APC Governors Divided over National Convention, Choice of Consensus – Newstrends
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APC Governors Divided over National Convention, Choice of Consensus

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3 years ago

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Mai Mala Buni

The forthcoming convention of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has split governors elected under the political party into three different groups.

THISDAY gathered that while the group of second term governors want the convention to hold as planned and are assiduously working towards settling for a candidate; the second group which is made up of mainly first term governors want the convention either postponed and a mechanism to return the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee designed so that Buni can continue. On the other hand, a third group of governors also want the convention to hold, and for Buni to continue or the convention postponed.

However, THISDAY learnt that President Muhammadu Buhari met with Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Dr. Kayode Fayemi before he travelled on the matter, and the decision they both arrived yet to be disclosed.

Nevertheless, due to the development, there is palpable tension, apprehension, and misgivings in the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) over the choice of a consensus national chairman for the APC as there were also indications last night that the leadership of the party had begun to consider March for a possible new date for its national convention, earlier slated for Saturday, February 26.

But one of the frontrunners for the chairmanship position, Mallam Saliu Mustapha, told THISDAY yesterday that the February 26 remained “sacrosanct”. Mustapha said with the kind of energy the caretaker committee was devoting to preparations for the convention he believed they knew what to do.

Mustapha told THISDAY, “I don’t want to dispute or argue over speculation, since they have not come out officially to say it will hold or it will not hold. For now, we will still retain earlier information that February 26 is sacrosanct. So, if anything is contrary to that, we will have to wait for the official channel of the party to report it to all of us.”

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A few weeks ago, the interim national leadership of the party was forced to fix February 26 for the convention, after pressure from the APC governors and other aggrieved stakeholders, who had expressed their displeasures over foot-dragging on the matter.

A crucial meeting between Buhari and the APC governors to fine-tune the zoning of offices and other matters during the convention could not hold on Tuesday as the president met with only Fayemi on behalf of the governors.

The meeting with the APC governors to fine-tune zoning, was to enable the president disclose his preferred chairmanship aspirant to the governors and pave the way for the zoning of other National Working Committee (NWC) offices.

Explaining why the meeting did not hold as scheduled, a source in the presidency told THISDAY yesterday in Abuja that Buhari told some governors, who met with him individually that there was nothing on ground to suggest that the Buni committee was preparing for the national convention.

The president, who left for Brussels to attend an African Union (AU) and European Union (EU) summit, had met with some of the governors, who had arrived at the villa early for the botched meeting.

The governors included Ben Ayade (Cross River), Hope Uzodimma (Imo), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Simeon Lalong (Plateau), and Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti).

The inside source stated, “We are now looking at March for possible date for the national convention. Like the president said, there is nothing on ground to convince us that the caretaker committee is ready for the convention on February 26.

“First, the committee has not been able to come out with a zoning formula for the various positions in the party. And we cannot go into the convention without all these things well-spelt out.”

Both Uzodimma and Ayade also hinted on Tuesday that the convention date was not sacrosanct.

The insider explained further that the Buni committee might have deliberately been pussyfooting around the convention because they had all long planned to hold the national convention and the presidential primaries the same day.

A presidency source stated, “The committee wants to also be the one to conduct the presidential primary, but conducting the national convention on February 26 means that there will be a new national executive committee in place to conduct the presidential primaries.

“This appears to be the agenda of Mai Mala Buni-led committee. As I speak with you, the APC governors and other entrenched interest groups within the party are divided on the matter

“Some governors, who met with the president on Tuesday, asked him who was his preferred chairmanship candidate. But, as usual, the president refused to disclose his interest. He only requested for the list of the 12 aspirants. And their names have been forwarded to the relevant security agencies for scrutiny.

“However, the near consensus is that the national chairman of the party should go to the North-central zone.”

But speaking with THISDAY, Mustapha said he did not want to dispute or speculate on a new date for the convention, since the party had not come out with an official statement on the issue.

He said, “If you notice, the trend in the APC, even when the governors met the other time, is that none of them has the authority to pronounce certain things unless endorsed by the authorised organ, and that was why Governor Mai Mala Buni was the one that spoke and gave a specific date for the convention. He is the chairman of the caretaker committee.

“So, I will want to restrict myself to waiting for the official right channel to instruct or to indicate where we stand. As at today, I want to believe the convention is going to take place on February 26.”

