After a stint leading the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) is in its last moments. Issues such as consensus and zoning are important to its exit for a new leadership to pilot the affairs of the party, writes OLUKOREDE YISHAU
A week ago, an aspirant for the All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman, Chief Sunny Sylvester Moniedafe, was at the party secretariat to buy the form to actualise his ambition. He left displeased.
“I have been on this issue for over 20 months now and in less than two weeks to the convention, we are still asking questions. We want to know what is happening. I have been in touch with the party headquarters since Thursday last week and even on Monday and they keep telling me no news. The party should tell us what is happening.
“There is no communication from the party. We have to be told of the zoning arrangement. Nothing is happening in less than two weeks to the convention. I don’t think that is fair to us.
“This convention must hold. Nothing can stop it. Just that the delay and non-release of information are not expected. If they want consensus, let them come out and say so. There is nothing wrong with consensus, but call all the parties involved. The delay is uncalled for.”
About the same time, a group, which goes by the name, APC Youth Development and Solidarity Forum, addressed reporters in Abuja, reeling out unsubstantiated allegations. The Forum’s Secretary, Chief Tobias Ogbeh, in a speech titled: ‘Exposed: How Governors Mohammed Badaru, Atiku Bagudu, Kayode Fayemi, and others have plotted to impose Senator Sani Musa and others as National Chairman, Excos, to satisfy the selfish interest of projecting Badaru/Fayemi ticket for 2023 Presidency’, said: “These same governors and their minions have in their known fashion hijacked the entire exercise, which was proven to the world by the way they fixed a February 26, 2022, date for the event in flagrant disregard for the preferences expressed by stakeholders.
“Sadly, the governors in question never bothered about what stakeholders thought, wanted, or demanded, because for them the national convention is a fait accompli. Rather than being a forum at which delegates would elect party officials in the hope of righting the wrongs done at the state chapters, the convention envisaged by these political vampires is one at which they will merely browbeat and coerce delegates to rubber stamp the criminal decisions taken; one that would undermine the 2023 general elections because the party’s internal democracy in the APC would have been bastardised.
“Nigerians would be deprived of having an APC presidential candidate that passed the rigours of primary election. Governor Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa State, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State and their other desperate allies that include serving Ministers, have perfected plans to ensure that Senator Sani Musa is imposed as APC National Chairman alongside other lackeys that would be named to other positions at the convention.
“Senator Sani Musa would in turn deliver Bagudu as APC presidential candidate and Kayode Fayemi as his running mate. They have cooked up what they called “unity list” to package their evil plot as something positive and desirable for the party and the country when the contrary is the case.”
It was not done with its allegations: “We want APC stakeholders and Nigerians to know that these state governors are working against the interest of the country. As things stand, we are collectively staring a full-blown state capture in the face as these band of governors paid a nocturnal visit to the Presidential Villa last week Friday night with their purported “unity list” that they are now desperately promoting.”
The group urged President Muhammadu Buhari “not to allow their criminal intent to materialise; these people have also perfected other plans to make mockery of the convention that has remained a source of controversy.”
Before Moniedafe and Ogbeh spoke with the media, a list surfaced on the social media about the zoning of positions forcing CECPC Secretary Senator John James Akpanudoedehe to explain that zoning had not been concluded.
He said: “I’m here to debunk the fake news going around on the social media that we have zoned offices. We are yet to meet on the issue of zoning. The news and rumour making rounds are fake. We never discussed the issue during our deliberations. People should disregard the story because it is fake news. It is not true.”
A chieftain of the party from Ibadan, Oyo State, Andrew Ayegbege, sees no merit in the positions expressed by Moniedafe and Ogbeh.
He said: “There is no truth in the speculations of postponement and a grand plan to ensure the Convention does not hold. It is also wrong to accuse the CECPC Chairman, Governor Mai Mala Buni of sit-tightism and an agenda to self-perpetuate. These allegations are frivolous. Buni has been the best thing to have happened to our dear party at a tumultuous time. He has grown the party to 41 million members, 9 million more than the entire population of Ghana. He has digitalised the party and brought in high-profile members into the party. He has successfully conducted congresses at the Wards, Local Government and State levels. And he has reconciled the party significantly as well as set the stage for a great Convention. He would be remembered by history as one of the greatest leaders our party got to know.”
On the claim that forms were not ready, Ayegbege said it would be out of place to start selling form when the issue of zoning of positions was yet to be concluded.
