CRACKS WITHIN!

 APC Governors Divided Over Consensus National Chairman

There are strong indications that all is not well within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of it's forthcoming National Convention.

The indications have become rife following disagreement within the Governor's Forum over the choice of a consensus candidate for the post of National Chairman of the party.

Though the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) is putting everything in place to ensure a hitch-free convention, the discordant tune oozing out of the governor's rank is giving the CECPC serious cause for concern.

Following the inclusion of the consensus option in the mode of primary election by the National Assembly there have been frantic moves by APC governors to ensure their candidates get nominated for the National Chairman position of the party.

Consequently, the quest for the consensus candidate has widened the cracks in the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF) have widened. 

It was gathered that the cracks widened after two North-west governors allegedly presented their choice of a consensus chairman for the party to the presidency without the knowledge of the other APC governors.

Though the two governor's were said to have presented their choice to the Presidency but other APC governors rejected the choice.

Sources monitoring the matter revealed that  the Presidency told the two governors to meet the Chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee, Governor Mai Bala Buni and other members of the committee to discuss and agree on the options that met its (presidency) criteria.

It was further gathered even though the consensus arrangement was being considered in order to reduce the acrimony within the party, there is likelihood the option may be difficult to adopt with varying interest at play among the governors.

Meanwhile, some chairmanship aspirants have disagreed on the mode of election of the new national leaders of the party.

While some aspirants promised to align with the decision of the leadership of the party, others said they would prefer an elective convention to elect the chairman of the ruling party.

Also, the former Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari said he wouldn’t mind if he emerges as the consensus candidate of the party.

Yari, who spoke through his Chief of Staff, Mr. Abdulkarim Tsafe, said that he would prefer an elective convention.

“If he is the consensus candidate, then good but we’ll prefer to go for elective convention. It is very good if the party leadership will consult the aspirants on the mode of the convention.”

Also speaking on the mode of the election, another aspirant, Mallam Saliu Mustapha said the decision on the options lies

squarely with the leadership and stakeholders of the party.

Mustapha, who spoke through his media aide, Mr. Dapo Okubanjo, said that as an aspirant, he has done his best to canvass the support of stakeholders of the party across the country, particularly the delegates.

“So, whichever method the stakeholders adopt at the convention, be it consensus or elective, we believe that our candidate is the candidate to beat.”

On his part, the former Governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, stated that all the aspirants should go into the field for the best candidate to emerge as chairman.

He said: “We are many and anyone can be chairman but not everyone can lead this party. All the people seeking to be chairman are qualified but only one person will emerge. It is a family thing and we will all go to the field. And party members will elect who they deem fit.”

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