With barely ten days to the February 26 date of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Convention, the signs appears ominous that the APC National Working Committee (NWC) that will emerge may not enjoy the full support major blocks within party.
This is as news emerge that a major disagreement has arisen between the Governors of APC and the presidency on the choice of the Concensus Chairmanship Candidate for the party ahead of the Convention
While the governors are said to favour Senator Mohammed Sani Musa, the President Mohammadu Buhari is believed to be more disposed to Senator Umaru Tanko Almakura former governor of Nasarawa State.
If this snippets of information is true , it would be the first time the President would be opposed to the governors on the choice of national Chairman of the party.
Recall the roles paid by APC Governors in the emergence of Chief Odigie Oyegun and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
It is no longer news though that the struggle to constitute the new APC NWC has open often ignored cracks along the various tendencies that came together to form the party, namely the ACN, CPC, ANPP and factions of PDP and APGA now on the fringes .
A source close to the Secretariat of the APC explained that it was for this reason that President subtly redirected the APC Governors to the Caretaker Committee on the eve of his departure to Belgium for the EU/ AU summit.
The APC chairmanship position we gathered had been zone to North Central but was microzoned to Niger, Benue, and Plateau states since the previous NWC positions were occupied by Kogi, Kwara and Nasarawa State.
That zoning arrangement,it was gathered automatically eliminated Aspirants for Chairman from those states including Senator Almakura, and Saliu Mustapha both of hlwho have made strong claim for the seat of Chairman.
Out source said that it is for this reason the North Central governors are presenting the former governor of Benue State and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Senator George Akume as their preferred candidate in the zone.
Based on this unwritten understanding our party source said the governors are 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.
The source also frowned at the excesses of the governors , wanting to determine who gets what in the Political sharing table
“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 by the governor alone