APC Convention: Fresh Crisis looms Over Imposition Of Candidates
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by George Agba
The All Progressives Congress (APC) is once again mired in another crisis over what aggrieved party stakeholders of the party have described as imposition of candidates ahead of the party’s national convention.
Specifically, the stakeholders are kicking against the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari and governors elected on the party’s platform to endorse former governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, and former Senate President Ken Nnamani as National Chairman and Deputy Chairman, (south) respectively.
The aggrieved members also rejected the inclusion of former Aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, as a member of Media Committee for the national convention billed for March 26.
LEADERSHIP had last week reported that the choice of Senator Abdullahi Adamu as consensus candidate for the national chairmanship position of the APC had thrown the governing party into disarray, with some of the chairmanship aspirants and party stakeholders kicking against the decision by President Buhari and the progressive governors.
According to the report, the choice of Adamu as the next national chairman received the endorsement of the president who made his position known to the APC governors at their meeting penultimate Tuesday.
The president is said to be disposed to Adamu because he wants a national chairman with better experience in the affairs of political parties who cannot be intimidated by opposition of any kind.
But reacting to the development, party stakeholders under the aegis of APC Rebirth Group alleged that certain persons who are behind the plot to impose Senators’ Adamu and Nnamaniu sat down alone in their zones to decide who gets what in the party.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja yesterday, convener of the APC stakeholders’ forum, Engr Aliyu Audu, argued that Adamu lacks the democratic credentials that is required of a national chairman in a party like the governing APC.
The party stakeholders insisted that a politician like Adamu who was one of the strong proponents of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s third term agenda is not qualified to lead the APC.
Audu stated: “We therefore believe that any endorsement of Senator Abdullahi Adamu, either purported or real, as the chairman of our party is a very dangerous gamble, one that signals a return of our much beloved progressive party to the hands of the original PDP members.
“We are also not unaware of plans to bring another member of the party from the stock of the People’s Democratic Party in the person of former Senate President Ken Nnamani, to serve as the Deputy National Chairman (South) of All Progressives Congress.
“While he is known publicly to be a member of the All Progressives Congress, there are several instances where his loyalty to the party has been questioned. Information out there is that he has continued to be a member of APC in the daytime and a member of PDP at night, and while this information has not been proven to be true, the APC would be playing safe by refusing to hand over such an important position of Deputy National Chairman to a man whose loyalty once, completely lied in the opposition.
“At this point in the life of the APC, what we need is a leader that can midwife us away from the damages caused to the party over the years and not an individual who does not originally share in the ideals of the APC.
“As stakeholders, we would rather throw our weight behind an aspirant whose integrity is unquestionable, someone who has demonstrated a proven capacity for youth inclusion and the ability to harvest the energy of young people to drive party activities, especially in this age of digital and social media mobilization.”
On plans to appoint Fani-Kayode as deputy chairman of the convention media committee, the APC stakeholders said members of the party will wait until the names of committee members are released to the public before ta
