• Ministerial snub: ‘It’s time to move on’, Onanuga tells el-Rufai
• Don’t heat up polity with predictions of 2027 presidential poll, NNCPF cautions Nigerians
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has set the groundwork for the 2027 politicking in earnest as President Bola Tinubu yesterday presided over the National Caucus meeting of the APC, marking the first of such gathering since he assumed office on May 29, 2023.
The high-level meeting, which held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja with key party leaders in attendance, is preceding the party’s National Executive Council (NEC), holding today at the party secretariat at Wuse 2, Abuja.
The meeting commenced at 7:20 p.m. with the arrival of the President, the ruling party’s leader. Among those in attendance included Vice President Kashim Shettima; Senate President Godswill Akpabio; Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, and APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje.
Ganduje was accompanied by nine other members of the National Working Committee (NWC), including the deputy national chairmen (North and South), national secretary, legal adviser, treasurer, organising secretary, women leader, youth leader, and leader of persons living with disabilities.
Also present were APC governors, led by Imo’s Hope Uzodinma, who serves as Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum. Other governors in attendance were Babajide Sanwoolu (Lagos); Dapo Abiodun (Ogun); Babagana Zulum (Borno); Uba Sani (Kaduna); Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto (Sokoto), Abiodun Oyebanji (Ekiti); Ahmed Usman Ododo (Kogi); Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa); and Hyacinth Alia (Benue) among others.
Other notable leaders present were founding National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande; Chief Iyiola Omisore, Chief Olusegun Osoba, Senator Lola Ashiru, former Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara; former Cross River Governor Ben Ayade; Senator Anyim Pius Anyim; former governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Silva; Senator Abdulaziz Yari, former Governor of Nasarawa State, Tanko Al Makura and Senator Aliyu Wammako.
While a communiqué of the meeting was still being expected as at press time, it was gathered that key issues on the agenda were the scheduling of a non-elective convention, in line with the party’s constitution, formation of party standing committees, a presentation on the establishment of The Progressive Institute (TPI), and implementation of a membership e-registration exercise.
Additionally, the meeting was said to review a report from the national legal adviser concerning ongoing litigations involving the party in various courts.
The meeting, still ongoing as of press time, is expected to last into the night, according to party sources, as it is the first that would be used to straighten issues bothering the party ahead of Wednesday’s NEC meeting, the party’s first in 18 months since the inception of the current administration.
The party caucus consists of various party stakeholders, including past Presidents, Vice Presidents, serving presidents, and Vice presidents. Ajibola Bashir, the party’s National Secretary, had in a notice, revealed that the Caucus meeting is billed to hold at the Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa by 6.00 p.m. on Tuesday, while the NEC meeting will take place at the party’s national secretariat on Wednesday in Abuja.
However, it was gathered that despite the notice, many party members were initially skeptical following previous last-minute cancellations. Recall that the last NEC meeting was on August 3, 2023, when Abdullahi Adamu, the former National Chairman and Iyiola Omisore, the then National Secretary, were forced to resign their positions, which ushered in Abdullahi Ganduje and Basiru, as the National Chairman and Secretary respectively.
On the front burner is the latest string of criticisms by the former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai. Reacting to Monday’s el-Rufai interview on Arise TV, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga, has said the former Kaduna governor is disappointed for being left out during the President’s ministerial appointment.
In August 2023, the Senate withheld the confirmation of El-Rufai as a ministerial nominee, citing security reports from the State Security Service for the action. With the fallout of the ministerial appointment, el-Rufai has recently become critical of the Tinubu administration and the APC.
Speaking during an interview on Arise TV, el-Rufai claimed that it was not the Senate that rejected him as a Minister but President Tinubu himself. “After serving for eight years as governor of Kaduna, I had my plans. The President publicly appealed to me to put my plans on hold, and through two months of negotiations, we finally agreed that he would nominate me as minister, and there were certain conditions I attached to that. Along the line, the president changed his mind or something else.
“I think along the line, either the President changed his mind or something else. Please don’t believe the story that the National Assembly rejected me. The National Assembly had nothing to do with this, the President didn’t want me in his cabinet, he changed his mind. Whatever it is, I don’t care, and I’ve moved on. Since I’ve moved on, I’ve not said a word, I’ve not granted an interview, I’ve not commented on the government, but it is within my right as a founding member of the APC to ask why the party isn’t functioning,” he said.
But speaking on Channels Television on Tuesday, Onanuga said that even though the former FCT minister worked hard for Tinubu’s emergence as president, it is time for him to move on from the disappointment of not being made a minister.
He said: “I will pity former Kaduna State governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. He feels hurt that he was not made a minister. It has been long since the cabinet was formed in August 2023. I think it is time for him to move on. He cannot continue to behave like a child, as if someone stole his bread… crying over spilt milk, as we say.”
While acknowledging that it is not out of place for el-Rufai to feel aggrieved, having worked hard for the election of Tinubu, Onanuga said that the President is not in denial of his efforts.
“It is natural for him to feel bad that he has been excluded. I think the president has acknowledged in a recent tribute to him that Nasir did a lot in installing President Tinubu, and if he is not there, it doesn’t mean he will bring down the roof,” he said.
MEANWHILE, the Nigerian Northern Christian Professors Forum (NNCPF) has cautioned religious, tribal, socio-cultural and regional groups in Nigeria against predicting outcomes of the 2027 presidential election. The caution was given in a press statement signed by the forum president, Prof. Katuka Yaki and made available to newsmen.
Yaki reiterated the importance of responsible behaviour from religious, tribal, socio-cultural, and regional groups in Nigeria. By warning against predicting negative outcome of the 2027 democratic festival, Yaki aims to prevent unnecessary anxiety and promote peace.
The NNCPF also urged religious leaders to refrain from preaching hatred against other religions. This call to action seeks to avoid sowing discord and foster unity and peace within the country.
The NNCPF’s statement serves as a reminder that religious leaders significantly influence their followers and should use their platforms to promote understanding and tolerance.
He further stated that “ in Nigeria’s complex religious landscape, such warnings are crucial. The country’s history has been marked by periods of religious tension and conflict, particularly between Muslims and Christians”.