APC: Group Advocates Balancing, Kicks against Basiru’s  Bid for Secretary

Raheem Akingbolu

A group within the All Progressives Congress (APC), has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all leaders of the party to ensure balancing in the party’s structure at the national level.

The group, under the aegis of Campaign for United Nigeria, Religious and Political Tolerance (CUNRPT), said that it is unhappy with the story making the rounds that Senator Ajibola Basiru has been anointed to assume the office of secretary of the party.

Both the immediate chairman, Senator Adamu Abdullahi and Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore had resigned few days under unclear circumstances.

Their resignation had created vacuum within the highest organ of the party.

The situation, has been causing some ripples, leading to speculations of intra-party dispute in the ruling party.

While it is being rumoured that the immediate former Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullah Ganduje, had been tipped to step in as the new chairman, immediate spokesman of the 9th Senate, Basiru, was said to be favoured as the new secretary.

Reacting to the rumour in a statement made available to newsmen at the weekend, CUNRPT said that it is most unfortunate the moves by some chieftains of the party routing for Basiru to emerge as the new secretary.

A statement signed by the Chairman of CUNRPT, Mr. Godwin Osagie, and Secretary, Mr. Christopher Omoruyi, said that though the office of secretary of the party was zoned to South-west and micro-zoned to Osun State, it would be intolerance for Basiru, a Muslim to emerge as the secretary of the party.

The group said that a situation where both the president and vice president are Muslims and the likely party chairman is also a Muslim, that rumour if it comes through would portray the party to be seen as breaking its rule of tolerance and inclusivity

The statement reads in part: “We, an interest group within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), are unhappy with the leadership of our party for ‘anointing’ a former Senator Ajibola Basiru, to replace Senator Iyiola Omisore, who resigned as the National Secretary of the party. Omisore resigned his position as the national secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC).

“Omisore’s resignation threw the secretary position open. Originally, the APC’s national secretary was zoned to South-west, and it was micro-zoned to Osun State. With the exit of Otunba Omisore, the position is still exclusively available for South-West, Osun State to be filled.

“We are aware of the move by some leaders and stalwarts of the APC in Osun State to replace Omisore with Senator Ajibola Basiru, who was the spokesperson of the 9th Nigerian Senate. We had believed it was a political kite; for we know the office of the national secretary of a ruling political party comes with maturity, candor and humility.”

The statement added: “It is both inappropriate and completely insensitive to have Muslims as the national chairman and secretary of APC as being proposed, especially when the president and vice president are both Muslims.

“It took so much efforts to survive the presidential Muslim/Muslim ticket. God knows what it would cost the APC and Nigeria at large to have a Muslim chairman and Muslim secretary.

“It is an open fact that the present federal government is already lopsided, religious wise. Fairness, equity and justice do not support that arrangement (Muslim/Muslim as national chairman and secretary).

“It will be insensitive to the Christian-APC members across Nigeria to have Muslim as a national chairman and another Muslim as a national secretary.

“We cannot have a united Nigeria when a religion is dominating every sensitive office in both the government and political party.

“Without sanding immodest, Senator Ajibola Basiru is not blessed with the temperament needed for a sensitive position of national secretary.

“Apart from being a commissioner and a senator, Basiru is not with any strong progressive tendency antecedent that should attract being given the national secretary of the APC on a platter of gold.

“We note that it was the unusual phenomenal promotion given him by Aregbesola that catapulted him thus far.

“We all know that Osun APC is in deep crisis, which led to the avoidable defeat of the party.

“Available record shows that Senator Ajibola Basiru is a major player in the Osun APC crisis.

“Thus, it will be very difficult for the APC to resolve the crisis in Osun with a character like Senator Basiru at the national secretariat.”

The group added that former Governor Gboyega Oyetola, being from the Osun Central Senatorial District, political sense to have the party’s national secretary from the same zone.

The group, therefore urged the party leadership to consider another senatorial district to produce the secretary.

“The APC should consider other senatorial districts for the national secretary position. Again, it will be unfair to have Muslim/Muslim as minister and national secretary of APC from Osun, who also will be a Christian.

“While we are not contesting that Osun APC should produce a new national secretary, we make case for a suitable alternative, somebody that will be a unifying factor for the party in the state.

“Specifically, APC should consider a Christian for religious balance and somebody with antecedent, an urbane personality with good social mix.”

The group further demanded that Omisore’s zone should be allowed to produce the secretary of the party.