Pentouch
Three days after it was supposed to have begun screening aspirants for Saturday’s national convention, the APC has now slated the exercise for today
APC’s National Convention Screening Sub-Committee in an invitation signed by its Secretary, Barr. Emmanuel Chukwuemeka Otagburuagu said the aspirants will be screened in two batches at the Katsina State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja.
According to the letter, the two-day screening was scheduled as follows: “Tuesday 22nd March 2022, Screening of National Chairman and other National Working Committee Aspirants by 10 am;
“Wednesday, 23rd March 2022, Screening of Aspirants into the Zonal offices also by 10 am.”
Meanwhile, the National Coalition of Buhari Support Organizations, BSOs has thrown its weight behind the aspiration of a former Deputy National Chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change CPC, Mallam Saliu Mustapha for the position of the National Chairman of the APC.
The groups made their position known during a courtesy call on the front line aspirant at his campaign headquarters in Abuja.
Led by its Chairman, Reverend Peter Yunana Oganto, the coalition described Mustapha as a loyal supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari, who deserves to be backed for the chairmanship position.
He said: “Saliu Mustapha is a product of Buhari politics who stood solidly behind the President through thick and thin and still remained faithful to the cause in spite of the injustice he has suffered in the party.
“So, having gone round to see other chairmanship aspirants, we have decided to endorse him as the only one that can truly keep the Buhari legacy alive long after the President must have left office.”
Also speaking, Deputy Chairman (South) of the coalition, Chief Jerry Johnson noted that Mustapha should have been a clear consensus choice based on his contribution to the party as a first-generation Buharist.
Responding, Mustapha, who is also the Turaki of Ilorin thanked the group for the show of support and outlined his plans for members of the ruling party.
“Aside from what we are bringing to the table in terms of our 10-point agenda, we are the only one with real experience in party administration. As a founding APC member, I have enough institutional memory of the party to ensure that members are duly rewarded for their efforts in building the party to what it is today,” he said
Also, the Abia State chapter of the All APC has adopted Ikechukwu Henry Ikoh as its candidate for the post of National Vice Chairman, South-East.
The adoption of Ikoh, founder of Harmony Foam Nigeria Limited and a former commissioner for Industry in Abia State, who hails from Ahuwa Oboro in Ikwuano Local Government Area was conveyed in a letter dated March 17, 2022, to Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State.
The letter was signed by 14 eminent members of the party, including Minister of State, Mines and Steel, Dr Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah; Senator Chris Adighije; Senator Nkechi Nwaogu; former Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu; Stanley Ohajuruka; Mr. martins Azubuike; Mr Donatus Nwankpa; Mr Iheanacho Obioma; Dr Chidia Maduekwe; and Mr Henry Ogbulogo; and Mr Nnanna Uzor Kalu among others.
The five-paragraph letter, titled: “Adoption of Chief Ikechukwu Henry Ikoh as Our Candidate for the Post of National Vice Chairman, South East,” read in part: “Your Excellency, if you could recall a delegation of stakeholders of Abia State APC paid you a visit on the 4th March, 2022 after her meeting on 3rd March, 2022 to solicit your support for the position of the National Vice Chairman South-East to be ceded to Abia State, which your response was in the affirmative.
“We wish to convey to you that the Abia State APC stakeholders having deliberated in several meetings over the position of the National Vice Chairman South-East resolved unanimously to adopt and forward the name of Chief Ikechukwu Henry Ikoh as our candidate for the National Vice Chairman South East.”
Following the development, Ikoh has since purchased his nomination/expression of interest forms, and has also submitted the same to the APC National Secretariat.
In a campaign flyer, Ikoh said that a vote for him by the delegates was a “vote for generational change; for capacity, and for humanity.”
Governor Sani Bello of Niger State has been called upon to reconcile national chairmanship aspirants from the North-Central zone.
Making the call, the North Central Democracy Watch Group, N-C DWG, noted that with the eminent position Bello occupies, he was expected to provide credible leadership and direction for the party in the zone, which has been ceded the national chairmanship slot.
Chairman of the group, Tijjani Ene Omeiza, in a statement, yesterday, said Governor Bello as the main focal point of the party in the North-Central, should not treat the chairmanship position zoned to the party with levity.
“Governor Bello is for all intents and purpose the leader of the APC in the North-Central, which places him in the right position to reposition the party and not allow the ambitions of individual aspirants to jeopardize its chances. We candidly call on the governor to, as a matter of urgency, convene a meeting of all the aspirants and critical stakeholders in the zone to agree to a smooth process that will be rancour-free. Failure to do so will mean consigning the fate of the party to the vagaries of the personal interests of certain groups at the detriment of the collective interest of the APC and the North-Central.”
