The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), recently held its elective national convention, the first since it formed government at the centre in 2015. At the end of the exercise, which began last Saturday but spilt over to Sunday, 21 members of the National Working Committee (NWC) and 36 non-member of the body, emerged with Adams Oshiomhole chairman of the party. The exercise produced the following winners and loosers.
Winners
Bukola Saraki: Although aspirants from other states showed interest, the race for the position of National Publicity Secretary, zoned to the north-central, was essentially between the forces of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and the Kwara State Governor, Adulfatah Ahmed, on one hand and the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed on the other hand. Duro Meseko and Abubakar Sidiq Umar, both of who hail from Kogi State, had indicated interest in the race and picked nomination forms. They however withdrew during the convention leaving only the incumbent, Bolaji Abdullahi and Lanre Issa-Onilu, from Kwara State in the race interestingly; both aspirants are professional journalists who worked for ThisDay newspaper. At the end of the day, the party only recognized the Saraki group and left the other to pick the pieces.
Tinubu: Lawali Shuaibu is a known ally of influential party leader, Bola Tinubu, from their days in the ACN and he defeated a former member of the House of Representatives, Farouk Aliyu, to retain his seat in the NWC as the Deputy National Chairman. Mr Shuaibu, a former senator, hails from Zamfara State and his challenger hails from Jigawa State, both in the North-west zone. Both men had shown interest in the position in 2014. However, Mr Aliyu then of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) was prevailed to step down for Mr Shuaibu of the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). Few weeks before last Saturday’s convention, there were indications that Mr Aliyu who enjoys the support of President Buhari would replace Mr Shuaibu. Buhari also rooted for the support of party leaders and Governors for him. Mr Aliyu has always enjoyed warm relationship with the president. In fact, he coordinated the president’s campaign in Jigawa State 2015 thereby fueling speculations that it was indeed a payback time for the former lawmaker. Perhaps, it was this reason that informed Mr Shuaibu’s late entry into the race. The former senator was initially not interested in returning but had to change his mind when he was persuaded by some interests to pick the nomination forms. Although, Mr Buhari reportedly asked to be allowed to produce the occupants of three positions, namely national chairman, national secretary and national organising secretary, Mr Aliyu’s name was said to be on a supposed president’s list submitted to governors and party leaders seeking their support. But that never materialised as he lost to “superior forces” with the support of Governor AbdulAzee Yari and indifference of Jigawa Governor, Badaru.
Governor Shettima: Several weeks before the convention, there were clear indications that Mai Mala Buni will pick up the job of the National Secretary of the party once again. The return of Mr Buni, of the ANPP bloc of the party, was reportedly backed by Mr Buhari who lobbied the party leaders and governors to work for him. The governors, who had assumed enormous power within the party’s system were said to be initially against his candidature until the president waded in. The president reportedly requested the governors to support Mr Buni’s reelection when he hosted them to a breaking of fast in his Aso Rock residence. But this did not stop the emergence of other aspirants for the position zoned to the North-east, comprising Borno, Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe Adamawa and Yobe with the APC is in power in four of the states, namely Borno, Bauchi, Adamawa and Yobe from where Mr Buni hails. Aspirants from other states, particularly Borno, were determined to replace Mr Buni, who has been in office since 2014. Indeed, three aspirants from Borno State emerged to challenge the incumbent. They were Kashim Imam, a former Presidential Liaison Officer to the Senate during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s first tenure, Abdulrahman Terab, a former member of the House of Representatives, and Waziri Bulama.
