By James Orji
President Muhammadu Buhari has pressed home his support for Senator Abdullahi Adamu as his preferred candidate for the position of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC barely 72 hours after report claimed that the president has withdrawn his backing for the former governor of Adamawa state.
The party has fixed March 27 for its national convention where a new chairman and other officials are expected to be elected to lead the party.
Adamu had said last week that he was sure of emerging APC chairman amidst reports that he has the support of the president. But the tide started turning earlier this week after senators elected on the platform of the party expressed their reservation about his candidacy.
Some APC governors were also said to have dropped their support for him, the The Source (Magazine) learnt on the basis that he was not a founding member of the party. The senator was a member of the PDP before he crossed to the ruling APC ahead the 2015 general election.
But the initial doubts as to whether the president is backing Adamu, a former governor of Adamawa state seemed to have vanished on Wednesday after Buhari met all the APC governors in the state house Abuja where the matter was finally resolved in Adamu’s favour. Baring any last minute change of arrangement, Adamu is sure to emerge the new chairman of the party, closes sources informed the magazine.
Even though some National Assembly members are believed to be supporting another candidate, the magazine learnt that the president has directed Mai Mala Buni, the Chairman Caretaker Committee of the party to ensure that Adamu’s candidacy has their buy in before Saturday when the election will hold.
“The party is working on a consensus candidate according to the request of Mr President. We want a situation where the party will be united after the convention. So, the governors and the party are working with the senators and house of Representatives members to ensure that a candidate who can win the next election for the party, as President Buhari has said, emerged as chairman,” one governor said on Thursday.
A pointer that the contending parties have reached an agreement over Adamu emerged on Thursday after the governors said they have no objection to Buhari resolve to the mergence of the former governor.
The governors made their position known on the matter after a meeting with President Buhari in Aso Rock, Presidential Villa, Abuja. The president had also met with other chairmanship aspirants where he told them to drop their ambition, sources privy to the meetings said.
As part of the agreement, the president has directed that all the aspirants who bought the form to contest the chairmanship election be refunded their money.
Aspirants who purchased the form include a former Governor of Nasarawa State, Tanko Al-Makura; Senator Sani Musa (Niger) a former Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari; Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Senator George Akume (Benue); Senator Abdullahi Adamu; Turaki Ilorin, Saliu Mustapha and Saidu Etsu .
Speaking with journalists after the meeting between the Progressives Governors and the president, Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, said a truce has been reached for the emergence of Adamu.
Bagudu said the governors have no other than to support the chairmanship candidate being backed by President Buhari, but added that none of the aspirants will be forced to drop their ambition.
“Today, we all briefed Mr President on the issue of distributing political party offices to the respective zones and our support for Mr President’s endorsement of the candidate for the national chairman of the party and the various geo-political zones took turns to brief Mr President, on what they have been doing to generate consensus in their respective zones amongst the National Working Committee (NWC) and zonal party positions that have been either allocated to the zones or which the zones are entitled to,” Bagudu, who is also the chairman of PGF said.
He said further that, “Most of the zones have been allocated NWC positions that are fewer than the number of states, but, however, there are zonal executive committees from which the zones are working to produce a consensus list.
“So, this afternoon, the respective zones; Governor Abubakar Bello briefed on behalf of the North Central; Governor Babagana Zulum on behalf of the North East; Governor Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa State on behalf of North West; Governor Dave Umahi on behalf of South East; and Governor Kayode Fayemi briefed the President on behalf of the South West. I further mentioned the position of the South South to Mr President, as I had on paper.”
“As I remarked when I met Your Excellencies on February 22nd, our aim must be to hand over to an APC government at the centre and the great majority of states. We must not, by default allow the PDP to get its dirty hands on government again and return us to the Stone Age.
“As I said at that meeting, our party chose its leadership by consensus. I again plead that we choose our next leadership by consensus. This is consistent with the spirit of democracy, the party’s constitution and the Nigerian constitution.
“With the convention only two days away, I implore you to come together and sort out all the remaining party positions so that within the next 24 hours we can arrive at a Unity List, which we can take to the convention,” Bagudu said.
Meanwhile, the magazine learnt that the president has also endorse former Senate President Ken Nnamani as the Deputy National Chairman.
