The search is on for a new national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) who is expected to lead the party to battle in the 2023 general elections.
Though no official position has been made by the Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee led by the Governor of Yobe State, Mai-Mala Buni on where the next national chairman will emerge from, there are rumours that the committee is strongly disposed to the position going to the North- East.
However, Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Yekini Nabena in a statement last week said zoning of party offices was never part of the agenda at the inaugural meeting of the Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee.
He said; “A purported zoning arrangement for the planned National Convention of the All Progressives Congress APC which has gone viral in the social media is fake. “Party members, supporters, stakeholders and indeed the general public are advised to disregard the fake news. “The inaugural meeting of the Caretaker/ Extra-Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee (CEONCPC) which held at the APC National Secretariat on Monday did not discuss or issue the fake zoning arrangement for the planned National Convention”.
While the search is on, South-South leaders of the party at the weekend said it is opposed to plot to zone the position to the North- East or any other geo-political zone in the country.
The leaders said since the former national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has a four year-term which was truncated by two years, his replacement should also come from the South- South and not any other region.
In a reports and research done by THE INDEPENDENT, it stated that in searching for the next national chairman, the stakeholders which include close political associates of President Muhammadu Buhari are not considering the South- South as an option, a development that is already causing ripples in the party.
It was also gathered that aside the North- East, the South- East is also being considered so as to create a balance in the Southern region as only the South- East is yet to produce the national chairman since its formation in 2013.
Of the three zones in the South, the South-West and the South-South produced the first three national chairmen of the party, namely Chief Bisi Akande (South-West); Chief John Odigie-Oyegun (South- South) and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole (South- South).
Speaking on the issue, Chief Hilliard Eta, a former factional Acting national chairman of the party said he is in the support of clamour that the South- South must produce the national chairman.
“ I am from the South- South and I guard jealously what belongs to us. That should suffice for now on the issue of which region produces the next national chairman” he said.
When asked if he is aware the caretaker committee is considering the North-East and South- East, Eta said he awaits a formal announcement from the committee on the issue.
“I don’t believe what I read in the social media. There hasn’t been any official statement from the Caretaker Committee. So, for me, I cannot discuss matters that are found only on social media. There are proper channels of announcing such decisions and those channels have not been utilized. So, I don’t believe the Caretaker committee has made such pronouncement.
Also reacting, Prof. Oserhiemen Osunbor, a former governor of Edo state said there is sense in the argument that the next national chairman should come from the South- South so as to complete Oshiomhole’s tenure.
“I think there is some sense in that debate that the next national chairman should come from the South-South. I don’t have any reason to fault it” he said.
Prince Tony Momoh, a former Minister of Information and one of the national leaders of APC on his part said Edo state must produce the next national chairman said Oshiomhole can still return if he contests and win at the party’s next National convention.
Momoh added that Oshiomhole who was humiliated by his removal from office must have learnt his lesson and will become a better person if reelected as the party’s next national chairman.
“If I am asked where the next national chairman should come from, I will say why not South- South and Edo state and even Edo north, and even Auchi? Naturally, I will say my zone should produce the next chairman. In my last interview, I even said if Oshomhole in interested, he can still contest and if he wins, he returns as the national chairman”.
“He has not said he is not interested and I don’t think he has lost so much grounds that someone will now want to replace him. But for the problems in the party, he wouldn’t have lost so badly because being removed unexpectedly as national chairman is enough punishment”.
“In my view, it is very humiliating. So, as his own townsman, if anybody asks me who should be the next national chairman, I will say Oshiomhole should go back. If there is any lesson to learn, he must have learnt it by now.
“If anybody asks me to support another region for the position of national chairman, of course, I won’t”.
To Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti- Corruption (PACAC), while advantage should be given to the South- South, other regions shouldn’t be shut out in search for the party’s next national chairman.
“We should look for a figure that can embrace everybody, that we all have confidence in. He must not necessarily be from a particular part of the country”.
“This is the time of building confidence and making sure that the new national chairman of the party is somebody who is acceptable to majority of the members of the party. If they can get somebody like that from the South- South, it will be very good. But I don’t think they should rule out other areas.
“They should give the South-South first shot, but in case they cannot get a good reconciling figure from the zone, they can look at other region. We need a national chairman who can bind the wounds of the party and hold everyone together until 2023”
Rotimi Fashakin, an APC chieftain and former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) said the party members should abide by the decision of the party leadership to zone the position to the North East.
“The party has brought out some guidelines and has already zoned it to the North East. A committee was empaneled to steer the ship of the party before the convention. That committee in its wisdom has come up with the delineation for party positions for the next convention. We should just go by what they have done”.
“The next national chairman must truly be a leader who can bring together the various forces within the party. At the same time, he must be firm and fair. He must be a strong leader and not timid because he will be leading a party that has been torn apart by the various infighting”.
“He must be able to galvanise the strength within the party. He must also be able to command respect from all and sundry and guide the party by providing strong leadership for the party members. As the father of the party, he must be fair and firm” he said.
