Northern Youth Group Rejects Consensus, Seeks Emergence of Al-Makura as APC Chairman

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The Alliance of Northern Progressive Youths (ANPY) has warned the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) against imposing any candidate as the national chairman of the party in the name of consensus or presidential endorsement during the party’s national convention on March 26.

The alliance, which is made up of APC National Youth Vanguard (APCNYV), APC Youth Parliament, Arewa Youths Alliance (AYA), Partners for National Youths Development (PANAYD) and Arewa Youth Assembly for Good Leadership (AYAGL), issued the warning in Abuja at the weekend in support of the party’s chairmanship ambition of former Governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Tanko Al-Makura.

It specifically warned against shutting out Al-Makura from the contest and asked the APC to purge itself of plot to impose any candidate, which could lead to disaffection within the party ranks.

The Director, Gender and Governance, ANPY, Ms. Amina Lawi Wakawa, accused the party of grand conspiracy to rig out the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) bloc from the power equation of the party’s leadership.

Wakawa said it would amount to injustice for APC to endorse as chairman someone who was not among the forces that coalesced into the merger that produced the ruling party in 2015.

She said the northern youth coalition believed that President Muhammadu Buhari, as a man of integrity, would not impose or support the imposition of any candidate on the party.

“APC as the ruling party must ensure internal party democracy with a view to deepen democratic culture in the country and the party should not entrust the leadership of the party in the hands of those who fought democracy and the party during its formative days in the country,” she said.

She stated that Al-Makura stood with the president right from the CPC days, noting that it would be a travesty of justice to disallow him the opportunity to contest the position, given that all the other power blocs have produced the party’s Nnational chairman except the CPC.