“The forms are ready. The issue of whether the party will adopt zoning or not must be resolved before the aspirants would know what forms to buy. You can’t make people buy forms and then zone the positions away from their zones. If there won’t be zoning, aspirants will know what to do,” he said.
He also faulted the claim that the party was not communicating. According to him, the party’s spokesman regularly addressed reporters.
“Regularly, the Secretary of the CECPC, Senator John Akpan Udoedehe, has been briefing reporters on the level of preparedness of the Committee for the Convention. But Dr Lukman said the Committee has not been communicating. How else do you communicate? APC is an organised party and not a confused circle like the orchestrators of the 3rd Force mirage,” Ayegbege said.
He believes the party has seen its best period since inception under the Buni leadership. “We have 22 governors that are committed to the party and leaders across the geopolitical zones are poised to ensure the party remains unplugged from her support base which is populated by the masses of Nigeria. It is characteristic falsehood that the party is waning. We are waxing stronger,” he added.
This is in sync with Buni’s statement “today, APC parades over 41 million registered members, asserting our position as Africa’s largest political party and of course, Nigeria’s leading political party. With this, we are confident of winning the 2023 general with huge success”.
A party chieftain who is close to the CECPC said the committee was being tactical and that it would ultimately achieve the best result, which would produce a cohesive party.
“The Caretaker Committee is being tactical. It will not rush to sell forms for the national leadership positions when the zoning arrangement is yet to be concluded. The Committee and the progressive governors and other stakeholders are working this out and at the end of the day, almost everyone will be pleased with the outcome of their deliberations. Networking and high-level negotiations are also going on about the consensus option in order to avoid post-convention skirmishes. Everything will soon be straightened out. Ignore the talks about the convention being threatened. The committee is just being tactical,” he said.
The convener of the Concerned APC Members Forum, Okpokwu Ogeni, wants President Buhari to call a meeting of stakeholders ahead of the convention, especially to resolve the issue of consensus.
“Judging by the activities of the various actors, we appeal to Mr. President not to allow the selfish interest of the 2023 presidential ambition of some ranking members to destroy the party. We want Mr. President to recommend a highly committed and disciplined member, a man of humility and resilience with acute knowledge of party administration that will respect both former and serving Governors, Senators, Ministers, party faithful, and of course, the Leaders of our party.
“We recommend Mr. President convene a meeting of all the aspirants for the chairmanship position and hand over the preferred candidate to them, instructing an all-inclusive government. This will immediately heal any injury in the heart of any and the course of explanation to his supporters while he stepped down. We shall continue to work with you for the development of our beloved party, APC, and country, Nigeria.
“In recommending a candidate for the national chairmanship position which may bring about consensus, we advise Mr. President to look into the records of the various individuals aspiring to lead the party, having in mind the internal zoning arrangement of the party which is in North Central Nigeria.
“The measures will go a long way in reducing internal crisis in the party, controlling the expenditure of some aspirants, and solving the problem of reconciliation after the Convention. We also want to draw Mr. President’s attention to the fact that, immediately after the Convention, there is a primary election not far away, so, the need to minimise our crises and concentrate on the 2023 general elections is very important.”
Though the focus is on the National Chairman, other positions to be filled are Deputy National Chairman South, Deputy National Chairman North, National Secretary, Deputy National Secretary, Vice Chairman South-West, Vice Chairman North West, Vice Chairman North Central, Deputy National Organizing Secretary, National Treasurer, National Financial Secretary, National Welfare Secretary, Deputy National Welfare Secretary, National Publicity Secretary, Deputy National Publicity Secretary, National Legal Adviser, National Woman Leader, Deputy National Auditor and National Youth Leader.
Also to be filled are Zonal Youth Leader North Central, Zonal Youth Leader North West, Zonal Youth Leader North East, Zonal Youth Leader South West, Zonal Woman Leader South East, Zonal Woman Leader North East, Zonal Woman Leader North West, Zonal Woman Leader South-South, Zonal Woman Leader North Central, Zonal Woman Leader South West, Ex-Officio Members South East, Ex-Officio North East, Ex-Officio North West, Ex-Officio South West, Ex-Officio Member North Central, National Auditor, National Vice Chairman South East and National Vice Chairman South-South. Also available are National Vice Chairman, North-East, National Organising Secretary, Deputy National Treasurer, Deputy National Financial Secretary, Deputy National Woman Leader and Zonal Youth Leader South East.