in facing the modern Nigeria? 

While it is the right of the APC to choose its presidential candidate, it is also critical to consider a character that is able to withstand and fight against state and civil failure and democratic deficits in whatever form. As Chris Thornhill rightly argued, the increasing pace of transnational normative elements undermining democracy demandsthatstates work hard on leadership recruitment and ensuring that democrats hold sway to power. After considering all the prevailing challenges confronting Nigeria, Ken Nnamani aptly fits the bill. The choice for a presidential candidate is that of APC; but the outcome will be consequential. Will APC look at the direction of Nnamani? Time and history are our guide. 

Agbor, a policy and political analyst, writes from Calabar, Cross River State