APC Convention: Buhari, APC Govs, Others Insist On Consensus Candidates

There were indications yesterday that the All Progressive Congress (APC) has finally settled for consensus ahead of the party’s national convention billed for Saturday.

This is even as governors elected on the party’s platform have yielded to President Muhammadu Buhari’s choice of the next national chairman of the party.

The APC governor yesterday came out from a meeting with Buhari saying they will throw their weight behind whoever the president supports to become national chairman.

Former Borno State governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, had on Sunday announced his decision to step down from the national chairmanship race of the APC, citing a unity list the party had agreed on.

Sheriff added that if the party decides to throw the contest open between Monday and Friday, he would return to the race.

There had been reports suggesting that former Nasarawa State governor, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, is the aspirant Buhari is pushing for to be the national chairman, but the choice of Adamu is facing stiff opposition from the Senate caucus of the party and legacy parties that merged to form the APC.

Following the development, chairman of the party’s caretaker committee and Yobe State governor, Mai Mala Buni, will meet with the APC Senators today.

Contrary to rumours that President Buhari may have changed his mind on backing Senator Adamu following the protest by legacy parties, it became clear that the president and the party are still much interested in the consensus arrangement last night when he met with the party’s national chairmanship aspirants.

Buhari hosted the national chairmanship aspirants of the governing party to a dinner at the presidential villa.

The parley with the aspirants was said to be in furtherance of genuine efforts at ensuring a rancor-free and successful national convention.

All those aspiring for the national chairmanship position attended the meeting.

The chairmen of the APC caretaker committee, Governor Buni; chief of staff to the president, Prof Ibrahim Gambari and secretary to the government of the federation, Boss Mustapha, were also in attendance.

Earlier yesterday, APC governors who were led to the meeting with the president by the chairman of the caretaker committee of the party said they were fully in support of whoever Buhari chooses to be national chairman.

Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) and governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, told State House correspondents after the closed door meeting that they would support any process that would lead to a consensus.

According to him, the governors all restated their commitment to working together to ensure that the convention takes place on March 26.

Bagudu said they also agreed to support all the decisions that were taken by the caretaker committee, both acting as a working committee and acting with the donated powers given to it by the National Executive Committee (NEC).

He said “Our party is a democratic party; we will always urge consensus. We’ll urge respect for the decisions of the party because the distribution of political party offices here has been approved by the highest organ of the party, which is the national caretaker committee because they were acting in their capacity as the national executive committee of the party.

“But where people still choose to go against the grain, whatever the party constitution allows them because we wouldn’t do anything undemocratic.

“Mr President has always urged consensus for all positions because consensus is in accordance with the democratic tenets and once you have leaders who are established, who are working towards the same goal; yes, we might have our differences, like was once carefully explained by Governor El-Rufai.

“But on the principle of ensuring that we get leadership that will hit the ground running, we are united, and to that extent, we will support any process that will lead to consensus and the emergence of leaders without the need for an election.”

Asked if we are likely to see surprises at the convention, he said “No, the governors are united. The governors are unanimous in support of Mr President. The governors are unanimous in the support of the caretaker committee.

“Naturally, there will be hiccups one day, but we have overcome them and we are a human organisation, which is bound sometimes to generate emotions and anxiety, but we are united and unanimous and by God’s grace, we’ll have a very successful and peaceful national convention.”

The progressive governor’s forum chairman further said they all briefed the president on the distribution of political party offices to the respective zones.

“Apart from our support for Mr. President’s endorsement of the candidate for the National Chairman of the party, the various geo-political zones took turns to brief Mr President on what they have been doing to generate consensus in their respective zones amongst the National Working Committee and zonal party positions that have been either allocated to the zones or which the zones are entitled to.

“Most of the zones have been allocated National Working Committee positions that are fewer than the number of states, but there are zonal executive committees from which the zones are working to produce a consensus list.

“So, this afternoon, the respective zones, Governor Abubakar Bello on behalf of the North-Central; His Excellency, Governor Babagana Zulum Umara, on behalf of the North East; His Excellency, Governor Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa State on behalf of North West; His Excellency, Governor Dave Umahi, on behalf of South East; Governor Kayode Fayemi on behalf of the South West all briefed the president. I further mention the position of the South-South to Mr. President, as I had on paper.”