BY BENEDICT NWACHUKWU, ABUJA
Though the February 26 National Convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, had earlier been described as a concluded matter by party chieftains, latest developments suggest strongly that the Convention has been postponed by two weeks.
A source, who confided in The Point, stated that the party is taking its time to make sure that it doesn’t hand the structure of the party to a hireling, adding that the numerous aspirants jostling to occupy the exalted seat have not convinced founding members and major stakeholders of their capacity to steer the affairs of the party. The source added that an early March date is now on the card for the possible holding of the Convention.
Impeccable sources revealed that the governors of the party on the aegis of Progressives Governors Forum, have settled for the candidacy of the former governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, as the consensus candidate.
The Point gathered exclusively that the governors have been in Abuja since last week putting their heads together in preparation for the national convention and added that the choice of the former governor is facing serious resistance from some top stakeholders.
One of the sources told our correspondent that “Our national convention will definitely hold on Saturday, February 26 and in Abuja. We are not under pressure to hold the convention because it is our programme and we have the prerequisites to hold it when appropriate and now that we have said it is time, believe you me, it will hold.
“We don’t want to rush into holding a national convention and at the end elect someone who will destroy our party. We don’t want a repeat of the Oshiomhole era where, as the ruling party, we were fighting ourselves from within the party.
“You can see that our Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, (CECPC), Chairman, Governor Mai Mala Buni, has stabilised the party after the destruction that led to our losing a sitting governor to the opposition. We are being careful and that is why we will not succumb to opposition-sponsored blackmail in the social media concerning the convention,” our source said.
“The Point also learned that besides the governors’ strong belief and confidence in the senator representing Nasarawa Central Senatorial District, the body language from the Aso Rock Villa indicates that the President is well disposed towards him as the only governor of Congress for Progressives Change, CPC, before the merger”
The source pointed out that Senator Al-Makura has proven records that he can hold the party together and added that he has the experience of building a very strong and viable political party as a very peaceful party member.
“Check the records of the Senator. As a governor, he did not for one day have any disagreement with his predecessor and when he left the office, he has not for once breathed on the neck of his successor. He has a very cordial relationship with both the former governor, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and even the incumbent governor Engineer Abdul Sule. This is a good credential for a man who wants to occupy the seat of chairman of our party.”
The battle, it was learned, has narrowed down to a three-horse race with Saliu Mustafa from Kwara State; Senator Sani Musa from Niger State and Senator Tanko Al-Makura, all from North Central. As at the time of reporting, these were the hot contenders to the seat though about 14 aspirants indicated their intentions to take over from Governor Mai Buni as the National Chairman.
The Point also learned that besides the governors’ strong belief and confidence in the senator representing Nasarawa Central Senatorial District, the body language from the Aso Rock Villa indicates that the President is well disposed towards him as the only governor of Congress for Progressives Change, CPC, before the merger.
And that this has given him a wide edge over the duo of Mustafa and Musa because his candidacy was not traced to his governor. Some of the aspirants were reportedly pushed into the race by their governors.
Speaking further to this paper, the source claimed that “We have carried out our investigations and found out that Senator Al-Makura joined the race on his conviction that he is capable of leading the party. He was not asked by his governor or some party bigwigs. He is not even name-dropping the President regardless of their closeness like some aspirants who are pretenders.
“Nigerians will love APC more after our national convention. Those who have been plotting to undermine the party by sponsoring those we have known as spoilers will know that APC is the most organized party in the country,” the source boasted.
However, the intrigues going on have not abated with the claims in some quarters that the governors are split over the choice of Senator Al-Makura and are insisting that all the aspirants must be allowed to contest.
“It’s true the governors are divided on the choice of the former governor over other aspirants and they are insisting on election to allow the aspirants contest instead of a consensus candidate. But the party has taken a decision and it is binding because it’s the party that has the authority
“Let me tell you, the party has zoned the Chairmanship position to the north-central and in the zone, the party has made a choice. The President has been informed by the party hierarchy”
Though the party is yet to commence the sales of nomination forms and our source insisted that that has no effect on the national convention saying, “all we need to do for the national convention to hold has been done. The sale or no sale of forms is not a factor. It’s an internal affair, so we are handling it our way.”
Our investigations revealed that those governors insisting on election to elect the national chairman are working for a particular presidential aspirant and have the support of principal officers of the national assembly.
According to our findings, they are ready to work against the party if their choice candidate fails to emerge because it is a do-or-die affair for their presidential aspirant to emerge. The group was buoyed last week with a victory recorded by one of its allies in Court.
Before now, speculations were rife that the Governor Buni-led CECPC is bent on remaining in office to conduct the primaries for the 2023 general elections, however, an insider in the committee confided in The Point that the CECPC members have no plans of transforming selves into the party’s National Working Committee.
He said the governor and his team are being careful with the process so that they will not hand over the party to a stranger with a hidden mission. “Don’t you know that some party stalwarts are not happy with the CECPC?
“What the elected national chairmen could not achieve, this CECPC achieved all and even added. Under the Chairmen, members were leaving the party but since Buni took over, the party has witnessed the influx of political juggernauts. Serving governors, senators, house of reps members, states assembly members and several top politicians have defected to APC.
“His achievements are frightening those claiming that he wants to sit tight on the position but they have forgotten that he still has a second term to pursue. How can he abandon governorship for national chairmanship when it is governors that control the party including the national chairman?
“Buni is not conducting any primaries for 2023. He will be vying for a second tenure. What I am sure is that he wants to hand over the party to a chairman who will lead the party to victory in 2023 and that is why the party has settled for Senator Al-Makura.”
