***Ali Modu Sheriff quits race as six CECPC members plot come back
**Uzodimma, Nnamani under fire over South east slots
By Ezeocha Nzeh
There are indications that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) may have jettisoned it proposed zoning of national offices and choice of consensus candidates ahead of its March 2023 national convention
The APC had earlier inaugurated and ratified the reports of its zoning , headed by Governor AbdulRazaq of Kwara state, which zoned the national chairman to North Central, with the national secretary being zone to Southwest
The committee among other distributions, zone the Deputy National chairman South to the South East, while it zoned the national chairman North to the North east
But our correspondent has gathered that zoning and consensus arrangement may have crumbled as stakeholders insist that the arrangement was not approved by President Muhammadu Buhari, whose name has continued to be dropped by some leaders to woo support for their preferred candidates
The candidates it was gathered were further reinforced through president Buhari’s letter to the APC Governors Forum, last week, where he sued for peace and urged party leaders to avaoid name dropping ahead of the convention
Leading in the fight against the proposed zoning and consensus arrangement was former Governor of Zamfara State and National chairmanship aspirant, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, who again dismissed claims of a micro-zoning formula in the party, saying as far as he was concerned, the position he is vying for has only been zoned to the North and not any geopolitical zone.
Yari spoke at the weekend in Abuja through the head of his campaign organization, Senator Tijjani Kaura, after returning his form said, “Let me say again that we are all aware that the party has zoned national Chairmanship to the North and Presidency to the South but we are not aware that there is specific zoning within the geopolitical zones of either the president of the national chairman of the party.
“Nobody indicated whether it is Southwest, South East or South-South. The party acting Chairman has not come out officially to tell us the chairmanship has been zoned to a particular geopolitical zone. So, that is why we are here”, he stated.
Kaura added that Yari would change the narrative of the party come March 26 as its national chairman.
He said; “Abdulaziz Yari has been a down to earth politician. He was a party secretary in Zamfara state two decades ago, from there he rose to be the party chairman in the state before he became a member of the House of Representatives. “Thereafter, he became the executive governor of the state for eight years before becoming the chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum. That is enough experience to lead this great party. That has allowed him to contact the 36 state governors of the federation to sell his chairmanship. I can assure you that today, Abdulaziz Yari has sold himself and he has been embraced by all the members of the party across the 36 states of the federation. I can assure you that on the 26th of March when we get to Eagle Square you will see what I mean”
In the same vein, leading candidates in the chairmanship race, former Governors Umaru Tanko Al’Makura, George Akume, and senator Mohammed Sani Musa, as well as former defunct CPC Deputy National Deputy chairman, Saliu Mustapha have intensified their campaigns ahead of the March 26 convention, insisting that there was no information given to them of any consensus candidate or unity list from anywhere
The candidates posit that the rumoured adoption of a particular candidate the president was a hoax, which some actors manufactured to woo support for their candidates, insisting that the APC NWC members will only be elected and not handpicked by a cabal
This is even as it has been revealed how some CECPC members fought to return to the party leadership by using their position to influence the zoning and micro zoning of the National Working Committee positions to their zones or states.
It was gathered that most of the members of the CECPC had planned to return to their seats as NWC members, hence they fought hard to influence the zoning of those offices they preferred to occupy to their zones.
For example, a member of the CECPC confided our correspendent that the Caretaker Committee Secretary, Senator John Akpanudoudehe wanted to return as APC National Secretary in the NWC and was vehement about the position zoned to South South.
Also, the representative of the South East in the CECPC, Senator Ken Nnamani demanded for the Deputy National Chairman (South) to the South East against the wishes of the South East APC members, who had preferred the position of National Secretary of the party.
The Women representative in the CECPC, Mrs. Stella Okitete demanded for the position of the National Women Leader to the South South, with the hope to return as substantive Women Leader. The position is zoned to South South but it is said to have been micron zoned to Cross River State.
Sources also confirmed that the Youth Representative in the CECPC, Isheamel Ahmed influenced the zoning of the National Organizing Secretary to North West in anticipation to clinch the position. However, the position is alleged to have been micro zoned to Kebbi State. Ahmed differed the zoning and obtained the National Organizing Secretary nomination forms. He had said that zoning was not contained in the APC constitution but a guide to the party.
However Imo state Governor, Hoper Uzodimma and the south east representative at the CECPC, senator Ken Nnamani have come under fire following their alleged interest and micro zoning of NWC positions for the zone
Stakeholders in the South East, who disagreed with the micro zoning formula of the NWC positions in the zone have threatened a showdown with the Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma and former President of the Senate, Senator Ken Nnamani at the Eagle Square over the micro zoning of the NWC zoned to them.
Inside sources disclosed that the stakeholders who met in Abuja argued that it is not in the place of Gov. Uzodinma to micro- zone the positions for the zone or for Senator Nnamani to appropriate the Deputy National Chairman (South) position to himself.
Describing both Hope Uzodinma and Ken Nnamani are joiners to APC, the stakeholders also said that the former President of the Senate, who was member of the CECPC could not add any value of APC to the South East.
Two candidates, including former National Vice chairman, South east, Emma Enugku have challenged Nnamani to the Deputy national Chairmanship position, insisting that they would give him a fight tom the position
“We will not allow somebody who does not have political value to occupy a position given to us in the APC NWC.
“Those positions are not for individual agrandaziment but to sincerely add APC value in the zone. Nnamani has been tested with a leadership position in the APC for the zone and could not use it to do anything but for himself.
“In the agitation for Igbo Presidency in APC, the former President of the Senate has never added a voice, how can such a selfish person be a representative of the South East people.
“Also, it is not in the place of Governor Uzodinma to decide which state from South East gets what in the NWC.
“What concerns all must be discussed by all as the Igbo people believe in.
“If APC must make impact in the South East in 2023, South East must present selfless NWC members from the zone.”
Meanwhile, former Governor of Borno state, Senator Ali-Modu Sheriff (SAS), has announced his withdrawal from the All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairmanship race ahead of the party’s national convention this week.
Sheriff, who announced his withdrawal at a press conference in Abuja on Sunday, said his decision was in obedience to the decision of the ruling party to zone the ticket to the North Central geo-political zone..
“Being someone who respects the rule of law and respects our leaders. No party can take a zoning formula where you have a leader of the party in any setting where there is a government, the President is the leader of the party.
“And the President has taken a position. I have always told you that I will contest if it is zoned to my zone. That has been my statement always. And today they have taken a position, “I respect the president. I respect him as a person and as a president he is my leader. He must have a reason for allowing the party to zone the chairmanship to North Central.
“Myself, I have led a party. I am a founding father of this party. I was the chairman of Board of Trustees of this party. What it means is that every decision the party takes in all the time I have been neither chairman of the party Chairman, the Board of Trustees, I know the procedure and the process.
“I don’t want to draw battle line. I respect the President and unless the party come out between now and Friday to say that, no, we have changed our mind, it is now open. In that respect also they are obliged to allow everybody to pick a form. Therefore, I don’t want to oppose the president in any way or form. I respect him. I will abide by the decision of the party that it is exclusively zoned to North Central,” he said.
