Lawan: Realignment Of Forces And Interests Begin In The APC

By Chidi Levi

The realignment of forces and interests in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC has started in earnest following the controversial naming, a day to its Presidential Primaries, of Senate President, Ahmed Lawan as the party’s consensus Presidential candidate for next year’s election.

In a move that shocked many party chieftains, APC’s National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu Monday afternoon announced, during the National Working Committee, NWC meeting of the party, Lawan as President Buhari’s preferred candidate.

Despite later attempts to downplay or outrightly deny the report, a source quoting the APC National Youth Leader, Dayo Isreal, who was at the meeting, affirmed that Adamu did announce Lawan as Buhari’s anointed candidate amidst sharp disagreement from other NWC members.

However, less than 24 hours to the formal unveiling of Lawan, various interests and forces in the party have started pushing for a slice of the expected Lawan presidency.

Forces and interests in the party are reportedly realgnining for the plum offices of VP, Senate President and Speaker of the House of Reps.

For example, TheSource (Magazine) gathered that South east caucus of the party held an emergency meeting Monday afternoon and resolved to lay claim to the Vice Presidency slot.

Their argument is that Northeast (where Lawan hails from)  and  Southeast  are the only two regions in Nigeria that are yet to produce President in the past 56 years hence it was only fair that a South-easterner pairs with Lawan in the coming election.

It was gathered that, top South east APC chiefs were in the know before now that Lawan was Buhari’s choice.

Consequently, some  Presidential aspirants from the region were said to have secretly assured the Senate President of their preparedness to announce their withdrawal to support him at the primaries ground should there be voting.

Meanwhile, Imo state Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, former Education Minister and one of the frontline Presidential aspirant, Dr. Emeka Nwajiuba, former Abia state Governor and the Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzo kalu and Ebonyi state Governor, Engr. Dave Umahi are among other South east APC heavy weight  reportedly in the race for the VP slot.

However, a bloc within the party sympathetic to the immediate past Transport Minister and a leading presidential aspirant, Chibuike Amaechi, is insisting that the former Rivers I state government has paid his dues and demonstrated enough loyalty to the party and the president to be rewarded with the VP slot.

In the same vein another APC interest group is also pushing for Governor Ben Ayade, the lone APC governor in the South-South for the VP slot.

They insist that the governor, having achieved monumental industrialisation and job creation drive in Cross River will be invaluable to Lawan as VP and head of the Economic team to pull Nigeria’s economy from the doldrums.

There is equally an interest group within the party from the Southwest gunning for the Senate presidency, aware that the region may not produce the VP after Professor Osinbajo’s eight years in that office.

Another interest group in the party from the South-south is however insisting that the region must produce the next Speaker of the House of Reps, a position currently held by the Southwest.