BY OUR CORRESPONDENT
Ahead of the March 26 national convention of the All Progressives Congress, the battle for who gets what at Buhari House, the party’s national secretariat has reached the crescendo among the power blocs.
The chieftains of the defunct political parties that pulled forces to form the APC in 2013 and ultimately ousted the People’s Democratic Party that was in office for 16 years have since pulled apart, smarting for showdown ahead of the gathering of party faithful fixed for March to elect a new set of national officers.
Investigations revealed that the cold war is understandable as the power bloc that produces the national chairman would determine where the pendulum swings for the presidential candidate for the next general elections.
The defunct Congress for Progressives Change, the Action Congress of Nigeria, the All Nigeria People’s Party, a faction of All Progressives Grand Alliance and certain chieftains of the erstwhile ruling party, the People’s Democratic Party coalesced to form the APC.
The battle for the national chairman position is between the defunct ACN led by Tinubu, the Congress for Progressives Change with President Muhammadu Buhari as the leader and certain chieftains of the New PDP who have since joined forced with the defunct CPC and by extension, the Presidential Villa to battle the former Lagos State governor.
Who takes national chairman?
A party source told The Nigerian Xpress in confidence that even before the zoning of the national chairman position to the North Central zone, the emergence of former Nasarawa State governor and chieftain of the defunct CPC, Tanko Al-Makura was almost taken as a settled deal until the last two weeks when President Buhari told certain governors who had a private audience with him, that the former Nasarawa state governor and Senator representing Nasarawa West, Abdullahi Adamu was on the card for national chairman.
The party source said the foot soldiers of President Buhari had since become wary of Senator Al-Makura, owing to the warm relationship between the former Lagos State governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senator Tanko Al-Makura and the incumbent Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule.
“That was how Abdullahi Adamu suddenly became the preferred choice and Senator Tanko Al-Makura lost out in the power game.”
South-west, south-east cold war
Aside from the war of attrition between the defunct CPC and ACN is the mutual distrust between the South-west and South-east chieftains in the ruling party.
The zoning arrangement has the North-central producing the national chairman and the South-west picking the office of national secretary and the office of deputy national chairman zoned to the South-east.
Chieftains of the party from the South-east are agitating for a review of the zoning arrangement to for the zone to pick the position of national secretary.
Among chieftains of the APC in the zone, the battle for the presidential ticket is seen as a straight fight between the South-west and the South-east.
While Tinubu’s was the first to openly make a formal declaration, supporters of the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo and former Rivers State governor and Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi continued to work behind the scene.
Investigation revealed that Amaechi had since joined forces with the defunct CPC chieftains ahead of the APC national convention. He is alleged to be pulling the string in the plot to ensure that the South-south retains the position of national secretary which has Senator John Akpanudoedehe from the South-south Akwa Ibom State as a present occupant.
Those who have signified interest for the APC presidential ticket from the South-east include Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, former Abia State Governor and Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu and former Imo State governor and Senator representing Imo West, Rochas Okorocha.
At a meeting in Abuja held at Imo State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro Abuja, the APC chieftains demanded the position of national secretary in the National Working Committee expected to emerge in March.
Their resolutions read in part: “The APC chieftains who noted that the zone has been marginalised for long insisted that that both South-west and South-south have occupied the top positions of the party in the past.
“We are calling on the national leaders of our great party not to marginalize the South-east in the composition of the forthcoming National Executive of our great party.
“This call becomes very pertinent if we are to take into cognizance, the decision of the high echelon to alternate the offices of the party between the two similar regions between the North and the South.
“For instance, the incumbent chairman of the interim national caretaker committee of the party, Governor Mai Mala Buni was the national secretary of the party from the North-east.
“That presupposes that if the office is to alternate, it must come to the South-east as a matter of right.”
In attendance at the meeting where the communique was issued were the Imo Governor, Hope Uzodimma, his counterpart from Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi; former Senate President Ken Nnamani and the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonaya Onu.
The others included Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige, Minister of State Education, Hon Chukwuemeka Nwajuba and the Minister of State Mines Dr Uche Ogar.
At the meeting of the APC governors held last Tuesday night at the Kebbi State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro Abuja, the South-east state governors demanded the review of the zoning arrangement.
An eight-man zoning committee announced last Wednesday by the APC CECPC led by Yobe state governor, Mai Mala Buni with Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman AbdulRazak is expected to unveil its report on Monday.