By Suleiman Umau
There was mild drama at the Eagle Square, venue of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Presidential Primary, at Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. This is because of the show of political power between Senator Abdullahi Adamu, a former governor of Nasarawa state and the ruling APC National Chairman and the northern statesgovernors, elected on the ticket of the party during the 2019, general election, whose tenure would elapse after the 2023, general elections over who should be the Party Presidential Candidate for the elections.
Senator Adamu, who may have consulted with President Muhammadu Buhari, had selected Ahmad Lawan, the Senate President as the party Consensus presidential Candidate to be presented to the party delegates at the Convention. The decision may not have gone down well with the northern governors, who had recommended five Presidential aspirants from the 23, who had had paid the mandatory N100 million fee to purchase the party Presidential nomination forms inorder to pick from it.
The five recommended aspirants, according Samuel Lalong, governor of Plateau state and Chairman, Northern Governors Forum, NGF, include Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos state and APC, National Leader, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the Vice President, Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti state and Chairman, Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, Rotimi Amaechi, a one –time governor of Rivers state and immediate past minister of Transportation, described as the Lion Of Niger Delta in political circles and Dave Umahi, governor of Eboyi state.
Yayaya Bello, governor of Kogi state, described as the Wise Lion and the youngest of the APC, Presidential aspirants had threatened fire and brimstone that the northern governors had excluded him from the list of the recommended aspirants forwarded to the party Leadership to pick the party Presidential Candidate for the 2023, general elections without consulting him. He had declared that only the Katsina state born Nigerian President would ask him to step down and he will do it without a second thought.
The governors, had earlier urged those from the north with Presidential ambition on the ticket of the APC to withdraw from the race. The threat by Yahaya Bello, the Kogi state governor and other aggrieved members of the party over their exclusion by the northern governors from participating in the primaries may have forced the party Leadership to go back to the drawing board to give all the 23 presidential aspirants, from north and south, equal opportunity to contest in the party primaries.
Ogbonnaya Onu, a former governor of Abia state and immediate minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, had cried out that the party Leadership ought to have zoned the 2023 Presidency to the south east instead of throwing it open to all the Presidential Aspirants both from north and southern regions, which would put the aspirants from the south east region in a disadvantaged position. He had shouted to the high heavens that ‘’there is no justice in having the APC, fail to zone the 2023, Presidency to the south east’’.
The thinking of Onu, the former minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, may be different from that of Ken Nnamani, a one-time Senate President, who was satisfied with the south east producing the party Vice Presidential Candidate for the 2023, general elections.
There are indications that he has been lobbying the party Leadership for the position. Recall that he had paid the N100 million mandatory fee, to purchase the party, Presidential nomination form but withdrew at the last minute. Many believe that the APC Presidential aspirants who had withdrawn from the race ahead of the Primaries may not n have had any course to worry because the Presidential nomination forms may have been bought for them by shadowy groups.
Given that only 14 , out of the APC, 23 aspirants, who were said to have picked the party Presidential nomination forms had agreed to slug it out at the Convention, the Katsina state born Nigerian President had told the delegates on Wedneday, June 8, 2022, ‘’ to vote for the Candidate with the best chances of beating the other 17 Political parties Presidential Candidates vying for the of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in for the 2023, general election, including Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice President and Candidate of the PDP and Rabiu Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano state, vying for the Presidency on the ticket of New Nigerian People’Party, NNPP.
The Party was said to have been founded by Boonniface Anniebonnam, a Lagos based Clearing Agent in 2001. It was said to have been adopted by the Kwankwaso’s third force, in December, 2021, for the purpose of the 2023, general elections, after the two parties had reached a deal, making it possible for Anniebonam to handover the party structur and machinery to the Third Force and hands off completely from the day to day running of the party.
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, a former governor of Abia state and Lawan, Senate President, political ally, fears that Kwankwaso, dumping of the PDP, for the NNPP, is a big threat to the ruling APC, warning that’’ the party Leadership should not take him for granted as he may spring surprises. It is not surprising why the APC Leadership of ‘’the APC are in search of a credible Presidential Candidate for the 2023, general elections’’.
In spite of pressure from the Tinubu’s Camp to force Osinbajo, who had served as Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of Lagos state during Tinubu’s Administration in the state, to step down for him to swell his votes at the Party primary which may have been turned down, but seven of the aspirants, had stepped down for him.
Among the Prsidntial aspirants who were said to have stepped down for the Jagaban were Senator Ibikunle Amosun,a former governor of Ogun state, Governor Fayemi of Ekiti state, Abubakar Badru, governor of Jigawa state , who had earlier given assurance to Tinubu, while in the state’’ to rub minds with the delegates, that his friend’’, referring to Buhari, would want to hand over power to him after the 2023, general election, and Godswell Akbabio, former governor of Akwa Ibom state and immediate minister of ministry of Niger Delta, .
Others were Dimeji Bankole, former Speaker of House of Representatives, Senator Ajayi Boroffice, from Ondo state, and Uju Ken Ohanenye, popular, Mama on- Board, a female Presidential aspirant.
Nicholas Felix, one of the aspirants had stepped down for Osinbajo, the Vice President, whom he believe has all that it takes to rule the country after Buhari in 2023, urging his supporters to vote for him. Amaechi’s efforts to get Governor Yahaya of Kogi state to step down for him may have failed.
The 14 APC Presidential aspirants, were said to have been given opportunity to address the delegates to sell their manifesto and what they intend to do’’ if elected into the office of the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Nigerian President and Hajia isha Buhari, the First Lady, may have been impressed with the speech of Osinbajo, the Vice President, after addressing the delegates that the duo had clapped for him. The Youths were around the podium, carrying his portrait, amidst tight security shouting ‘’We want you, We Love You’’, until they were finally dispersed by plain cloth security operatives to the chagrin of Tinubu supporters. Note that Tinubu’s supporters had arrived the venue of the APC Convention with branded uniform.
Pastor Tunde Bakare, General Overseer, of The Later Rain Assembly, now baptized Global Citadel Community Church, CGCC, may have shocked the delegates when he said that he may not have the political experience compared to some of Presidential aspirants, who parade several years of holding political office both at the state and the Federal level, but lamented that ‘’it is the politically experienced office holders that has brought the country to its present economic and security challenges’’.
He stopped short of calling of calling them ‘’looters’’. He had shocked the delegates when he revealed that some of the APC aspirants would leave the venue of the Convention t and return to the Economic, Financial and Crimes Commission, EFCC, office over unsettled case.
He may have alluded to one of them, Rochas Anayo Okorocha, Owele of Igbo land, who was in the EFCC, custody but granted an Administrative bail to attend t the APC Convention in order to participate in the primary having paid the mandatory N100 million to the party Presidential nomination forms.
