By Ezeocha Nzeh
Governors elected under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) may have fallen out with the presidency over the choice of the party’s consensus candidate ahead of the February 26, National C
As the various aspirants continue to lobby for endorsement for the plum APC national chairmanship seat, The AUTHORITIES gathered reliably that while the President has preferred former Nasarawa State governor, Senator Tanko Al-Makura, the APC governors are pushing for different candidates.
Some governors had gone to the President last week to present a list that had Senator Sani Musa as the preferred National Chairman for the party. The report said that the President had directed the governors to go back to the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) to present the list.
Having failed on that plot, sources closed to the party revealed that the North Central governors made a fresh move, when they presented the former governor of Benue State and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Senator George Akume as their preferred candidate in the zone.
According to the source, the governors led by the Niger State governor, Sani Bello said the three National Working Committee offices that would be zoned to the zone would go to Benue, Plateau and Niger States. Their argument is that the previous NWC positions for the zone were occupied by Kogi, Kwara and Nasarawa State.
However, this would be the first time a particular zone would want to determine a National Chairmanship. In 2014, the national leadership and the South South zone agreed on who should become the National Chairman, in the person of Chief John Odigie-Oyegun. Also in 2018, the Progressive Governors Forum led by the former governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha decided that the former governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole should replace Oyegun and the President conceded.
The party source said “why are the governors finding it difficult to concede to the wishes of the President that Senator Al-Makura becomes the National Chairman of the party.
“The inability of the governors agreeing with the President had made the President not to have audience with them,” the source said.
Also speaking further, the source said that the excesses of the governors should be checked. According to him, the governors are taking too much from the party.
He posited that if the governors succeeded in their quest to anoint a candidate, they would also arm twist the President to anoint his successor.
“Every governor wants to become a President or a Vice President and this is what had brought disagreement in the fold.
“They think the only way they can achieve this is to decide and determine who becomes the National Chairman of the party.
“APC national Chairmanship is not for the North Central alone, therefore should not be left with governors in the zone.
“The argument that the National Chairmanship should come from a state without a sitting APC governor is a defeatist argument, as every state aspires to have APC governor.
“The party should come to a point where decisions especially those who occupy the NWC should not be made the governor alone”
