All appears to be set for the national convention of the All Progressives Congress, whose flight takes off in the next two days. However, there is yet one outstanding box to be ticked for a unified voice ahead of the Saturday outing.
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed APC Governors to come up with a list of candidates for all positions ahead of the convention, adding that all persons seeking office into the National Working Committee should emerge through consensus.
“Your Excellencies. 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,” Buhari said this during a meeting with APC governors in Abuja on Wednesday.
POLITICS NIGERIA learnt that seven chairmanship aspirants have submitted their forms at the party secretariat.
The long list include; Former Nasarawa Governors, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and Senator Tanko Al-Makura; Minister of Special Duties of Nigeria, Senator George Akume; Former Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari and Mallam Salihu Mustapha from Kwara.
POLITICS NIGERIA takes a look at the top five of the seven aspirants and their chances in emerging the consensus candidate amongst the Governors.
Yari
Yari, a former Governor from the North-East, defied the decision of the party to zone the position to the North-Central, to pick up the form. Owing to the zoning agreement, the former Zamfara Governor is the only contestant outside the preferred geopolitical zone.
Only six others stand a chance and it is expected that one of them would emerge at the largest meeting of party faithfuls.
Al-Makura
Former Governor Al-makura is one of the leading aspirants but his ambition is laden with controversies that may further unsettle the raging chaos in the party.
Asides the fact that he is contesting against another former Governor from his home state, Abdullahi Adamu, Al-makura’s campaign had dwelt on name-calling and fireworks.
Recall that shortly after the reports of Adamu’s purported backing by the President were circulated in the media, Al-makura lashed out on the former Governor and even expressed interest in working against the President’s choice.
Some fear that a Almakura-led National Working Committee (NWC) would spend the first two years of the administration battling oppositions and skirmishes of the contest.
However, it is believed that Almakura is loyal to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the former Lagos Governor’s influence may count for him.
Adamu
It takes two to tango and the campaign strategy of Adamu, like Al-makura, is tilted towards splitting the Nasarawa APC into separate halves. Adamu, who is believed to be sponsored by some Governors in the party, is running against Al-makura, who is the choice of the incumbent Nasarawa Governor, Abdullahi Sule.
He also confirmed this during a recent meeting with the APC caucus in the House of Representatives, wherein he admitted to being drafted into the race.
“I did not see myself coming in even after submitting our report until I got the invitation from people that I respect very highly, people that are stakeholders in the APC, they believe that I am a good material for this position and I should contest for it,” he said.
Some members of the party are however concerned on how Adamu would carry along aggrieved members of Nasarawa APC if he emerges.
Nevertheless, POLITICS NIGERIA learnt that Adamu has the backing of the ‘cabal’ in the Presidency and also a group of Governors headed by Kaduna’s Nasir El-Rufai.
But the El-Rufai factor may work against him owing to the cascade of power play that hit the ruling party recently. It is believed that Governors who are not in support of El-rufai’s recent moves may work against Adamu.
Mustapha
Saliu Mustapha, is a former national official of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) and a Kwara-born politician. Some stakeholders believe he represents a lone voice of moderation in the middle of a lot of brickbats owing to his non-alignment stance.
Although he shares ties with President Muhammadu Buhari because of his CPC background, it remains unclear if that will count because the President has kept mum on his ambition.
Some members of the party also believe that Mustapha, because he has not held any political office in the past, may be incapable of managing the intrigues and power dynamics of the ruling party.
Akume
In a strange manner, Akume, the Benue-born minister, did not hit the ground running with his campaign.
Some have attributed it to the fact that he is currently serving in government while others believe it speaks to his gentility. But on a few occasions that he has spoken about his ambition, he has maintained decorum.
“I am qualified having served at the state and federal level at different capacities, if given the opportunity I will bring my wealth of experiences to bear on my work”
“We have been to Kano, Kastina, Nasarawa, with a team of eminent Benue people like Senator Barnabas Gemade, Chief Michael Aondoakaa, Chief Steven Lawani and Sam Ode among others. In fact, we have also consulted Al-Makura himself who is contesting with Akume and next week we will be in Minna, Niger State to further the campaign,” he said at his 68th birthday party in Gboko.
It is expected that Akume will enjoy Buhari’s support being a serving minister but his relationship with some of the Governors, POLITICS NIGERIA learnt, is not smooth.