Asked to rate his chances in the race, the APC national chairmanship hopeful said, “I believe my chances are very bright and the sky is the limit for me. It has been very positive. Among 11 or 12 of us, we do not see it as a do-or-die affair. We have always approached each other as brothers in this game.

“In fact, I just came across two of my fellow contestants now and the way we were laughing, hugging, playing, was amazing. For us, it is a family affair that can easily be resolved, because for us, we know what it is to have gotten to this point in our journey, and we would try to see that all hands are on deck so as to come out victorious and be able to continue from the gains already recorded by the present administration ably led by President Muhammadu Buhari.”

APC Governors Bicker over Consensus Option

Ahead of the planned convention, there appears to tension and cracks in different camps of the PGF over the choice of a consensus national chairman

THISDAY gathered that the cracks followed a meeting between the governors of Kebbi State and Jigawa State, Atiku Bagudu and Mohammed Badaru, respectively, who were said to have secretly presented their choice of a consensus national chairman to Buhari, without the knowledge of the other governors.

It was learnt that the two governors met with the president last week, where they sold the idea of Senator Sani Musa as a consensus national chairman of the APC. But other APC governors on hearing of the meeting rejected the choice of Musa, and insisted it was not made with their consent.

Buhari was said to have clearly told Bagudu and Badaru that due process should be followed in picking the consensus chairman. The president, it was gathered, further told them to meet with Buni and other members to agree on the options that met his criteria.

But the crisis rocking APC, insiders said, was compounded by the inability of the convention committee to announce a zoning formula for the national convention.

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PDP crisis: Two ex-Senate presidents lead fresh plot to oust Damagum

Published

1 day ago

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December 21, 2024

By

Umar Iliya Damagum, Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

PDP crisis: Two ex-Senate presidents lead fresh plot to oust Damagum

Two former Presidents of the Senate, Chief David Mark and Dr Bukola Saraki are leading a fresh charge aimed at removing Amb. Umar Damagum as the Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The push by Mark and Saraki has received the backing of prominent stakeholders, including the Plateau State Governor, Caleb Muftwang and other political office holders elected on the platform of the PDP.

Similarly, former governors from the Northcentral zone who served on the party’s platform have also aligned forces with the group.

Rising from a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Thursday night, the party chieftains resolved to produce a candidate from the zone early 2025 to replace Damagum.

According to them, the move to replace Damagum with a substantive chairman from the Northcentral, has received the endorsement of key party stakeholders from the Northwest and the Northeast zones.

Among those being projected as potential candidates to take Damagum’s seat include Mark; a former Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam; and a former House of Representatives member from Nasarawa State, David
David Ombugadu.

A communique issued after the meeting, said the stakeholders
reviewed the festering crisis in the party following the exit of the erstwhile National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu.

Ayu lost his seat to the crisis triggered by disagreements over the emergency of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 general election.

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The crisis has continued to deepen with the apparent overbearing influence of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike on the Damagum-led national leadership.

The Northcentral stakeholders argued that Damagum’s continued occupation of the office breached provisions of the PDP constitution.

The communique states in part, “The PDP’s constitution clearly states that succession of offices in the party at all levels is largely to the extent that any vacant position can be replaced by appointment from the zone, as per Section 47 (6) of the party.

“The party is guided by its constitution at all times. Therefore, the leadership of the party needs to rise up to the occasion to restore goodwill and cohesion in the party by making necessary sacrifices and compromises to restore confidence and cohesion in the party.

“It is in the light of this that the stakeholders of the Northcentral Zone appeal to the conscience and goodwill of our compatriots in other zones of the Northern region to restore the seat of the chairmanship of the party back to the Northcentral Zone to serve out its tenure.

“That the stakeholders must strive to build consensus to get the buy-in to the position of Northcentral zone.

“The Northcentral is united and will strive to preserve the PDP as a veritable platform for good governance in Nigeria.”

The meeting, which was attended by Governor Muftwang, also had former Governors Jonah Jang (Plateau), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Idris Wada (Kogi) in attendance.

Others at the meeting included the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro; incumbent PDP National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN); and a former Information Minister, Prof Jerry Gana.

