APC Govs Hold Crucial Meeting Today on Future of Party

•Buni-led committee meets Tuesday
•To submit convention schedule to Buhari this week

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Following the uncertainty over the National Convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which has tentatively been scheduled for February, a crucial meeting of the governors elected under the platform of the party will hold today to decide whether the exercise will hold or be postponed.

President Muhammadu Buhari had directed the National Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the APC headed by Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State to immediately prepare the timetable for the national convention.

The Buni-led committee will meet on Tuesday to prepare a schedule for the convention, which will be submitted to the president this week.

Also, amid the alleged claim that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has zoned its 2023 presidential ticket to the northern part of the country, the main opposition party yesterday restated that it had not zoned the ticket to any zone.

While some leaders of the APC such as the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu had urged Buni’s committee to postpone the National Convention to enable the conclusion of the nationwide reconciliation, others, including the Director-General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), Dr. Salihu Lukman, had written the party leadership, insisting that shifting the convention would destroy the party.

With Buhari’s directive that the Buni-led committee should submit clear details of the convention, the committee will meet on Tuesday to prepare the timetable and submit it to the president before Friday.

Today’s meeting of the governors, THISDAY learnt, will set the stage for the emergence of the presidential candidate of the party, the party’s national chairman and the gubernatorial candidates in the states.

A source close to the APC governors told THISDAY yesterday that the governors were divided on the issue of holding the convention next month.

According to him, some of the governors wanted the exercise to hold next month to ensure that reconciliations that may arise after the convention are fully addressed before next year’s general election.

“Some APC governors are of the view that there is enough time to give 21 days’ notice to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and hold the convention in February 2022.

“But other governors argue that the exercise should be postponed because there are crises in the states and the state executives are yet to be inaugurated. These governors are of the view that all the crises should be resolved before the convention,” he explained.

The source acknowledged that there are over 80 factions of the APC within the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to the source, “we have crises in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers, Kwara, Kano, Lagos, Ogun, Zamfara and other states.”

He further disclosed that the Ogun State chapter alone has three factions.
“The crisis rocking the Ogun State chapter of the party is mainly between the group loyal to Senator Ibikunle Amosun, and the faction led by Governor Dapo Abiodun which enjoys the confidence of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

“The third group in the state is loyal to former governor Aremo Olusegun Osoba, which isn’t affiliated yet to any of the two mainstream groupings. Lagos State chapter has five factions.

“The Ekiti State chapter of the party is also embroiled in factional crisis but the matter has become sub-judice, considering that the faction loyal to APC National Leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, is already in court, against the mainstream faction, loyal to Governor Kayode Fayemi.

“There are factions in Zamfara State led by former Governor Yari and Senator Marafa on one side and the governor, Mr. Matawalle Bello on the other side.

“We have a factional crisis in Delta and Anambra States. We also have many pending court cases and some governors believe that all these should be addressed before the National Convention,” he explained.

He further disclosed that following President Buhari’s directive, the Buni-led committee will meet on Tuesday to prepare the timeline for the convention as requested by the president.
“If the draft timetable is easily acceptable, a National Executive Committee (NEC) would be summoned and the zoning arrangement would be settled,” the source added.

He explained that the publicity, venue, accreditation finance and other committees would easily be addressed, adding that “all these depend on the outcome of the two meetings on Sunday (today) and Tuesday.”

We Have Not Zoned Presidential Ticket, PDP Tells Aliyu, Others

Meanwhile, following the alleged claim that the PDP has zoned its 2023 presidential ticket to the northern part of the country, the main opposition party yesterday restated that it had not zoned the ticket to any zone.

A former Governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu was quoted as telling the members of the Atiku Support Organisation on Friday that the PDP had zoned its presidential ticket to the northern part of the country.

Aliyu had reportedly told the members of the organisation who visited him in Minna that he was confident of the success of the group, stressing that the party’s decision was a result of the requests of members.

But in a swift reaction, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, in a statement issued yesterday, completely debunked the claims.

In the statement titled, ‘2023: We Have Not Zoned Our Presidential Ticket –PDP,’ the party said: “Its attention has been drawn to comments and speculations from certain individuals claiming that our party has zoned its presidential ticket to a particular part of the country.

“This is completely misleading as it does not in any way represent the position of our party.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the PDP emphatically and unequivocally states that it has not zoned its presidential ticket to any part of the country.

“The PDP is a political party founded on democratic principles and every action of the party, including zoning, is based on extensive consultations, discussions and consideration of all the issues as well as the various tendencies and interests across the nation, with the main objective of ensuring that the unity, peaceful co-existence and development of our nation are reinforced and promoted.

“The PDP, therefore, urges Nigerians, our teeming members and supporters to completely disregard the unfounded zoning claims as being peddled. Our party also cautions those behind the claims to desist forthwith.

“The PDP thanks Nigerians across the board for the overwhelming interest they have in our party as their sure platform to rescue and rebuild our nation from misrule and urges them to remain united and focused as we join forces for the task ahead,” the statement by Olugunagba explained.

Many northern governors and the 17 southern governors had thrown their weight behind the clamour for power shift to the southern part of the country in 2023 to ensure justice and fair play.

Some of the northern governors include Professor Babagana Zulum (Borno); Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina); Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna); Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano); Samuel Ortom (Benu) and Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), among others.

The southern governors under the leadership of the Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, had also, irrespective of political affiliation, given a strong position that power “must move to the South in 2023.”

Since 1999 when democracy returned under this dispensation, former President Olusegun Obasanjo governed from (1999-2007); the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua (2007 – 2010); former President Goodluck Jonathan (2010-2015); and President Muhammadu Buhari (2015-2023).

With the north completing eight years in 2023, it is expected that power will shift to the south.
However, some politicians from the north are working hard to retain power beyond 2023.