If you ask several people to tell you what they think the broom, which is the symbol of the All Progressives Congress (APC) stands for, they are more than likely to give you several answers. And some of their responses can be as bizarre as they are outrageous. When the All Progressives Congress was formed on February 6th, 2013 in anticipation of the 2015 elections and subsequently hit national consciousness with its very unique symbol, the broom, a lot of people did not know what to make of the symbol. Yet, its popularity continued to grow in leaps and bounds. Every serious member of the APC had his or her broom which they held proudly in the air whenever they met. At political rallies, hundreds of thousands of brooms were always jostling for space in the air. Some even took thing a notch higher by branding their own brooms in the APC colours. Indeed, they could be a stunning sight to behold at party rallies. From the national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to the national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, to the governors and senators, down to the lowest ranking member of the party, everyone had his own special APC broom. Yet, not many understood what the broom stands for. One of the general interpretations of the APC broom is that it was meant to sweep the then ruling party, PDP, out of power. Followers of the APC insisted the PDP government was fraught with so much corruption and rot that stank from the very top of the government to the bottom and so had to be swept out of power because of the pain and hardship they were causing Nigerians. Some others had a different perception of the broom. They believed it was also meant to mercilessly whip the PDP who had displayed gross ineptitude and incompetence, while in office, out of power. As far as others are concerned, the broom is nothing but a symbol. It is what distinguishes them as members of the APC and differentiates them from the PDP.
But the concept of the broom as the symbol of APC is much stronger than that. At the birthday and public presentation of Chief Olusegun Osoba’s book, BATTLE LINES: ADVENTURES IN JOURNALISM AND POLITICS, held at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, the APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, gave a deeper meaning to the concept of the broom. While speaking on the issue of insecurity in the country, the Jagaban Borgu urged Nigerians to work for national unity, pointing out that the broom, which is the symbol of the APC, advertised the unity in our diversity. Asiwaju said, “instead of using our diversity for prosperity, we have continued to use it for division, either of tribe or religion. Let’s stop it.”
Asiwaju further explained that the APC draws strength from the unity of the broom. He said, “If you pick up sticks of broom and join them together, they can never be of same length. You will have to cut them all to same size. And when you hold them together, they become stronger. But when you separate them, they become smaller and weak.” He advised that Nigerians have to come together and stay strong together, as exemplified by the symbol of the APC–the broom.
WALE LAWAL
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