BY BENEDICT NWACHUKWU, ABUJA
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) may have returned to daggers drawn a few weeks to its primaries to elect the party’s presidential standard-bearer in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
The party has weathered several storms from the conduct of various Congresses to the National Convention but the recent declaration by the newly elected National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, that the National Working Committee under his leadership will not support the zoning of the Presidency to the South as earlier agreed upon by the party has resulted in a fresh wave of disaffection in the party.
As at the last count, about 24 aspirants have declared their intention to contest for the sole ticket to fly the party’s flag in 2023. More are expected to join the race and a great number of them have formally collected both the expression of interest and nomination forms at the rate of N100 million only exception of the only female aspirant Uju Kennedy Ohanenye who paid N30 million only for expression of interest form as the party gave a waiver to its women intending to contest any position.
The party has been at a crossroads on the issue of which zone (North or South) should produce its standard-bearer for presidential elections billed for February 2023. While aspirants from both divides are angling for the ticket, President Muhammadu Buhari, the party leader, has continued to keep a disconcerting silence on his choice of successor.
Recently, after Adamu presented the candidate of the party in the forthcoming Ekiti Governorship election, Biodun Oyebanji to Buhari, he told newsmen that “I am today privileged to be the Chairman of the party. The party is greater than me. The party has not made a decision and I cannot preempt what the party’s decision will be.”
The APC swapped its national offices between North and South, leading to the emergence of Adamu from the North-central as the National Chairman in March.
The Executive Director of a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), Adopt A Goal, Ariyo-Dare Atoye, described the indecision of APC on the zoning of its Presidential ticket to the South as the worst political step taken by a party intending to remain in power.
He said the APC had raised the hope of its bigwigs from the South when the party reversed its leadership structure by zoning all the positions held by the South to the North and vice versa which produced Senator Abdullahi Adamu as the National Chairman.
“This step APC has taken, I mean the refusal to discuss and take a position on its presidential ticket is suicidal. The party began well by reversing its leadership positions leading to its national convention that ensured no southerner contested for the national chairmanship position and the eventual emergence of a National Chairman of the northern extraction. We believed the step was aimed at shifting the other elective positions, particularly, the President to the south through zoning. And you know this was the line APC toed till just recently when a statement was credited to the national chairman, Senator Adamu that there was no decision yet on zoning.
“This step APC has taken, I mean the refusal to discuss and take a position on its presidential ticket is suicidal. The party began well by reversing its leadership positions leading to its national convention that ensured no southerner contested for the national chairmanship position
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“How can a ruling party that wants to remain in power in 2023 play with such a decision, knowing full well that such a position will definitely be counter-productive? I have said it before now that APC will be the major opponent to itself in the forthcoming elections.”
He recalled that the party began on a wrong footing by imposing outrageous amounts on its aspirants as fees for expression of interest and nomination forms blaming the President and APC Caucus of the National Assembly.
He was quick to add that despite the pronouncement of the national chairman, the majority of aspirants are from the South, besides Governor Yahaya Bello who happens to be the first to declare his interest and aspiration to succeed Buhari come 2023 and that it is now that other aspirants from the North are coming out.
“APC by the imposition of a humongous amount as fees for forms on aspirants showed that the party is not keen to retain power. This is why some of us are not surprised at the statement on zoning credited to its national chairman. However, President Buhari’s silence on this matter is not golden at all. APC National Working Committee should make a statement on this because that is what leadership is all about. They’re only interested in the money they will amass from the sale of forms.
“Leadership is critical to nation-building; if we are going to make this democracy serve the people, we must be deliberate in electing leaders who will advance political and electoral reforms for inclusive participation of women and young people.
“What we are seeing is an odious attempt at state capture by greedy party officials who are arrogantly building a political caste system where the hoi polloi will have no stake in politics.”
The national secretariat of the party in Abuja has become a haven for protesters. Sundry groups, organisations and individuals have been embarking on protests at the party’s headquarters since last week’s Tuesday unabated. The protesters are demanding that APC must respect zoning saying that the party cannot field another northern candidate for the post of President after President Buhari a northern Muslim has taken eight years.
Some of the protesters who spoke with The Point condemned the statement credited to the National Chairman Senator Adamu saying it was reckless and capable of inciting Southerners against northerners.
“What kind of statement is that? The National Chairman of the ruling party who was recently elected as a consensus candidate made a statement that can tear the party apart. Is he there to propagate a hidden agenda or what? I can’t understand why some politicians are insensitive to our unity.
“We are asking APC to respect zoning because that was what produced President Buhari in 2015 and in 2019 no southerner challenged him though he is incumbent.
The same President told us that all the national elective positions held by the north should be contested by the south alone and those of the south by the north alone. This was the reason why no southerner contested for the national chairmanship position that later produced Sen. Adamu. Now, are they saying that the position of President is not part of it?” a protestor who gave his name as Adekunle Adeola queried.
Last week, prominent stakeholders in the party spoke out against the import of Adamu’s declaration. Ondo State Governor and Chairman of the Southern Governors Forum, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, warned that the party should tread with caution in its decision.
Also, Senator Ali Ndume and renowned labour leader, Comrade Frank Kokori, added their voice in support of keeping faith with the spirit of zoning in the party.