Also at the meeting were former senators Tunde Ogbeha, Philip Aduda, Suleiman Adokwe, Dino Melaye, Mohammed Onawo and Peter Jiya.

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Similarly, former Ministers, Labaran Maku and Sarah Ochekpe also attended the meeting. Other stakeholders like Simon Mwadkwon, Mrs. Margaret Icheen, Mr. Raymond Dabo, Maika Jiba, and Isa Dobi were also present.

Damagum, who is from Yobe State in the Northeast zone, emerged Acting National Chairman in March 2023 following the exit of Ayu who is from Benue State in the Northcentral zone.

Damagum was the PDP Deputy National Chairman (North) before his appointment as Acting National Chairman.

By virtue of Section 47 (6) of the party’s constitution, he ought to have relinquished the seat for a substantive National Chairman from the Northcentral zone where Ayu hailed from.

The Section reads: “Where a vacancy occurs in any of the offices of the party, the Executive Committee at the appropriate level shall appoint another person from the area or zone where the officer originated from to serve out the tenure of the officer.”

Ayu was elected chairman in 2022 for a four-year tenure that should expire in 2026 before his tenure got truncated in 2023.

Several moves by critical organs of the party, including the PDP Governors Forum, the Board of Trustees (BoT) and the National Caucus to replace Damagum have been thwarted by the Acting National Chairman, allegedly with the backing of Wike.

Miffed by the development, the PDP Governors Forum, led by Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, had, a few weeks ago, directed the Damagum-led leadership to convene the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting latest by February 2025.

The NEC meeting has suffered four postponements between August and November 2024, as Damagum, who is supposed to convene the meeting has been evasive.

The power to ratify any candidate chosen by the Northcentral zone to replace Damagum is vested only in the NEC.

 

PDP crisis: Two ex-Senate presidents lead fresh plot to oust Damagum

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PDP expels South-East national vice chairperson over anti-party activities

Published

3 days ago

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December 19, 2024

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PDP expels South-East national vice chairperson over anti-party activities

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oguduokwor Ward, Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, has officially expelled Ali Odefa, the suspended National Vice Chairperson of the party in the South-East, following allegations of anti-party activities.

Odefa had been suspended on September 11, 2024, by the ward executives, a move that was later upheld by the Federal High Court in Abakaliki. In its ruling on November 29, 2024, under suit number FHC/AI/CS/182/2024, the court affirmed the legitimacy of his suspension.

On Wednesday, Onyeka Ovuta, the Acting Chairperson of the PDP in Oguduokwor, announced Odefa’s expulsion in a statement. Ovuta explained that the decision followed recommendations from the party’s disciplinary committee, which confirmed the allegations against Odefa.

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The party announced that Mr Odefa by the virtue of his expulsion, “ceases to be a member of the party.”

Reacting, Mr Odefa laughed off the expulsion, stating that those who announced it were “frustrated charlatans”.

He said the expulsion cannot stand because “it did not take place in the ward but in Abuja”. He said those who made the announcement against him were not ward executives of the party.

“Let them come home come and announce it. Or is our ward now located in Abuja?”

 

PDP expels South-East national vice chairperson over anti-party activities

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INEC recognises Sylvester Ezeokenwa as APGA national chairman

Published

4 days ago

on

December 18, 2024

By

APGA National Chairman, Sylvester Ezeokenwa

INEC recognises Sylvester Ezeokenwa as APGA national chairman

Sylvester Ezeokenwa has been reinstated as the national chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).

Ezeokenwa was reinstated by the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday, December 17.

According to Sam Olumekun, the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, the commission had been served with the judgement of the Supreme Court.

The apex court judgement with the Appeal No. SC/CV/824/2024 APGA & ANOR vs OYE & ORS was delivered on November 27, 2024.

The court ruled that Ezeokenwa should be recognised as the national chairman of the party.

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“In compliance with the judgement of the apex court, the Commission has restored Barr. Ezeokenwa as the Chairman of APGA and restored his name on our website accordingly,” the INEC commissioner said.

He also stated that the reisnstatmemt of the new chairman would automatically lead to the withdrawal of the recognition of Njoku as the national chairman of the party.

The court also upheld an earlier judgement of the appeal which did not confer any enforceable rights on Njoku.

If also awarded N20 million each against the appellaants.

INEC recognises Sylvester Ezeokenwa as APGA national chairman

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