There is a fierce battle among various interest groups jostling to produce the national chairman of the All Progressive Congress, APC ahead of the February 26 convention. APC governors and lawmakers are said to be sharply divided on the mode of primary to adopt to elect the third substantive national chairman of the party and other executive members.
While some insist on direct primary, despite the fact that efforts to include it in the amended Electoral Bill suffered set back as President Muhammadu Buhari vetoed the bill and returned it to the National Assembly, some powerful forces within the party are bent on the mode, arguing that if the party could adopt direct primary to elect Buhari for second term election in 2019, the party should adopt the same in February.it
was gathered the faction of the governors have expressed a preference for indirect
primary, knowing full well that they have absolute control of delegates from
their states that will vote at the convention while another group is routing
for consensus option to avoid crisis after the convention. President Buhari’s
pronouncement during an interview with Channels Television that he has a
favourite among the presidential aspirants has made many stakeholders
uncomfortable with consensus option or affirmation, which may impose the
President’s “favourite” aspirant on the party.
This
is the premise of concern that has gotten Asiwaju’s boys in power to sit up and
contend with the existing system, knowing fully well that the style of primary
will be determined by the chairman who will assume authority in February. The
race to field a suitable candidate for the chairmanship has now begun.
Currently,
there are 11 aspirants jostling for the post but there are 4 major contenders,
who have been favoured ahead of the rest. The 11 aspirants have been going
around the country to sell themselves to members of the party. They include
former governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, former Governors of Nasarawa
State, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and Tanko Al Makura. Borno State also has two on
the list, former governors Ali Modu Sherrif and Senator Kashim Shettima. Former
Governor of Benue, Senator George Akume, former governor of Bauchi, Malam Isa
Yuguda, former governor of Gombe and Senator Danjuma Goje. Others include
Senator representing Niger State, Sani Musa, Sunny Moniedafe from Adamawa State
and Alhaji Salihu Mustapha from Kwara State. But sources within the party
disclosed that critical stakeholders in APC are already beaming their
searchlights on aspirants from the North-Central.
Of
the four candidates that are likely to emerge from the bid in February, it is
affirmed by a reliable source that Asiwaju has a closely-knitted relationship
with two of them. In the same manner, while the lawmakers are rooting for two
candidates, the governours are also tipping two other candidates.
A
few days ago, some of Buhari’s boys under the umbrella name of Stakeholders of
the All Progressives Congress claimed that they have adopted Mallam Saliu
Mustapha, as the zone’s unity candidate for National Chairman ahead of the
party’s convention in February. Mustapha is a former deputy national chairman
of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC).
The
49-year-old Mustapha is said to be the youngest of the aspirants vying for the
position of APC’s national chairmanship. He is a long-standing ally of
President Muhammadu Buhari right from the latter’s days in the defunct All
Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) through to the CPC. On the other hand, Asiwaju
Bola Ahmed Tinubu has also thrown his weight behind Chairman, Senate Services
Committee, Senator Sani Musa, Niger East. Asiwaju reportedly visited Senator
Musa in his Maitama, Abuja residence, and assured him that the contribution he
made to the party will not go in vain. According to Tinubu, Senator Musa will
surely be rewarded by the party following his contributions to the success of
the party in 2015.
Asiwaju
and his boys within the APC believe that Congress for Progressive Change, CPC,
bloc, has dominated the polity through the patronage of the defunct party’s
founder, President Muhammadu Buhari, and are hell-bent sensitive about
remaining relevant after 2023. This, according to reliable sources was what led
to the emergence of CPC’s only former governor, Senator Tanko Al-Makura, and
the 49-year-old Saliu Mustapha as the top contenders in the national
chairmanship race. A source in the old CPC bloc was also quoted as saying, “We
cannot fold our hands and allow Tinubu get the presidency and also get the
National Chairman”
Asiwaju’s
alleged candidate, Sani Musa is a 54-year old lawmaker representing the Niger
East senatorial district in the upper chamber of the National Assembly is
believed to have the support of some strong forces in the party, especially a
presidential aspirant that is already making waves across the country. Fondly
called, “Sani 313” by his political admirers. The chairmanship hopeful
represents the new political yearnings.
In
the cold war raging between the CPC and Pro Buhari and the CAN and Pro Asiwaju,
the selection of delegates for the event, which is slated for February 26,
2022, may be another source of crises in the party given the factionalization
of some state chapters. While Buhari’s boys are calling for a consensus,
Asiwaju’s boys are kicking against it
In
some states like Kano, Kwara, Gombe and Zamfara, some camps are loyal to
governors while others are led by some party chieftains. On the other hand,
Former governors of Borno and Benue States, Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff and Sen
George Akume were gathered to have kicked against consensus.
The
concern among those of the CPC bloc is that with Mr President out of the way in
2023, the party would effectively be in the hands of those from the defunct
Action Congress of Nigeria, CAN. Without a consensus arrangement, Tinubu is
likely to have his way at both the February 26 APC National Convention and its
forthcoming presidential convention. And yet again no one can predict the
Jagaban.
Both
Akume and Shettima are seen as close allies of Tinubu. While Shettima has not
come out to declare interest in the national chairmanship, Akume is strongly in
the race. Nobody understands Tinubu’s joker.
By
and large, the current political calculations are going in the direction of
Asiwaju, and the cabals are getting worried by the day. Every modality that has
been fashioned out to tame the Kingmaker eventually turns out to favour him.
Should the cabal fail to clinch the chairmanship slot in a matter of weeks,
Tinubu’s supporters will deliver the presidency to him through consensus,
indirect or direct party primaries.
-Joseph
Seun Emmanuel
0 Comments