Politics

2023 Presidency: South Set To Pick APC Ticket

Published

3 years ago

February 23, 2022

Indications emerged, on Tuesday, that the southern part of the country will likely pick the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the party zoned its chairmanship position to the North.

There have been agitations in the ruling party, the leading opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), socio-cultural organisations, political class, among others over which zone should produce President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor on the expiration of his tenure.

In the ruling party, there were reports that some stakeholders from the North were mulling the retention of the presidency in the region, come 2023. However, at the end of a meeting of 22 APC governors with President Buhari, it was agreed that the chairmanship position of the party should be zoned to the North.

With this, political analysts said barring any odds, the APC presidential ticket would go to the southern part of the country. Also, there is the likelihood that the ticket of the opposition PDP would go the same way.

The Southern Governors’ Forum had on September 16, last year, at the end of their meeting in Enugu, insisted that President Buhari’s successor in 2023 must come from the South in the spirit of justice, equity and fairness.

Daily Trust reports that aside the likes of former governor of Zamfara State, Senator Ahmed Sani Yarima and Governor Yahaya Bello, all other presidential aspirants in the ruling APC are so far from the South.

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APC chairmanship position goes to North

Fielding questions from State House reporters after their meeting with Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State said the party had agreed to swap the current vacant positions in the National Working Committee (NWC) between the northern and southern parts of the country ahead of the March 26 national convention.

By implication, the chairmanship position, which has been held by former governors John Odigie-Oyegun and Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State from the South, will now go to the North.

“We have agreed on a zoning formula for all the six geopolitical zones and essentially, we swapped. Northern zones will take positions that southern zones had in the last eight years and vice versa.

“So, it is a very simple, equitable and fair formula. We will now go back and consult at the zonal level, and look at the positions that are available and the process of the convention preparation will start in earnest.”

The Governor of Kebbi State and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), Atiku Bagudu, who led the post-meeting briefing, while reacting to the question earlier, said the president enjoined them to employ consensus to fill the vacant NWC positions.

The PGF chairman said President Buhari cited the emergence of past national chairman through consensus to back his views.

Govs divided over convention timing

Governor El-Rufai said the APC governors were divided on the timing of the convention but that the matter had been resolved after their meeting on Monday.

He said: “We were divided over the timing of the convention…Some governors felt that we should put off the convention until we resolve all the congresses’ issues in some states. Some other governors held the view that we should wait until all this is resolved. And this is not borne out of any agenda or selfishness. It is just a realistic proposition to avoid us violating any laws or putting our party structures of elected candidates in danger.

“So, yes, there were differences in opinion about timing. Some of us are saying the constitution allows us to have a convention even if three or four states have unresolved issues, while others are saying no, let us finish all the reconciliations and then do the convention. After all, there is no time limit for the convention as long as we do it before the time for the primaries. So, that was the difference.

“This is what the media has called divided governors. In a democratic setting, there is no way you can have 22 governors plus the deputy governor of Anambra State agreeing on any issue. We can have differences. But after our meeting of last night, to deliberate on the proposal by the national caretaker committee, and our briefing with Mr President today, we are all on the same page.”

The brief meeting that took place at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa in Abuja was attended by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha; Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari; and 19 APC governors as well as deputy governor of Anambra State who left the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for the APC last year.

Zero-sum game ongoing in APC – Don

Dissecting the development, an Associate Professor of Political Sociology at, the University of Abuja, Dr Abubakar Umar Kari, said the zoning of the party position was not unexpected or surprising.

He, however, told one of our reporters that even with the development, the fate of the APC hangs in the balance, describing happenings in the party as “a zero-sum game.”

He said, “That APC, like its main rival the PDP, has adopted zoning in deciding where its next national chairman will come from, is not unexpected or surprising. That the position has been zoned to the North is equally in keeping with projections of most pundits and analysts. It is being widely expected that the party will pick its presidential flag bearer for the 2023 elections from the South because a Northerner, Muhammadu Buhari, has been on the saddle since 2015.

“It is clear that the APC has been beset by intense rivalry and infighting among its several blocs, tendencies and groups.

“The fate of the party hangs in the balance, because what is going on is a zero-sum game, and unless these groups manage to find common ground in the coming days, the future of the party is anybody’s guess,” he said.

Daily Trust

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Politics

Why I can’t form coalition with Peter Obi – Sowore

Published

2 days ago

November 13, 2024

Trends Admin

Peter Obi and Omoyele Sowore

Why I can’t form coalition with Peter Obi – Sowore

Omoyele Sowore, the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, recently shared his reasons for not forming a coalition with Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s candidate in the same election.