Though no official position has been made by the Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee led by the Governor of Yobe State, Mai-Mala Buni on where the next national chairman will emerge from, there are rumours that the committee is strongly disposed to the position going to the North- East.
However, Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Yekini Nabena in a statement last week said zoning of party offices was never part of the agenda at the inaugural meeting of the Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee.
He said; “A purported zoning arrangement for the planned National Convention of the All Progressives Congress APC which has gone viral in the social media is fake. “Party members, supporters, stakeholders and indeed the general public are advised to disregard the fake news. “The inaugural meeting of the Caretaker/ Extra-Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee (CEONCPC) which held at the APC National Secretariat on Monday did not discuss or issue the fake zoning arrangement for the planned National Convention”.
While the search is on, South-South leaders of the party at the weekend said it is opposed to plot to zone the position to the North- East or any other geo-political zone in the country.
The leaders said since the former national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has a four year-term which was truncated by two years, his replacement should also come from the South- South and not any other region.
In a reports and research done by THE INDEPENDENT, it stated that in searching for the next national chairman, the stakeholders which include close political associates of President Muhammadu Buhari are not considering the South- South as an option, a development that is already causing ripples in the party.
It was also gathered that aside the North- East, the South- East is also being considered so as to create a balance in the Southern region as only the South- East is yet to produce the national chairman since its formation in 2013.
Of the three zones in the South, the South-West and the South-South produced the first three national chairmen of the party, namely Chief Bisi Akande (South-West); Chief John Odigie-Oyegun (South- South) and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole (South- South).
Speaking on the issue, Chief Hilliard Eta, a former factional Acting national chairman of the party said he is in the support of clamour that the South- South must produce the national chairman.
“ I am from the South- South and I guard jealously what belongs to us. That should suffice for now on the issue of which region produces the next national chairman” he said.
When asked if he is aware the caretaker committee is considering the North-East and South- East, Eta said he awaits a formal announcement from the committee on the issue.
“I don’t believe what I read in the social media. There hasn’t been any official statement from the Caretaker Committee. So, for me, I cannot discuss matters that are found only on social media. There are proper channels of announcing such decisions and those channels have not been utilized. So, I don’t believe the Caretaker committee has made such pronouncement.
Also reacting, Prof. Oserhiemen Osunbor, a former governor of Edo state said there is sense in the argument that the next national chairman should come from the South- South so as to complete Oshiomhole’s tenure.
“I think there is some sense in that debate that the next national chairman should come from the South-South. I don’t have any reason to fault it” he said.
Prince Tony Momoh, a former Minister of Information and one of the national leaders of APC on his part said Edo state must produce the next national chairman said Oshiomhole can still return if he contests and win at the party’s next National convention.
Momoh added that Oshiomhole who was humiliated by his removal from office must have learnt his lesson and will become a better person if reelected as the party’s next national chairman.
“If I am asked where the next national chairman should come from, I will say why not South- South and Edo state and even Edo north, and even Auchi? Naturally, I will say my zone should produce the next chairman. In my last interview, I even said if Oshomhole in interested, he can still contest and if he wins, he returns as the national chairman”.
“He has not said he is not interested and I don’t think he has lost so much grounds that someone will now want to replace him. But for the problems in the party, he wouldn’t have lost so badly because being removed unexpectedly as national chairman is enough punishment”.
“In my view, it is very humiliating. So, as his own townsman, if anybody asks me who should be the next national chairman, I will say Oshiomhole should go back. If there is any lesson to learn, he must have learnt it by now.
“If anybody asks me to support another region for the position of national chairman, of course, I won’t”.
To Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti- Corruption (PACAC), while advantage should be given to the South- South, other regions shouldn’t be shut out in search for the party’s next national chairman.
“We should look for a figure that can embrace everybody, that we all have confidence in. He must not necessarily be from a particular part of the country”.
“This is the time of building confidence and making sure that the new national chairman of the party is somebody who is acceptable to majority of the members of the party. If they can get somebody like that from the South- South, it will be very good. But I don’t think they should rule out other areas.
“They should give the South-South first shot, but in case they cannot get a good reconciling figure from the zone, they can look at other region. We need a national chairman who can bind the wounds of the party and hold everyone together until 2023”
Rotimi Fashakin, an APC chieftain and former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) said the party members should abide by the decision of the party leadership to zone the position to the North East.
“The party has brought out some guidelines and has already zoned it to the North East. A committee was empaneled to steer the ship of the party before the convention. That committee in its wisdom has come up with the delineation for party positions for the next convention. We should just go by what they have done”.
“The next national chairman must truly be a leader who can bring together the various forces within the party. At the same time, he must be firm and fair. He must be a strong leader and not timid because he will be leading a party that has been torn apart by the various infighting”.
“He must be able to galvanise the strength within the party. He must also be able to command respect from all and sundry and guide the party by providing strong leadership for the party members. As the father of the party, he must be fair and firm” he said.
Major Contributor: THE INDEPENDENT
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