In a statement he personally signed, Governor Akeredolu said power should be zoned to the South in 2023 because “it is the turn of the southern part of the country to produce the next president.”
Akeredolu said his party, the APC, should be bold enough to come out on the issue by zoning its presidential ticket to the South for equity, justice and fairness. He said the APC leadership should not keep party members waiting on where the next president would come from but to act decisively on the matter without delay, stressing that the principle of Federal Character is enshrined in the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“No statement must suggest, even remotely, that the party harbours certain sentiments which may predispose it to consider throwing the contest open. This is certainly not the time for equivocation. Equity dictates that we take a stand,” he stressed.
Kokori, former secretary-general of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), warned that any attempt by the leadership of APC to zone its presidency to the North would not augur well for the party.
“If Nigeria of today were to be Nigeria of those days where people don’t talk about tribalism and all those things, it would have been better, but now people talk about ethnicity and all those things.
“The present government actually made it worst by being very ethnically inclined and I think that is the reason this debate is very hot.
“Obviously, by equity and justice, it should be in the South. I believe it should be in the South. It will be suicidal if it goes to the North again.”
Representative of Borno South in the Senate, Ali Ndume, in expressing concern over the inference to throw open the ticket of the ruling party, said it would amount to betrayal for the North to join the APC presidential race or produce a candidate for the party. Ndume, who is the director-general of Amaechi campaign organisation, added that “I believe in justice; I am not against anybody from the North contesting; it is their constitutional right. If APC fields a northern candidate, that will be tantamount to a third term. I think it is better to lose with honour than to win without honour. Southerners are Nigerians who should be given equal rights. What is due to Caesar should be given to Caesar.”
A lawyer and political analyst, Ezra Enwere told The Point that the statement is a confirmation of his earlier postulations that President Buhari’s mum on who succeeds him at Presidential Aso Rock Villa is a dangerous development.
“I know that the sin of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was his decision in 2014 to contest the 2015 Presidential election after serving out the tenure of President Yar’Adua who died in office. The north (PDP and APC) united to stop him and made sure power returned to the north
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He said there is no country in the world where the President does not care about who his successor is or should be but regretted that the body language of President Buhari has not helped the political climate in the country.
“Remember I told you that it is worrisome for our President to remain neutral while we scramble for who our next president should be. Now how do you fix this? The National Chairman of the ruling party has come out to declare that the issue has not been discussed. Politically it is wrong, morally it is wrong, economically it is wrong, legally it is wrong. I’m saying this because I know that the sin of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was his decision in 2014 to contest the 2015 Presidential election after serving out the tenure of President Yar’Adua who died in office. The north (PDP and APC) united to stop him and made sure power returned to the north. Whether it is in their Constitution or not, the question is has there been a precedence and the answer is yes.
“APC Chieftains should call their NWC to order before they finally destroy the goodwill of the people they are enjoying. I feel APC still have people who have sympathy for the party despite the hardship but this step they are taking will turn out negative because even pupils of primary school know the next President of Nigeria will come from the south, however, the party still has the opportunity to reverse and tread on the path to victory.”
A few days back, the Middle Belt Forum, Ohaneze, Afenifere and Christian Association of Nigeria in a unified voice condemned the idea by APC to treat the zoning formula with disdain. These influential socio-cultural and religious bodies warned against it. They went some steps farther by painting a gloomy scenario in the aftermath of dishing zoning. Their reactions were countered by their counterparts, Arewa Consultative Forum, who replied that the north is not afraid of breaking up.
APC chieftain and former member of the House of Representatives, Cletus Obun, said the APC has been a party that respects its constitution. He said some individuals cannot hide under the claims that zoning is not in their constitution to destroy their chances of retaining power in 2023.
“Who is saying that zoning is out of it when deciding who our presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections will be? Do they want to tell us that the south is irrelevant to the party? Just before the National Convention, all the posts held by the south such as the national chairman, national Organizing Secretary, etc were zoned to the north and those held by the north were zoned to the south and it’s just normal that the position of President and Vice President should also be zoned to the South and North respectively.”
The former lawmaker argued that the party has no justifications whatsoever to think of retaining the presidency in the north. He argued further that nobody owns the party and that APC belongs to the people and for anyone thinking he has the right to force his opinion on every member of the party is unimaginable.
Speaking in a related but slightly different manner, APC Chieftain who preferred anonymity told The Point that the reason President Buhari has been indifferent to those parading themselves as aspirants is that he has already made up his mind on who will not succeed him.
“President Buhari knows who will not succeed him. He is a man you cannot predict. Those jostling for the ticket who are already campaigning will realise that they have made a great mistake when he speaks.
“Why should he be joining issues with those who have no say on who the candidate will be. He is a man of his words. He said before the National Convention that all the elective positions held by the north should be zoned to the south while those held by the south be zoned to the north. Senator Adamu is aware that he is not only a product of consensus but zoning too.
“Baba is not a man you can cajole. You are very rich does not mean anything to him. Let those who went to meet him to declare their interest tell Nigerians exactly what he told them. The only thing I am afraid of is that when these people receive the shocker, they will defect and leave APC, that’s all but this does not mean anything to the President,” our source said.