In his appearance on the Honest Bunch podcast, Sowore asserted that, in his view, Obi is similar to other Nigerian politicians, describing him as “better at packaging.”

Sowore explained that his own journey in politics began long before Obi gained national recognition, emphasizing his dedication to advocating for systemic change in Nigeria.

During the podcast, co-hosted by Nedu, Husband Material, Deity Cole, and Ezinne, Sowore highlighted his belief in challenging the status quo, which he feels differs significantly from Obi’s approach.

Sowore said, “Before you discovered Peter Obi, I was already running for president. All these shouts about Peter Obi… He just knows how to package. Anyone can do it.

“If I form a coalition with Peter Obi, I will be going against what I have always stood for, which is that I will never support a Nigerian leader who has held any political office — whether at the federal, state, or local level — if I consider them non-performing.

“It’s the same reason I would never have joined hands with Atiku. And the Peter Obi you’re talking about was a vice-presidential candidate to Atiku when I was a presidential candidate in 2019.

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“So, what are we talking about? There is no lesser evil in my book. If you are evil, you are evil. If you are good, you are good. I have a general disdain for non-performance.”

He added that there is no such thing as “emotional attachment” in his dictionary.

“There was a friend of mine who kept saying, he doesn’t care if Peter Obi is Igbo, but that it is the turn of the Igbos. But it is beyond that; I have a natural disdain for poor performance,” he explained.

Sowore insisted that while many may not know it, he knew Obi before and during his time as governor, and he backed him.

“I had always known and supported him and stood against his removal when (Olusegun) Obasanjo wanted to use Andy Ubah to replace him—the twists and turns then.

“However, when Peter Obi finished his term in Anambra, the question I asked him was whether he could send his child to any university he had built in Anambra—he was mute and could not respond.

“I also asked him if he could enter any hospital he built in Anambra, which he governed for eight years, even if it was for the slightest headache—there was also no response.”

Sowore went on to challenge the four anchors or any other Nigerians, saying, “If they can pack their bags and head to Anambra for a vacation.”

PUNCH Online reports that President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress recorded 8,794,726 votes in the 2023 presidential election, followed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party who secured 6,984,520 votes.

In third place, Labour Party’s Obi garnered 6,101,533 votes, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party secured 1,496,687 votes.

Why I can’t form coalition with Peter Obi – Sowore

Politics

Why we want Jonathan to contest 2027 presidency – Northern group

Published

4 days ago

November 11, 2024

Trends Admin

Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

Why we want Jonathan to contest 2027 presidency – Northern group

The Arewa Consensus for Jonathan, a political group in the North, has urged former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to enter the 2027 presidential race.

Jonathan, who served as Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015, is widely regarded for his role in fostering democratic growth and his relatively peaceful exit from power after losing the 2015 election.
Despite his exit from politics, his name has remained a focal point in discussions about Nigeria’s future leadership.

The group’s leader, Munir Musa, who made the appeal during a press conference in Bauchi over the weekend, emphasised that Jonathan’s return to office was crucial to addressing Nigeria’s pressing economic and security challenges.

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He argued that Nigeria, grappling with severe economic downturns and rising security threats, needs a leader with Jonathan’s experience and competence to restore stability.

“The nation is at a crossroads, and we believe that Goodluck Jonathan is the right man to steer us out of the current malaise,” Musa told reporters.

He expressed confidence that Jonathan’s leadership could heal the country’s deepening wounds and usher in a new era of progress.

Why we want Jonathan to contest 2027 presidency – Northern group

Politics

Afenifere, Council of Obas back Aiyedatiwa for Ondo gov

Published

4 days ago

November 11, 2024

Trends Admin

Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa

Afenifere, Council of Obas back Aiyedatiwa for Ondo gov

Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-political and cultural organization, has endorsed Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State.

Sehinde Arogbofa, a prominent Afenifere leader, announced the support at the Olubaka of Oka land palace, Oba Yusuf Adebori Adeleye.

Arogbofa expressed confidence in Aiyedatiwa’s leadership and encouraged him to follow the values and legacy of Chief Adekunle Ajasin, Ondo State’s first governor. “Afenifere stands firmly behind your mandate… Strive to make Ondo State great again,” Arogbofa said.

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Oba Adeleye, speaking on behalf of traditional rulers in Akoko South West Local Government Area, also endorsed Aiyedatiwa, citing his masses-focused policies and the governor’s initiative to allocate five percent of local government funds to traditional institutions as a demonstration of his commitment to their welfare.