Convention: Consensus Remains Best Option, Says APC

Emameh Gabriel in Abuja

In what appears to be the best and last option for the ruling All Progressive Congress, the party has maintained that it would go ahead with President Muhammadu Buhari’s advice to pick its national officials through consensus in order to have a rancour free convention on Saturday. 

Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State and Chairman, Media and Publicity Sub-Committee for the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2022 National Convention, told journalist during a  press conference at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Friday.

Governor Addullahi said though there was limit to which the party could push to take certain decisionS, going by its constitution and the country’s constitution, consensus remained a better alternative.

He said: “If you remember we have mentioned over and over that as far as our party is concerned, we have all the three options in our constitution. The number one choice always in our party is consensus because it actually creates a rancour free convention.

“The reason being, all stakeholders in the various zones will sit, agree and decide before you go into the convention. Our first choice is always consensus and we are still on that first choice.

“However, democracy demands, even our constitution demands that if that doesn’t work, we will go ahead and look at the other options. But right now, that remains our option number one.

Recalled that President Buhari had during the week advised that the APC pick its next national chairman by consensus rather than the aspirants challenging themselves on convention ground.

He had on Wednesday hosted aspirants for the chairmanship position of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to a dinner at the State House.

The meeting, held behind closed doors, came after an earlier meeting with the party’s governors ahead of the March 26 National Convention of the party.

The meeting, it was learnt, was part of the president’s bid to ensure consensus candidates emerge before the convention.

Before now, it was alleged that the President had endorsed former governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Adamu, as his candidate for national chairman of the party and has directed stakeholders of the party to work out modalities to produce a unity list ahead of the party’s national convention.

With no hint of stepping down, seven aspirants had before now obtained forms to contest for the APC National Chairmanship position after the party announced to have zoned the seat to the North-central.

Among those who are interested in the chairmanship of the party and who were at the meeting with the President on Wednesday include: Abdullahi Adamu, Tanko Al-Makura, George Akume, Abdul’aziz Yari, Saliu Mustapha, Sani Musa, and Muhammed Eksu.

Meanwhile, the party has declared that not all political appointees were affected by Section 84 (12) of the new Electoral Act which disqualifies political appointees from voting at political parties’ primaries and conventions.

Governor Abdullahi while responding to a question from journalists on the position of the party on the controversial clause, said that the APC delegates lists were statutory. 

“If you have a former president, as a political appointee, if you have a former senator as a political appointee, these are already automatic delegates. So let’s not confuse the two. Being an appointee doesn’t exclude you from being a delegate. Because our delegates are clearly classified. Former president under our party, former elected party officials and the rest of that. 

“So most of the list we have submitted, we don’t have commissioners, we don’t have advisers unless if someone was a former elected officials”, he stated, which confirmed that work was still in progress to come up with a unity list Friday night.

However, some aspirants vying for various positions of the party and their supporters, who were pleased with the position of President Buhari on the mode of electing national officials of the party, have urged the party’s leadership to thread with caution.

In a statement signed by Mallam Bala Usman, Director-General, Saliu Mustapha Campaign Organization and made available to THISDAY, the group said while it recognized consensus as one of APC’s acceptable leadership selection methods, which is completely legal and constitutional, it should be noted that “for consensus to abide, it must be all inclusive and devoid of any vestige of imposition”.

The statement read:

“This is why Mallam Saliu Mustapha, together with all the other aspirants, would continue to engage in order to review the options before them and agree on a common and mutually beneficial decision. Until this is done, nothing has been decided yet.

“In the course of his campaigns for the office of National Chairman of APC, our candidate, our team as ably led by the Turaki of Ilorin has had close interactions with party members, supporters and well-wishers, who all share in his fervent desire to build APC into a party that prioritizes inclusion, fair reward system and a transparent internal democracy; all of which are the major pillars of his campaigns.

“His aspiration to lead the party is on behalf of these categories of party members and stakeholders. He will therefore not take any decision without considering the deep hope and expectations that have been invested in him by these multitudes of members that spread all over the country.

“While he will join other aspirants in the race to work out a most acceptable outcome in the larger interest of the party, we request that all his supporters and well-wishers remain calm. As it’s the tradition in the Saliu Mustapha Campaign Organization, the decision of what to do will be that of everyone involved, not just that of Turaki alone.

“As we all look forward to the national convention, we wish all party delegates who are converging on Abuja a safe and smooth journey to the capital city”.