APC zoning arrangement: Why NEC meeting was postponed"
A clash of interest is likely pervading the zoning war in the All Progressives Congress (APC), ahead the inauguration of the new government on May 29.
Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune confirmed on Thursday that the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party, scheduled to hold on Thursday, could not hold because of factors already threatening the zoning arrangement.
Also, it was gathered that the national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, had protested to the president-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, over the decision to set up a seven-man panel to review the zoning arrangement originally submitted to the NEC last week.
The NEC had mandated Oyegun to meet with a seven-man team, one from each geopolitical zone and then meet with Buhari before briefing NEC at the April 30 meeting.
Sources, however, confirmed that the meeting scheduled for April 30 was put off, following protests from the chairman, as well as other members of the party, especially the senators-elect and members-elect of the House of Representatives.
Some lawmakers-elect were said to have been meeting through the week and many of them were said to have resolved to back one candidate or the other for the different positions in the National Assembly.
Sources said Oyegun met with Buhari and protested that it was like an indictment on him to have the work of his committee reviewed by another smaller committee, as anything done at the level of the National Working Committee (NWC) and the NEC could only be reviewed by a convention.
Buhari was said to have agreed with him, thereby causing a postponement of the NEC meeting originally scheduled for Thursday.
It was, however, gathered that while the interests of former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu, appeared to be coalescing in the Senate minority leader, Senator George Akume, that of the former governors and members of the new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) in the APC were tailored towards the candidature of Senator Bukola Saraki.
A source said Saraki had decided to carry on with his campaign, notwithstanding the games being played on the zoning arrangement.
A source also said tdespite the acclaimed projection that the South West was backing out of its support for Akume, the report could just be a gimmick to calm down tension and frayed nerves.
It was learnt that leaders of the South West still believed that Akume should take the Senate presidency slot.
“His candidature is being supported by the likes of Obasanjo, Atiku, Gemade and Governor Gabriel Suswam. The support of Tinubu and the South West is also not lacking,” a source said.
Akume was said to have told his associates that he was relying on the decision of the North Central to push for the Senate presidency and that the zone had also agreed to field a common candidate for the job.
Sources, however, said Akume also agreed that the zone was yet to meet and decide on the single candidate.
While that was going on, Saraki was said to have moved on by commencing a lobby of the senators and senators-elect directly, a decision his handlers said would pay off at the end of the day.
“Saraki has decided to borrow from the steps leading to the emergence of Honourable Aminu Tambuwal as speaker of the House in 2011.
“He observed that the popularity of Tambuwal ensured his victory, though his party then attempted to work against him. But in this case, Saraki is still hopeful the North Central will retain the seat in the APC zoning arrangement,” a source said.
A clash of interest is likely pervading the zoning war in the All Progressives Congress (APC), ahead the inauguration of the new government on May 29.
Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune confirmed on Thursday that the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party, scheduled to hold on Thursday, could not hold because of factors already threatening the zoning arrangement.
Also, it was gathered that the national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, had protested to the president-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, over the decision to set up a seven-man panel to review the zoning arrangement originally submitted to the NEC last week.
The NEC had mandated Oyegun to meet with a seven-man team, one from each geopolitical zone and then meet with Buhari before briefing NEC at the April 30 meeting.
Sources, however, confirmed that the meeting scheduled for April 30 was put off, following protests from the chairman, as well as other members of the party, especially the senators-elect and members-elect of the House of Representatives.
Some lawmakers-elect were said to have been meeting through the week and many of them were said to have resolved to back one candidate or the other for the different positions in the National Assembly.
Sources said Oyegun met with Buhari and protested that it was like an indictment on him to have the work of his committee reviewed by another smaller committee, as anything done at the level of the National Working Committee (NWC) and the NEC could only be reviewed by a convention.
Buhari was said to have agreed with him, thereby causing a postponement of the NEC meeting originally scheduled for Thursday.
It was, however, gathered that while the interests of former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu, appeared to be coalescing in the Senate minority leader, Senator George Akume, that of the former governors and members of the new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) in the APC were tailored towards the candidature of Senator Bukola Saraki.
A source said Saraki had decided to carry on with his campaign, notwithstanding the games being played on the zoning arrangement.
A source also said tdespite the acclaimed projection that the South West was backing out of its support for Akume, the report could just be a gimmick to calm down tension and frayed nerves.
It was learnt that leaders of the South West still believed that Akume should take the Senate presidency slot.
“His candidature is being supported by the likes of Obasanjo, Atiku, Gemade and Governor Gabriel Suswam. The support of Tinubu and the South West is also not lacking,” a source said.
Akume was said to have told his associates that he was relying on the decision of the North Central to push for the Senate presidency and that the zone had also agreed to field a common candidate for the job.
Sources, however, said Akume also agreed that the zone was yet to meet and decide on the single candidate.
While that was going on, Saraki was said to have moved on by commencing a lobby of the senators and senators-elect directly, a decision his handlers said would pay off at the end of the day.
“Saraki has decided to borrow from the steps leading to the emergence of Honourable Aminu Tambuwal as speaker of the House in 2011.
“He observed that the popularity of Tambuwal ensured his victory, though his party then attempted to work against him. But in this case, Saraki is still hopeful the North Central will retain the seat in the APC zoning arrangement,” a source said.
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