Politics

National Convention: APC favours North-Central for chairman, South-East for Secretary

Published

3 years ago

November 21, 2021

IN what could appear to give the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) a run for its strategies towards the 2023 general election, the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) is giving the North- Central top priority to land the position of the national chairman of the party, Sunday Tribune has learnt.

In a former Senate President, Iyorchia Ayu, the biggest opposition party recently produced its new national chairman, from the NorthCentral, replacing Mr Uche Secondus from the SouthSouth.

As if determined to play the PDP game to the last letter, South-East is also reportedly being tipped to produce the ruling party’s national secretary, just like PDP, which went to the geopolitical zone to pick its national scribe in the person of Senator Samuel Anyawu.
In the North-Central, those searching to report back to the official leader of the party, President Muhammadu Buhari, have reportedly identified three persons from whom the party’s decision-makers are expected to pick one.

Two former governors and a dark horse are said to have been pencilled in.

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Of the two former governors, one is seen as suffocating in dealing with the incumbent governor of his state, who he reportedly enthroned.

His state governor, who has been openly supportive of his aspiration, is reportedly open to having another state in the zone land the plum job to be saved from further “harassment” from the godfather.

The other former governor is largely seen as hedonistic, with a top party source disclosing to Sunday Tribune that “Baba [President Buhari] will not take XYZ (mentioning the former governor’s name) from them.”

The third target, Sunday Tribune source noted, would jolt Nigerians when unveiled. “He is not the person you may be expecting,” the source teased the surprise expected ahead of the unveiling of the “dark horse.”

All efforts to extract an identity from the source were rebuffed on the excuse that bringing him out early could damage other ancillary strategies to forge a common front.

What isn’t in doubt, however, was the confirmation by the source that a bridge-building coalition has emerged to work out the shape of the next national working committee as designed by forces aligning to gain supremacy.

The incoming NWC is expected to largely determine the fate of state chapters where parallel congresses held.

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Zoning of elective offices, especially the presidency, has been a contentious issue in the ruling party. PDP surmounted the challenge by throwing his presidential ticket open, while party offices simply exchanged hands between North and South.

There is also an understanding that if a northerner emerges the party’s presidential standard-bearer and goes ahead to win the general election, Ayu will step down as the national chairman and a southerner, second in rank, will mount the saddle.

Taofeek Arapaja, a former deputy governor of Oyo State, is the deputy national chairman (South) and he is seen as a shoo-in, if a northern candidate wins the presidency on PDP’s platform. Past attempts at zoning of elective offices by the APC ended in chaos, disclaimers and denials over allegations that some tendencies were already claiming victory in certain parts of the country.

Even the current effort, Sunday Tribune learnt, isn’t cast in iron and could be dumped anytime, “because the guys at the national headquarters (Mai Mala Buni’s Caretaker Committee) are so jittery and may dump this one again once it is out,” the source revealed.

The main aspect of the zoning being referred to by the party chieftain was the presidency, on which the decision makers are yet to take a definite stand.

However, most of the top operatives of the party have favoured the South for the number one job on the ticket of the party after eight years of President Buhari, ending on May 29, 2023. Some heavyweight northern governors like Kaduna State’s Nasir el-Rufai, Kano’s Abdullai Ganduje and Borno’s Babagana Zulum, have spoken in favour of power rotating to the South.

The contention at the heart of the zoning issue is said to be the push to have the presidency micro-zoned, like party offices, to a definite zone in the South.

Those pushing this argument are also pointing to the current effort to zone the position of deputy national chairman (South) to a particular geopolitical zone in the axis (identity withheld). In the South, the contention for the APC presidential ticket seems a direct battle between the South-East and South-West, where the current Vice President hails from. Being a heartbeat away from the number one job, inside the party’s national abode, there are forces pushing for Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, to enjoy the right of first refusal.

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The argument is further made that in functional democracies, the Vice President is as good as an awaiting president and can only be bypassed if their chances of winning the general election are realistically low.

Osinbajo is deemed to have a realistic pathway to the presidency. The national leader of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu, is also being heavily tipped for the top job by emerging Political Action Committees (PACs).

Sunday Tribune learnt that an aspirant, who is yet to strongly feature in the presidency calculations, may show up once a new national working committee is in place.

In the South-East, Ebonyi governor and an ally of President Buhari, Dave Umahi, has become a regular mention in the projection for APC presidential ticket.

South-West is heavily favoured against the South East in delegate count, considering just two states in the South-East are governed by the APC, while the party runs five in the South-West, with a long list of past and current office holders who are automatic delegates to the presidential primary, though a plurality of aspirants from the zone, could thin off the advantage.
Tribune

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Politics

2027 election: Shehu Sani declares bid for Kaduna central senatorial seat

Published

2 days ago

March 31, 2025

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Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani

2027 election: Shehu Sani declares bid for Kaduna central senatorial seat

Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has officially announced his intention to contest for re-election in the upcoming 2027 general elections.

Sani made the declaration on Sunday while delivering his Eid-el-Fitr message at his residence in Kaduna. The former senator, known for his vocal stance on national issues, expressed his commitment to representing the people of Kaduna Central once again and addressing key challenges facing the region.