Gov Okorocha: After the loss of the party structure in the state to the former national Organising Secretary, Governor Rochas Okorocha got his pound of flesh at the Abuja convention. During the state congress, the governor unsuccessfully pleaded with the NWC, then led by John Odigie-Oyegun, and some other party leaders to intervene to no avail. Of interest is the fact that the same NWC had also appointed Mr Okorocha as Chairman of its Screening Appeal Panel. Mr Okorocha sponsored Emma Ibediro, a former secretary of APC in Imo, against Mr Izunaso, who insisted he would seek reelection, especially with the new party structure firmly under the control of his group, Allied Forces. The two groups carried their fight to Abuja where they clashed on Saturday at the Eagles Square venue of the convention. However, at the end of the voting, the result was declared in favour of Mr Ibediro, Mr Okorocha’s favourite. Mr Izunaso lost the election with a slim margin of 1,459 votes to 1,749.
Aisha Buhari: A former Director of FAAN, Salamatu Umar, defeated incumbent Ramatu Aliyu for the position of the APC National Woman Leader zoned to north central. Premium Times gathered that Mrs Umar, from Kogi State, was the candidate of the wife of the president, Aisha Buhari. Sources said APC governors earlier proposed that incumbent Mrs Aliyu should continue because of the support she had among the party faithful across the country. At a point during their series of meetings ahead the convention, the governors were said to have changed their minds to support Mrs Umar, who was also preferred by Governor Yahaya Bello. It was further gathered that during the meetings Mr Bello insisted that since the position of the national publicity secretary had been ceded to Kwara governor, he should be allowed to produce the national woman leader.
Losers
Gbemi Saraki: Now said to be more interested now in national politics than local politics where she has created a cut-like followership among her loyalists and supporters who are still with her, Gbemi Saraki’s quest to test the national waters by reportedly backing Lanre Issa-Onilu to challenge Bolaji Abdullahi for the post of National Publicity Secretary rippled in uncoordinated waves. Although the emergence of her candidate was seen in political circles as a testimony to her political influence to people like Lai Muhammed and others said to be very active in the ruling government, the performance of her candidates who reportedly refused to step down despite such overtures lives more to be desired.
Ali Modu Sheriff: For the position of National Secretary, Mr Imam was backed for the position by former governor of Borno State, Ali Sheriff, who recently returned to the APC after the Supreme Court ousted him as national chairman of the opposition party (PDP). This time around Imam’s candidature was opposed by Governor Kashim Shettima. Sources indicated that Mr Shettima perceived that allowing any of the contestants from Borno, particularly Mr Imam, to become the head of APC national secretariat would mean handing over the Borno structure of the party to Mr Sheriff, his (Shettima) erstwhile political godfather. Again, the governor, who completes his second term in 2019, reportedly figured out that the emergence of Mr Imam, who was a front runner, as national secretary, could spell doom for him, especially with the 2019 elections around the corner and he reportedly worked in concert with the Yobe State governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, to return Mr Buni while other aspirants were pressured to step down.
Lai Muhammed: As the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed was embroiled in a battle of supremacy over who controls the party in Kwara State. He was the highest presidency official that reportedly supported factional congresses in Kwara state last month. While the Saraki/Ahmed camp rooted for Mr Abdullahi’s reelection, Mr Issa-Onilu was allegedly the preferred choice of the Mohammed’s group and some officials of the presidency. Mr Mohammed and the presidential hawks were reportedly determined to stop Mr Abdullahi in a move to spite Mr Saraki. However, Mr Abdullahi emerged winner following the horse-trading between the APC governors.
Izunaso: The battle for the office of the National Organising Secretary, though zoned to the South-east, was clearly an Imo affair and one between the state governor, Rochas Okorocha, and the former organising secretary of the party, Osita Izunaso. Both men lead different factions of the party back in Imo State. The Izunaso group comprises the state deputy governor, Eze Madumere, a serving senator, Ben Uwajumogu, and a former senator, Ifeanyi Araraume. The groups conducted separate congress at the ward, local and state level last month and in the end, the officials produced by the Izunaso group were recognised and inaugurated by the national secretariat from where he (Izunaso) was pulling the strings being a national officer. But at the Abuja convention, he lost to Governor Okorocha who weighed in with the missive support of his fellow governors to get the position for his candidate.
