BY BENEDICT NWACHUKWU, ABUJA
Although it has been debunked as an unfounded rumour, the alleged support of President Muhammadu Buhari for a former Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Adamu, as his consensus candidate for the office of the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress at its national convention, slated for March 26, continues to generate ripples in the party.
The purported choice of the former governor leaked after a crucial meeting between the President and the Progressives Governors last week.
The news of the choice of Adamu representing Nasarawa West Senatorial District was not only rejected by many aspirants but was described as a coup d’etat orchestrated by his appointment as the chairman of the party’s reconciliation committee.
An APC chieftain from the South East who preferred anonymity told The Point in a telephone interview that the former governor and his committee members turned the assignment to reconcile the warring parties of the ruling party to achieve their inordinate ambition.
“What Senator Adamu did is a coup. He was given the assignment to reconcile the aggrieved members that were thrown up by the various states, ward and local government elections but he rather turned it into an opportunity to come from the rear to grab the national chairmanship position.
“He didn’t do anything about reconciling the aggrieved parties. All he did was to encourage the crises here and there. Go and find out, when he went to Abia State, he called the parties separately to lobby for their support promising he would recognize them when he becomes the national chairman. Is this how to become a national chairman?”
The enraged chieftain also accused some party bigwigs who pushed for his nomination to head the reconciliation committee of ulterior motives, saying, “Those who pushed for his nomination as the chairman of the committee knew why they wanted him to head it. They had plans that the Caretaker Committee did not know. What is playing out now is not strange.
“The big question is have the factions been reconciled? No. There are still factions. So what did his committee achieve? All of a sudden, he was smuggled to the Villa and the next thing we are hearing is that the President has endorsed him as the consensus candidate. I’m not questioning the decision of the President but I know they may have lied to the President all to realize a selfish ambition.”
The APC chieftain argued that the ruling party deserves a national chairman who has the capacity to unite the party and bring everyone under one roof and not a national chairman who will hate some people and love some people.
He warned that the party cannot afford to hand its future to a man seen by some people as one whose ambition engenders discord and disagreement.
“Our current national chairman, who is the leader of the caretaker committee, Governor Mai Mala Buni, has proven to be a detribalized man. His chairmanship provided the party with several openings and even encouraged one big family that endeared the party to Nigerians. That is the reason, the party had many new members joined it during the validation of membership drive across the nation. Anybody without such testimonies and is angling to lead APC should be ignored.
“What I am saying in effect is that any consensus we are talking about must be wisely chosen and must be of quality personality, one with impeccable reputations, a man among men and not to allow sentiments in making our choice.
“The former governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura fits into these qualities after all. He had the backing of his successor, Governor Abdullahi Sule before he came out to declare his interest. That is the right thing to be done, not what advertisers call ‘ambush marketing’. I am aware that some aspirants are kicking against his choice and want the President to intervene because name dropping will not help us,” he said.
Another APC stalwart, who gave his name as Okechi Eze, said since the emergence of the senator’s name as an alleged consensus candidate the crisis in the party has escalated. There is apprehension particularly in the South because people are not comfortable with the choice.
Back home in his home state, Nasarawa, his successor and colleague, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura is being touted as the sole candidate supported by the state.
This was clearly stated by the incumbent governor when he recently addressed the issue. He stated the recognition of the adoption of his predecessor, Al-Makura as the only candidate of the state for the post of national chairmanship.
While responding to questions from journalists seeking clarification, particularly the entrant of Adamu to the race, Governor Sule said as a Nigerian, he has the right to contest for the position but the APC in Nasarawa State has adopted Al-makura.
In his words, “Senator Al-Makura represented the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), leading to the merger of the legacy parties in 2013 to give rise to the APC.”
He argued that if there is any face of the CPC in Nigeria apart from President Buhari, it’s Tanko Al-Makura.
The governor emphasized that Adamu has the right to contest for any position in a democracy but added that the APC in Nasarawa State has endorsed Al-Makura.
“Senator Adamu is a Nigerian. He is a member of the APC. He has the right to contest like any other Nigerian. But as a state, we have endorsed Tanko Al-Makura.”
Those present at the meeting between President Buhari and the governors of the APC where Adamu was purportedly adopted stated that the issue of adoption of any candidate did not feature at the meeting that lasted for barely 15 minutes.
They said that the meeting had a one-item agenda, which explained its brief nature.
One of the sources close to a chairmanship aspirant from Niger State said that Governor Sani Bello told the three national chairmanship aspirants from the state that no name of any aspirant was mentioned when the APC governors met with Buhari on Tuesday.
