Ahead of its tomorrow’s national convention, former Governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, has emerged as consensus national chairmanship candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC .
However, the Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, and Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi has faulted the consensus arrangement.
Adamu, who was until recently the Chairman of the APC National Reconciliation Committee will be the third substantive National Chairman of the party, as he takes over from Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
APC bars political appointees from voting at national convention
Since Oshiomhole was sacked in June 2020, the party had been run by a 12-member caretaker committee led by the Yobe state Governor, Mai Mala Buni.
President Muhammadu Buhari had before now expressed his preference for a consensus arrangement and was reported to have endorsed Senator Adamu.
Fayemi challenges Buhari
Although Adamu’s candidacy was said to have been unanimously agreed to on Wednesday by Governors of the party at a meeting with the president, the Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi said he didn’t know about the president endorsing any candidate for chairman but if indeed it was so the Buhari he knows is a democrat and those who do not share the view may of course contest.
Dr Fayemi spoke on Thursday in Abuja at a ‘High-Level Policy Dialogue Themed: Whither Democracy in West Africa?’, organized by the Centre for Democracy and Development CDD West Africa.
While advising the youths to be the change they want to see, Fayemi said dislodging the status quo might be daunting but not insurmountable.
He said: “We will have to confront even our political party structures that are not doing enough. We are not doing enough. We can do a lot better than we are doing. It is not by reversing this process. It is by consolidating the good part of it and jettisoning those aspects of it that would not serve the people.
“On the question of whether the president has anointed anyone to be the Chairman of the party, I have no knowledge of that but the president is well within his rights to have a preferred candidate. But in our party, let him come and campaign for that candidate at Eagle Square on Saturday. If his candidate wins, fine. If his candidate loses, well, he is going to have to live with it.”
Aspirants in marathon meetings
Although Adamu’s earlier endorsement had caused ripples across the party strata, the remaining six national chairmanship aspirants were on Thursday engaged in a series of meetings regarding the consensus arrangement.
The aspirants had earlier met twice in the day but went on a break to consult their supporters and again converged in the evening for two separate meetings.
While one of the aspirants reportedly advised his colleagues to kowtow to the president, two others were said to have proposed that they join hands to field one of them to challenge Senator Adamu on Saturday.
The development came as the party said it has made substantial progress in resolving all grey areas ahead of the exercise.
We can’t afford to jeopardise our chances in 2023—Buhari
Meantime, as part of efforts to ensure a successful National Convention tomorrow, President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, met with the leaders of the APC, Caucus in the National Assembly, saying that the party cannot afford to do anything that would hurt its chances in the 2023 general elections.
The meeting which was held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, was the third one in less than 24 hours and was meant to ensure that the party arrived at a consensus in all the National Executive Committee, NEC positions.
President Buhari had after the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting on Wednesday met with the Progressive Governors Forum, and later in the evening, he met with the seven chairmanship aspirants, where he reportedly told them to work towards achieving a consensus.“Stressing why the APC must get the national convention right during the meeting with the federal legislators, President Buhari said that it was imperative that the party adhere to the zoning template for the convention
The President in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, urged leaders and members of the APC to channel their energies into improving the fortunes of the party in the forthcoming elections, and avoid squabbles that easily distract and create disharmony.
He reminded members of the proximity of the election dates set by INEC, admonishing that positions should be harmonized with a bigger picture of winning elections and providing good governance.
“We have an obligation to conduct the upcoming convention in a manner that not only fortifies the unity of our party but also improves the prospects of our electoral fortunes in the 2023 general elections. You have an important role to play in ensuring that this happens.”
President Buhari told the lawmakers that a zoning template was produced and adopted by the party after wide consultations in order to ensure that the leadership was reflective of the diversity in unity while representing various dynamic interests. It is imperative that we adhere to that template.
“The time available to us is limited and I therefore enjoin you to collaborate with the various stakeholders within and outside your respective states and zones to agree to work together and harmoniously in electing into the allotted positions appropriately, as stipulated in the provided template. This will not only produce a smooth process and limit friction but will enhance the image of the party positively and strengthen our over-all position of dominance in the political space.’’
The APC lawmakers were led to the meeting by the Senate President, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawal and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.
We ‘ll achieve consensus before Saturday –Lawan
Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting with President Buhari, the President of the Senate and leader of the APC National Assembly Caucus, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, said the essence of the engagement was for the party to achieve consensus.
Asked if the meeting with the President concluded on the consensus issue especially the chairmanship position and why the party allowed aspirants to buy forms when it had in mind to go through consensus, Dr. Ahmad said the consensus issue was a work in progress.
He also said that before the Convention, a Unity List to harmonize positions would be out.
His words: “The essence of these engagements is for the party to achieve consensus, and consensus is a process. That doesn’t just happen like that. So, I believe that before we go into the convention squarely on Saturday, by the grace of God, you would have a lot of consensus reached and maybe the sort of document that we call or refer to as unity list, that is bringing all the agreed positions, where consensus have been achieved.
7 chairmanship aspirants meet
Vanguard reliably gathered that seven of the APC chairmanship aspirants met in Abuja in compliance with the President’s directive.
As at the time of filing this report the meeting according to the Campaign Director-General of one of the aspirants was still ongoing in Abuja.
Buhari hosts Tinubu, Akande, other APC founding fathers
Also, yesterday evening, President Buhari hosted the founding fathers of the APC to a dinner at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The dinner, organized by the President himself was to appreciate critical stakeholders for their continued support, understanding and cooperation to his administration as well as keeping faith with the goals and ideals of the APCy for national salvation.
The engagement it was gathered, was also in furtherance of his efforts to ensure a rancour-free and successful national convention.
In attendance were the First Interim Chairman of Party, Chief Bisi Akande; Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Dr Ogbomnaya Onu; Owelle Rochas Okorocha; Ibrahim Shekarau and Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko.
Others included Governors Nasir Ahmed el-Rufai of Kaduna State and Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State; the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; Chairman, Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the party and Yobe State governor, Mai Mala Buni as well as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.
Details of the interactive dinner held behind closed doors were not disclosed.
Presidency sources, however, said it was to get the buy-in of the leaders for the President’s choice of consensus national chairmanship candidate
We won’t sanction anyone who breaches consensus agreement —APC
Meanwhile, the APC said it has made substantial progress in resolving all grey areas ahead of the exercise.
Specifically, the party said it has reached a consensus on “most of the positions” being contested by aspirants. However, it assured that it would not abridge the democratic rights of any aspirant who decides to go into the contest despite stakeholders having reached a consensus for the office such an aspirant seeks.
Consensus breaches
Nasarawa State Governor and Chairman of the Convention Sub-committee on Media, Engr. Abdullahi Sule, who disclosed that stakeholders have reached a consensus on most issues ahead of the convention, however added that aspirants who refuse such an arrangement would be allowed to go into the contest unhindered.
He said: “As you have seen, a lot of activities have been taking place in the last couple of weeks leading to the last week of the convention which we are going to have on the 26th. In the next two days, we will have our convention.
“You can actually see that we have been able to resolve most of the issues going to a convention in a consensus arrangement. Just last night the President met with all the chairmanship aspirants.
“We have been driving towards a consensus arrangement so that we can have a very peaceful Convention after which most of the political activities will begin which will lead into the success of the party at most of the elections that we are going to have next year by the grace of God.”
“On the request for refund of nomination fees made by aspirants – this was an appeal made by Mr President in order to show leadership. He said once we agreed on consensus it is only fair that what they paid be returned to them. It was a request actually made by Mr President to the leadership of the party and the leadership was there. So, I will say that the leadership of the party also agreed,” he stated.
