APC Chairmanship: The Contest of Former Governors

By James Orji

Former Governor Almakura of Nassarawa state has joined the contest for the chairmanship of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

By throwing his hat in the ring, the former governor now a senator, representing Nassarawa South in the Senate has joined the list of other chairmanship aspirants who are former governors.

The former governors are Ali Modu Sherif of Borno state, Kashim Shettima and Danjuma Goje and Abdul Aziz Yari of Zamfara state in the race to lead the largest political party in the country.

While indicating his interest to run for APC chairmanship, Al Makura who spoke at a campaign rally ahead of the party’s LGA congresses in the state, said he joined the race to foster unity in the party.

The former governor, said he will ensure radical change in the way the party is run if elected as the party’s chair.

The party has reportedly fixed its National Convention for the end of the year, during which the Caretaker Chairman, Governor Mai Mala Buni is expected to pave way for a substantive chairman.

Since Al Makura made his intention known on Monday, close watchers of the party have weighed his chances of defeating other aspirants who have also shown interest to contest, considering that the chairmanship of Nigeria’s ruling party is a keenly contested one.

For instance, former Governor Sherif who had earlier declared to run for the chairmanship is believed to have a strong political base and war chest to contest the election and emerge victorious.The former governor, a founding member of the party left APC to join the PDP and later returned. His vast political network, experience and knowledge of party administration, spanning many decades, analyst insist will count for him when the election is called.

Sherif said in February that he will run for chairmanship as long as the position is zoned to the North.

According to him “the leadership of the party has not been zoned to any particular zone of the country for now. People have expressed their interests across the country,” Mr Sheriff said.

“But the real thing is that whether I will run for the office or not will be determined by what the caretaker committee takes as a decision on where the leadership of the party will go. Whether it will go to another place or it will remain in our zone.

“If it goes to another zone, I will not contest. But if it stays in our zone, I will contest,” Sheriff said.

Expectedly, the former governor has since been garnering support from members of the party who believes that he should succeed Governor Buni.

While drumming up support for the ex-Governor, an APC chieftain and aide to former Governor Kashim Shettima said Sherif is the right person to pilot the affairs.

The former governor, Gambo said “has a temperament uncommon among politicians of today. The unique thing about this aspiration is that chieftains of the party, made up of former governors, serving and ex-National Assembly members, members of State Houses of Assembly across the states of the federation, serving and former ministers to mention a few, want him to come on board and pilot the affairs of our party at this critical time.”

He said a green horn “is not what we need if we must realise our dream of renewing our tenancy of Aso Rock beyond 2023.

“Those that have been linked with interest in the office of the national chairman of the APC, no doubt, are respected leaders and stakeholders in the Nigerian project.

“We can’t deny the fact that these are men who have written their chapters in the historical compendium of our country’s journey to democracy,” Gambo said.

The former PDP chairman who ruled Borno state for eight years as All Nigerian Peoples’ Party, ANPP governor, close watchers of the party said has a stronger support base compared to his successor, Kassim, Goje and Yari who had yet to declare their interest in the race.

What will be his major challenge, keen watchers of political matters in the country said, is Al-Makura who has been linked to Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos state and APC National Leader.

Tinubu, believed to be interested in the 2023 presidential race is said to be the big masquerade behind Al-Makura’s chairmanship ambition.

The former Lagos helmsman who has recently been receiving massive support for his presidential ambition, even though he had yet to declare for the race, is said to be interested in who becomes the party chairman.

Therefore, analysts said his support for Al-Makura may be a subtle plot by him to control the APC ahead the 2023 general election.