-Says North Central Has Sufficiently Made its Case to the Party
Against the backdrop of reported agitations from the North East Zone for the National Chairmanship position of the All Progressives Congress(APC) to be Zoned to the region, the National Chairmanship hopeful from the North-Central, Alhaji Saliu Mustapha has said that his campaign organisation would not lose sleep over that as it was convinced the party would not overlook the North-Central Zone in taking the decision.
Reacting to the development,
Media aide to the chairmanship aspirant, Dapo Okunbanjo, said: “The Saliu Mustapha Campaign Organisation does not dwell on rumours or innuendos. We dwell on concrete, verifiable information that are properly communicated.
“The people at the helms of affairs of our party are serious minded people; they are not known to be flippant. So, as far as we know, party decisions as important and critical as zoning or mode of elections are usually thoroughly debated, arrived at, and properly communicated. It is not going to be a subject of rumours or gossips.
“But be that as it may, the stakeholders that are agitating for the North-Central zone to produce the party’s National Chairman in the February 2022 convention have made their case abundantly clear. We believe the party hierarchy, being people who cherish fairness; justice and equity would consider the merit of these agitations in arriving at their decisions for the best interest of the party.
Meanwhile, the Concerned APC Members Forum has written a letter asking President Muhammadu Buhari to anoint a credible national chairmanship aspirant for the party from the leagues of those seeking the office from the North-Central ahead of the party’s national convention February 26.
In a letter dated 11th February, 2022 and addressed to the President, they also advised him to look into the records of the various individuals aspiring to lead the party, “owing in mind the internal zoning arrangement of the Party which is in North Central Nigeria.”
The letter signed by its convener, Comrade Okpokwu Ogenyi, believed that unless the president quickly intervenes, the party might be thrown into deeper crisis after the national convention.
The forum, which said it had intervened at various stages of the APC in the past, declared that “the quest to safeguard the soul of our Party also gave birth to the Progressive Youth Movement, PYM headed by Mustapha Audu. The PYM even went to court to press home its demands. The agitation also added an addendum to the clamour for a Convention which by God’s grace is holding in a few weeks.
“Your Excellency Sir, it was your interview with the Nigeria Television Authority, NTA that prompted the Progressives Governors’ Forum to initiate the process of the forthcoming National Convention of our Party slated for 26th February 2022. Again, we say thank you, sir.
“Judging by the activities of the various actors, we appeal to Mr. President not to allow the selfish interest of the 2023 Presidential ambition of some ranking members to destroy the Party. We want Mr. President to recommend a highly committed and disciplined member, a man of humility and resilience with acute knowledge of Party administration that will respect both former and serving Governors, Senators, Ministers, party faithfuls, and of course, the Leaders of our Party.
“We also want to draw Mr. President’s attention to the fact that, immediately after the Convention, there is a primary election not far away, so, the need to minimize our crises and concentrate on the 2023 general elections is very important.
“Your Excellency Sir, in recommending a candidate for the National Chairmanship position which may bring about consensus, we advise Mr. President to look into the records of the various individuals aspiring to lead the Party, owing in mind the internal zoning arrangement of the Party which is in North Central Nigeria.”
They asked Mr President to “call a meeting of all the aspirants for the National Chairmanship position and hand over the preferred candidate to them, instructing an all-inclusive government. This will immediately heal any injury in the heart of any and the course of explanation to his supporters while he stepped down.”