Amidst concerns over reports of zoning and endorsement of a consensus candidate for both the All Progressives Congress (APC) national convention and the party’s 2023 presidential ticket, the All Progressive Congress Mandate Group (APC-MG), has urged party members and general public to disregard any rumour that the 2023 presidency may have been zoned to the southern region of the country.
This was, even as, the group also said the party has never met to decide on who among the numerous aspirants would be considered as its consensus candidate for the national chairmanship position, ahead of the March 26 national convention
National Chairman of the group, Sani Abdulahi in a statement on Thursday, warned against few individuals arrogating powers to them by trying to decide the fate of the ruling party, without recourse to the teeming party members across the country.
“The APC-MG noted with dismay, the purported endorsement of a former governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Adamu, as the national chairman of APC and the reported zoning of the party’s presidential ticket for the 2023 General Election to the South of the country.
“The APC Mandate Group has consequently directed the party members and Nigerians in general to disregard purported endorsement of Adamu as chairman and the zoning of APC presidential ticket”, the statement said.
The APC – MG, which described those behind the endorsement report as “purveyors of fake news and merchants of lies,” stressed that, “the decision on the APC presidential flagbearer is something beyond Nasiru El- Rufai or Kayode Fayemi or Mohammed Badaru, who are only entitled to one vote each when it is time for elections”.
It pointed out that, “the party members would not have at any time treated Adamu as a top contender for its national leadership when he woefully failed to unite the party when he had the simple task of the Chairman of APC Reconciliation Committee”.
The Group said its assertion is based on verifiable facts that the APC did not at any time meet to take these decisions. It clarified that a group of people meeting as a “cabal” do not constitute the APC, which is founded on a recognized constitution with known organs that have responsibility for decisions at various stages.
“APC-MG is challenging the PGF to publish adopted minutes of any APC meeting where it was agreed that the presidency should be zoned to any region of the country as they are now championing”, while stating that “illegal agreements reached in covens cannot be allowed to supplant the democratic process that will take place at an elective party convention”.
According to the group, the system of endorsement and zoning being championed by the PGF is contrived to deny Nigerians of quality leadership and that it was evident the “cartel of state governors” are working towards personalizing Nigeria for their own selfish gains, which well-meaning Nigerians should do well to stand against at this point.
