The race for the National chairmanship of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) may have been narrowed to a fierce contest between two senators as a former Governor of Nasarawa State, and Senator representing Nasarawa Central, Tanko Al -Makura and his Niger East counterpart, Mohammed Sani Musa, are locked into the contest to win the support of the presidency and Senate.
This is even as a North Central group has endorsed former Deputy National chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC), Saliu Mustapha for the plum job It was gathered that while the presidency is said to have favoured the choice of Senator Al Makura, the majority of the National Assembly members, especially the senators, might have resolved not to back any former governor again for the position. Sources close to the National Assembly leadership confirmed to New National Star that the Senate decision was to avoid a repeat of what happened in the 2018 primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
It was gathered further that the National Assembly leadership might have taken their message and support for a senator who has not been a governor before to President Muhammadu Buhari, who they have urged to decide and choose the National Chairman. It was alleged strongly that money was used to obtain tickets of the party in the 2018 primaries, a situation party members alleged affected the fortunes of the party in the 2019 General Elections. The National Chairmanship aspirants have however intensified their lobby of the Presidency to secure endorsement from President Buhari. Those who have indicated interest to contest the National Chairmanship position of the party are: Senator Sani Musa (Niger) North Central, former governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Tanko Al-Makura (Nasarawa) North Central, former governor of Benue State, Senator George Akume (Benue) North Central, former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff (Borno) North East, former governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Abdullazizi Yari (Zamfara) North West, Alhaji Saliu Mustapha (Kwara) North Central, former governor of Bauchi State, Malam Isa Yuguda (Bauchi), North East, former governor of Nasarawa, Senator Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa) North Central, Mr. Sunny Silvester Moniedafe (Adamawa), North East and Alhaji Abdullahi Sani Shinkafi (Zamfara) North West.
The APC National Caretaker and Extra Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), which had earlier fixed the convention to be held on February 26, only last week released its timetable and schedule for the convention. According to the schedule, candidates will start the collection of their Nomination and Expression of interest forms on February 14, according to the timetable released by the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC). Sources close to the NASS leadership disclosed to New National Star that the majority of the senators, including the Senate president, might have endorsed Senator Sani Musa as against Al Makura, who was a former Governor. Also sources from the Sani Musa campaign team, who confirmed the development said that the Senators, led by the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan were in the forefront of lobbying the Presidency and other relevant organs of the party for Senator Musa. The source added that the Senators were reaching out to those considered to be close to the Presidency to have Musa adopted as the consensus candidate. This is even as the Majority Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has joined in the endorsement of the Niger East senator.
Senator Kalu, who paid a visit to the Chairman, Senate Services Committee, Senator Sani Musa, APC, Niger East, at his Maitama residence on Sunday in Abuja, informed the Senator of his preparedness to aspire for the Presidency of the country if the party zoned it to the South. The two leaders discussed ways of improving the fortunes of the party, how to ensure a rancour-free forthcoming national convention of the party and agreed to work together for the electoral success of the APC at all levels in future elections.
While the senators have moved to endorse Sani Musa, former Governor Al Makura is said to be banking of support and backing of some presidency bigwigs to outwit the senators The campaign team of the former governor of Nasarawa State is said to be gathering some governors, members of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) as well as some Senators to lobby the Presidency and also other relevant organs of the party for adoption of their principal, Senator Al-Makura as consensus candidate. Meanwhile, other stakeholders with interest in the APC plus job have insisted that the contest must be made open without zoning . Briefing journalists at his campaign office at the weekend in Abuja, another strong contender for the plum job, Ali Modi Sheriff, maintained that the party’s national chairmanship position had not been zoned to any geo political zone in the country. The APC chairmanship aspirant, a former governor of Borno State, who also denied widespread report that he was using the party’s chairmanship position to launch his presidential ambition in 2023, noted that those who were spreading the zoning report were afraid of losing the position to him, hence they wanted it to be zoned to the North Central, saying he could not be distracted from his bid to superintend the ruling party.
He emphasized that he was in no way eyeing the presidency in 2023, noting that he was only interested in leading the APC National Working Committee (NWC) to actualize victory for the party in the 2023 general elections. “Some people said he is pretending that he is looking for a president and not a party chairman. I want to put it on record. I am not contesting the presidency. I want to be the APC national chairman so that I can lead a campaign like what we did before to ensure that our leader President Muhammadu Buhari hands over to another APC member. “If I want to be president, I won’t be afraid to say it. I am not afraid of anybody. Whosoever we decide to be our presidential candidate, I will support the person and lead the charge if by God’s grace I become the national chairman. “I am running for national chairman and I want to help the president to maintain his legacy by handing over to someone from the APC. Some people are afraid because they know that I am competent to do what I am aspiring to do,” he declared.