The source stated that President Buhari merely accepted the proposed zoning and advised the party’s governors to go about it harmoniously to ensure peace and the emergence of a consensus chairman at the national convention slated for March 26.
Another source quoting another governor from the North Central said that the governor stated that, “If the office of the national chairman is zoned to the North Central, then we, the governors should be allowed to decide who among the aspirants from the zone should be adopted as the consensus national chairman.
“It is not fair for a few governors for personal ambitions to foist a name on us without any input from us,” the source quoted the governor as saying.
The source noted that three governors from the North West, one governor from the South West, another governor from the South East and a minister from the South South were behind the purported adoption of a consensus candidate.
Al-Makura and Senator Sani Musa had rejected the purported nomination of Adamu, while another aspirant, Saliu Mustapha said he was yet to hear officially from the party.
Both Al-Makura and Musa had in newspaper advertorial rejected the purported nomination of Adamu.
Al-Makura, in a statement by Segun Tomo, the Director, New Media, Al-Makura Campaign Organisation, also denied that Adamu has been adopted as the national chairman of APC.
“The attention of the Al-Makura Campaign Organisation (ACO) has been drawn to wide speculations and propaganda making the rounds in some news outlets that President Muhammadu Buhari has endorsed the candidacy of Sen. Abdullahi Adamu as the next Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“While we would have ordinarily ignored the widespread rumours, we have been inundated with calls and apprehension of Sen. Umaru Tanko Al-Makura’s supporters across the country. Therefore, we decided to respond, and set the records straight.
“Information at our disposal indicates that what transpired at the meeting of the governors with the president was the ratification of the new convention date and agreement on the zoning formula.
“On the issue of who becomes chairman, the president asked that consultations continue to produce a credible and widely accepted choice as consensus candidate.
“One does not need a soothsayer to know that Al-Makura fits the bill. Across the length and breadth of the country, Sen. Al-Makura is seen as a bridge-builder, a leader imbued with a calm temperament, renowned with an impeccable mobilization skills and political sagacity that ensured he defeated the then entrenched People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa State.”
“The big question is have the factions been reconciled? No. There are still factions. So what did his committee achieve? All of a sudden, he was smuggled to the Villa and the next thing we are hearing is that the President has endorsed him as the consensus candidate”
Also, a group, the All Progressives Congress North-Central Progressive Ambassadors, has called for a credible and democratic process that would culminate in the emergence of the National Chairman of the party.
The group made the call by its National Organizing Secretary, Anthony Kente, in Abuja.
Kente urged President Buhari to ensure that the process leading to the emergence of the party national chairman was given a level playing ground.
The group also demanded the input of all stakeholders from the North Central zone of the party, to which the position has been zoned, in order not to allow the process to be hijacked by few individuals with selfish interests.
The group said that President Buhari had neither endorsed nor named any aspirant within the APC as the party’s consensus candidate ahead of the national convention.
“Sources from the presidency have confirmed that President Buhari only directed the APC governors during his re-scheduled meeting at the presidential villa on Tuesday to specifically consult all party stakeholders.
“These include those aspiring for the national chairmanship position in search of a credible, well rounded and experienced technocrat that will be duly accepted to all party members,” it said.
According to the group, anybody peddling information about any formal endorsement of a particular aspirant as the consensus candidate is merely engaging in rumour mongering or falsehood.
It added that such falsehood had the capacity to mislead and give the wrong impression to the party membership and stakeholders.
The group said that the unfolding political developments were coming on the heels of the desperate attempts by some individuals.
The Point gathered exclusively that the Governor Buni-led CECPC is not backing the choice of Adamu. Our investigations confirm that the CECPC is lobbying party elders to intervene and convince the President to rescind his decision on the choice of a consensus candidate.
The CECPC and some key members of the party are mounting pressure to get the President to endorse Al-Makura.
However, The Point learnt that the former Nasarawa State Governor was accused of aligning with a Presidential aspirant and if elected the APC national chairman, may not allow for credible election to choose the party’s candidate and the outcome may rubbish APC’s chance of retaining power in 2023.
Meanwhile, a party top gun in the national secretariat is of the opinion that the matter is over since the President has pronounced him the consensus candidate.
He said he would only advise those objecting to try to fall in line and make up their minds to work with him for the good of the party.
Adamu is still working hard to hold onto the ticket tight but still meeting very stiff opposition. A group of youths from Nasarawa have rejected his candidacy and vowed to stand by Al-Makura.
The processes for the APC national convention began last week with the publication of the Zonal Committees on Thursday.