Also, Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has urged party leaders, stakeholders and members to support a National Chairmanship aspirant that has what it takes to manage its affairs at this time.
Speaking yesterday in Abuja at the Gombe State Governor’s lodge, when he received the Chairman, Senate Services Committee and Front line aspirant for the APC National Chairmanship, Senator Sani Musa, APC, Niger East, Yahaya said that he was convinced that Senator Musa has the right leadership qualities for the job and urged the aspirant to continue his consultations with party leaders.
According to a statement by Nasir Mohammed, the Media Assistant to the APC National Chairmanship aspirant, the Gombe State governor stressed that he will be looking forward to working with him should he emerge as the next national chairman of the APC.
Earlier, Senator Musa while soliciting Governor Yahaya’s support that he was fully prepared to bring about a visionary leadership to the APC and rejig the entire party architecture in line with international best practices, adding that he will unite all aggrieved persons, provide a level playing field for all and enshrine the principles of internal democracy in the running of the party’s affairs.
Ahead of the convention, loyalists of Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola on the banner of The Osun Progressives, TOP and the Senator’s ally, Mr Yemi Lawal, have disagreed over Senator Omisore’s plan to contest for the national secretaryship.
Among others, the APC zoned national secretary to the South-West region and the zone through the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, nominated Isaac Kekemeke (Ondo State) as its candidate for National Vice Chairman (South-West) and Senator Omisore (Osun) as National Secretary.
However, Aregbesola’s loyalists led by Lowo Adebiyi in a statement, yesterday, berated Governors Akeredolu and Adegboyega Oyetola for backing Omisore.
It reads: “We have not ceased from sounding a note of warning to the APC leader who has embraced a fair-weather friend, who is carrying the albatross of complicity in the death of our leaders, Chief Bola Ige.
“We condemn and reject in its entirety, the selfish imposition clothed in consensus for Omisore to become the National Secretary of the party. It is crystal clear that the leaders who ratified Omsiore are only interested in protecting their selfish interests at the expense of the well-being and progress of APC.”
Meanwhile, Lawal, a former Deputy Governorship candidate to Omisore under Social Democratic Party, SDP in 2018 said Bola Ige’s death always becomes an issue whenever Omisore is vying for office, describing the move as political.
“The issue of Bola Ige’s death has been tried by the court, up to the highest court in the land and the Senator was discharged of any complicity in the matter. Those crying foul are sadists, they are never happy about the progress of Otunba Omisore. As far as we are concerned Otunba Omisore has been discharged and acquitted of any involvement in the late sage’s death,” he said.
Senate Spokesman, Senator Ajibola Bashiru has denied reports that the APC Senate Caucus had endorsed Senator Abdullahi Adamu as its candidate for the position of APC national chairman.
Some principal officers of the Senate had last Thursday graced the official commissioning of Senator Adamu’s campaign secretariat in Abuja, leading to speculations that the caucus may have endorsed the senator.
Responding to enquiries, the Senate spokesman said the senators who attended the ceremony did so in their private capacities, not as representatives of the Senate APC caucus.
“There are three senators vying for the position of APC national chairman. Senator Sani Musa from Niger. The other two- Senators Adamu and Tanko Al-Makura are from Nasarawa. To the best of my knowledge, we haven’t as a caucus decided on who to support.
“As distinguished legislators, it will be to our joy to have one of our own emerge national chairman. This is a democracy, and so people are free to support whomever they wish to. But as we speak, there’s no time we took a position on any of the three candidates,” noted Senator Bashiru.
Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, yesterday said that nothing will stop the national convention of the party this Saturday.
He said that it was the wish of the opposition that the APC is scattered or disunited.
Asked whether the convention would hold as scheduled as some persons have claimed that the machinery was yet to be in place for the exercise, he told State House correspondents, Abuja that everything had been put in place for the convention.
According to him, “On the APC convention , I don’t know what kind of sign you want to see before you know that convention will hold on Saturday.
“As of Sunday all the subcommittees have started meeting. The screening committee, the Accreditation Committee, have been meeting. The venue is being prepared.
“I told you people that APC is the party to beat. So, it is the wish of our opponent to see that APC is scattered, or is not united. But that is their wishful thinking. APC cannot afford to lose what they have because what we have is the trust of over 200 million people. And we don’t just have a choice, we must remain united to be able to continue with this programme.”
