The President and APC governors are major stakeholders that will determine the party’s new national chairman, Saturday PUNCH has learnt.
Sources close to party stakeholders said the governors had agreed to work together and reach a consensus on who would pilot the affairs of the party.
One of the governors, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “It was a tough decision to sack the NWC led by Oshiomhole. Some governors owe their coming to office to him but some of us believe that we had to take over the party and exert our authority before the party would be finally hijacked by an individual.
“We couldn’t sit by and allow the ambition of a few persons to destabilise the party we all suffered to build. The chairman was unilaterally taking decisions on sensitive issues with a few individuals, even without carrying the President along.
“We could not wait till 2023 before taking a decision. Waiting for long would spell doom for us and the party.”
The source added that the caretaker committee members had been saddled with the responsibility of taking a decision on the zoning formula to be adopted in allocating offices among the six geo-political zones, including whether the next national chairman would still come from the South-South.
Our correspondents learnt that while some members of the party would prefer the continuation of the old zoning formula, others had been advocating adjustment.
The source added, “When Chief John Odigie-Oyegun was removed as the national chairman, they brought Oshiomhole from Edo State. But when Otunba Niyi Adebayo from Ekiti State was appointed as a minister, those who want to control the party by force argued that the position of the National Vice Chairman, South, was zoned to the entire South-West and unilaterally appointed the late Senator Abiola Ajimobi from Oyo State. Is that fair? They think we don’t know what we are doing?”
Convention may hold after Ondo election
While the committee is also said to be taking its time before coming up with its plans, some party leaders have insisted that the convention should not hold until after the Ondo State governorship election on October 10.
The plan, it was gathered, was to enable the party prepare for the governorship election in Ondo State.
Caretaker committee for inauguration Monday
Findings have also shown that the committee will be inaugurated on Monday.
A member of the committee told one of our correspondents that the inauguration would take place at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
The member did not give details of the event but said the first inaugural meeting would hold immediately.
We did no wrong, APC govs tell sacked NWC members
The Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Atiku Bagudu, on Friday said the party’s NEC did no wrong by dissolving the NWC and installing a caretaker committee.
He said the President as the leader of the party would never do anything contrary to the party’s constitution.
After leading APC governors on a “thank you” visit to Buhari at the Presidential Villa on Friday, Bagudu insisted that the President received “due legal advice” before he took a position on the party’s crisis.
“Mr President will never do anything against the party’s constitutional provisions, let alone the country’s constitution,” he added.
Bagudu said he was at the Villa with Buni; the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi; a member of the committee representing the North-Central and Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello; and the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, to thank Buhari for all he had been doing for the party and the country.
But, in spite of the nationwide concerns over the security challenges across the country, Bagudu said he was hearing of “security gains” daily across the country.
Bagudu added that the delegation thanked Buhari on behalf of the PGF for including three governors in the committee.
He said the President was happy that the leadership crisis in the party had been resolved.
APC state chairmen back Giadom-led NEC meeting
A cross-section of state chairmen of the party, who spoke with our correspondents, also said they agreed with the outcome of the NEC meeting.
The state chairmen, including those of Imo, Bayelsa, Kano, Sokoto, Ebonyi, Enugu, Ekiti and Gombe states, said the action was needed to resolve the crises rocking the party.
The APC Chairman, Sokoto State, Isa Acida, said, “We have no doubt that the action will bring about sanity in the party and weed out bad eggs who have been more of stumbling blocks than the assets that they are supposed to be.”
The Bayelsa State chapter of the APC said it had no choice but to support the dissolution, while the Ebonyi State chapter said the party remained a united family despite the dissolution.
The APC Chairman, Yobe State, Alhaji Adamu Chilariye, said the chairmen had decided to pay a “courtesy and congratulatory visit on the caretaker committee” led by Mala-Buni.
The APC Chairman in Imo State, Daniel Nwagor, said the state would support the caretaker committee towards ensuring that the APC returned to its winning ways.
Also, the APC Chairman in Gombe State, Mr Nitte Amangal, said, “The position of the state is not more than what the national has decided. We are in support.”
Meanwhile, in Kaduna State, an APC chieftain, Senator Abubakar Girei, described the dissolution of the NWC as rancorous.
In Ekiti State, the APC Deputy Chairman, Sola Elesin, expressed support for the decision of NEC to dissolve the party’s NWC. The Enugu State APC chapter also said it was in support of the dissolution.
The Kano State APC chapter said the dissolution was a welcome development, adding that those threatening to take legal action against what happened would before next Monday change their minds if they had good advisers.
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