“Any politician contesting an election depends on the political equation that determines the position to vie for. If the conditions are right and the equations are favorable, I will offer myself to contest specifically for the Kaduna Central senatorial district,” he stated.

He further emphasised that his ambition remains secondary to ensuring the re-election of Governor Uba Sani for a second term.

“For now, our priority is to see that the incumbent governor, Uba Sani, is re-elected. We will work with all our might and strength to achieve this. We know there will be challenges and opposition, but we are well prepared for all forces,” he added.

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Sani also used the occasion to urge Muslims to pray for Nigeria’s peace and unity during the Eid-el-Fitr celebrations. Additionally, he condemned the recent killing of hunters in Edo State, calling on security agencies to apprehend the perpetrators.

“If citizens cannot move freely across the country, then we are not truly a nation. If individuals take the law into their hands for any reason, it means there is no government or authority,” he lamented.

He called on all Nigerians who desire a better country to work towards peace and unity for the preservation of democracy, despite the challenges being experienced.

Sani also urged the government to uphold fundamental human rights, particularly the right to life, as a crucial step towards national stability and development.

2027 election: Shehu Sani declares bid for Kaduna central senatorial seat

Politics

Wike’s aide slams Atiku, says it’s too late to buy integrity

Published

2 days ago

March 31, 2025

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Former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar

Wike’s aide slams Atiku, says it’s too late to buy integrity

Lere Olayinka, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media has alleged that one Nigerian that can never be found in the gathering of men of character and integrity is former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Olayinka said this while reacting to statement by the Atiku Media Office that Atiku rejected the choice of Wike as his Vice Presidential candidate in the 2023 election of his character.

This was in spite of the fact that a committee set up by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to select a Vice Presidential candidate for the 2023 election had recommended Wike.

However, Olayinka said rather than Wike, it’s Atiku that that lacked character as attested to by his former boss, Olusegun Obasanjo, in his book; My Watch.

According to Olayinka, it was already too late for Atiku to buy ‘character and integrity that he has lacked from birth’.

He said no one could have knew Atiku better than President Olusegun Obasanjo, under whom he served as Vice President for eight years.

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Olayinka said; “One of the reasons Wike first rejected Atiku’s offer to have him as his running mate was his not too impressive character and integrity rating, until he was prevaied upon. And this, Atiku exhibited when he rejected the decision of committee the party set up to pick his running mate even after telling everyone that the decision of the committee will be bidding on him.

“Now, after his lies that he picked his running mate based on the committee report that placed the former Governor of Delta State, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, as number one was bursted, he is now sermonising about character and integrity, which he, himself does not have.

“Funny that the same Atiku, that his boss described as a ‘blatant and shameless liar,’ is the one talking about character.

“For the records, Obasanjo said in his book, ‘My Watch’ that ‘What I did not know, which came out glaringly later, was his parental background which was somewhat shadowy, his propensity to corruption, his tendency to disloyalty, his inability to say and stick to the truth all the time, a propensity for poor judgement, his belief and reliance on marabouts, his lack of transparency, his trust in money to buy his way out on all issues and his readiness to sacrifice morality, integrity, propriety, truth and national interest for self and selfish interest.’

“Up till today, Atiku has not debunked what his boss said about him.

“Unlike Atiku, Wike does not hide or pretend on where he stands on issues. He is not one that will do a tweet on major issues and rush to delete it. He didn’t pretend about his position on the 2023 election and he won’t pretend on where he will stand in 2027.

“It is Atiku, that should start being truthful and reliable, especially now that he is old, because everything should not be about desperation to be president.”

Wike’s aide slams Atiku, says it’s too late to buy integrity

Politics

Atiku says he’s not sure about contesting 2027 presidential election

Published

7 days ago

March 26, 2025

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Former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar

Atiku says he’s not sure about contesting 2027 presidential election

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said that he does not know if he will contest the presidency in 2027.

Atiku made the remark in a yet-to-be-aired interview for a television show, Untold Stories, with Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie, scheduled for broadcast today but exclusively obtained by Daily Trust.

The former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recently announced the formation of a coalition of opposition leaders to wrest power from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.

However, there has been widespread speculation about who will lead the coalition and emerge as its presidential candidate, with former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi and former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, being considered among its key figures.

When asked if he would be running for the presidency in 2027, Atiku said: “I don’t know because there has to be, first of all, a viable platform, more than any other time in the political history of this country, particularly since the return of democracy.”

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Atiku, who has run for the presidency a record six times, did not rule out the possibility of contesting again in 2027.

“I have not seen Nigeria in dire need of, you know, an experienced and credible leadership than this time.

“We had a similar, you know, what would I say, merger in 2014. About four of us or is it three? We all ran for president and one of us emerged, and we all supported the one who emerged, and he won,” he said.

He agreed with former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s assertion that Nigeria’s democracy is deteriorating, saying the situation is “very dire.”

“No doubt about that,” he said.

Atiku also expressed his disappointment with the country’s political leadership.

“The next generation after me, many of them had been governors, had been senators. Instead of me to see an improvement in the level of governance at the state level and so on and so forth, I don’t see it. So I feel a little bit distressed.”

Atiku also questioned the credibility of the current legislative leadership, especially as it relates to the National Assembly’s ratification of the state of emergency in Rivers State

“I am not surprised,” he said, alleging that they are corrupt.