APC May Throw Chairmanship Open as Party is Yet to Reach Consensus Agreement

Adedayo Akinwale

In view of the national chairmanship crisis plaguing the All Progressives Congress (APC), there are fresh indications that the party might eventually throw the position open to calm some frayed nerves and also engender a level playing field.

This is as there were speculations that the zoning arrangement of the party might also be reviewed  if the Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, returned as Chairman, Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the party.

A chieftain of the party and former member of the National Executive Committee (NEC),who pleaded anonymity, told THISDAY yesterday that Buni might return to the zoning arrangement he prepared before the party was taken from him.

On the party positions zoned to South-south, he said the National Publicity Secretary, has been zoned to Delta and Edo; while the National Vice Chairman has been micro-zoned to Rivers and Bayelsa, and the National women leader, zoned to Cross Rivers and Akwa Ibom.

According to the source, “Now, what has been agreed is that states that already have NWC positions for the past two tenures will leave it for those that have not gotten. That is why Edo is leaving the position of National Publicity Secretary for Delta. Cross River is also leaving Women Leader to Alwa Ibom. Same thing applies to Rivers State, leaving the National vice Chairman for Bayelsa.

“Let’s wait till the chairman arrives, because I believe there might be changes. When people come with a coup like this, they come with their own ideas and all that. Just like the way they change the sub-committee for the convention.

“I believe that is what they would have done for the zoning too to favour what they want to do – their plan. I believe that there might be adjustments here and there. For now, we should just hold on till the chairman arrives.”

Asked if the date of the convention was not too close to be making adjustments, he said Buni would only revert to the zoning arrangement he made before he was pushed out.

He explained that the adjustment did not mean anything, adding: “It is just to go back to the status quo. There was an arrangement before now that these coup people, Yahoo, Yahoo governors, according to Rotimi Akeredolu tampered with. I think everything has to go back to the status quo.

Meanwhile, aides to some of the chairmanship aspirants from the North Central, have declared the readiness of their bosses to slug it out for the position, regardless of the different narratives being currently thrown around.

Director General of the Tanko Al-Makura Campaign Organisation, Mr. Alancha Dominic, said he knew that the president never endorsed his boss’ predecessor in officer, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, saying Al-Makura’s chances were as bright as God’s promise.

His words: “From the beginning, we knew that the president did not endorse Senator Abdulahi Adamu; that it was just media speculation and that position was clarified, when the S.A to the President on media, Femi Adesina also did a release.

“But the media keep on encircling that idea of the President endorsing Abdulahi Adamu. But I think this one has settled the issue of this Purported  endorsement. The President has come out clearly to say that he did not endorse Abdullahi  Adamu,” he added, even though his claim that the president has denied could not be verified.

On his part, the Coordinator of the George Akume Campaign Organisation, Mr. Simon Shango, has said his boss was not afraid of anybody as he was prepared for the contest, adding that he remained the preferred aspirant from the North-Central.

“The president himself has denied endorsing Abdulahi, that one is clear. As to whether they want to throw the race open to all the aspirants, we are in the race. We are not afraid of anybody. We know that we are prepared for the North Central

“We are prepared for the race, because we are the preferred aspirant. We are qualified and I know that the people of North Central will prefer our aspirant, because of what he has done to keep the party in the North Central and to also build a bridge between the north and the south,” he said.

Also speaking, a media aide to Saliu Mustapha, another aspirant, Mr. Dapo Okunbajo, said his principal was open to either consensus or indirect primaries to determine the national chairman of the party.

Okunbajo explained that, as a loyal party man, Mustapha never had any doubt about the national convention would hold and has always made it clear in all his media engagements.

In another development, a group, APC New Generation Forum, has thrown its weight behind the aspiration of Adamu.

National Coordinator of the group, Mr. Charles Ibiang, while addressing a press conference in Abuja stressed that as the 2023 elections approach,  there was a need for the APC to assemble the best minds under the most competent and experienced national chairman.

It noted that Adamu has the capacity to galvanize all centrifugal and centripetal forces internationally, nationally and locally to lead the ruling party to electoral victory come  2023.

“It was based on these premises, that the entire membership of the APC New Generation Forum, cutting across the 36 States and the FCT, hereby formally and publicly, endorses the candidature of His Excellency, Sen, Abdullahi Adamu, as the best option for the office of the APC National Chairman at this most critical time of the history of our great Party.”