• Be calm, President pleads, promises reconciliation
• Nigerians in love with Tinubu’s policies, programmes – Oshiomhole
• Former rivals shun meeting, as North-West pacification begins
Despite the discontent by a caucus of the ruling party and the general public hard pressed by the government’s policies, the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday, passed a vote of confidence on both President Bola Tinubu and its National Chairman, Umar Ganduje – technically endorsing a potential second term candidacy of the former.
The endorsement emerged as the National Executive Committee (NEC) rose from its meeting at the party’s National Secretariat at No. 40 Blantyre Street, Wuse 2, Abuja.
In attendance at the NEC meeting, were, incumbent governors of Edo, Monday Okpebholo, Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State, Hyacinth Alia of Benue State, Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti, Musa Sani of Kaduna, Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, Yobe, Mai Mala Buni, Kogi, Usman Ododo, Dapo Abiodun of Ogun, and Mohammed Umar Bago of Niger, among others.
The list of the former governors in attendance includes Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, his Kebbi counterpart and Minister of Budget and National Planning, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, Kogi, Yahaya Bello, Zamfara, Bello Matawalle, among others.
Also present during the meeting include Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, former deputy president, Ovie Omo-Agege, and other principal officers of the National Assembly, Ministers, among others.
In a bid to win back the confidence of the massive vote bank of the North-West geopolitical zone, as well as quench the growing angst of major stakeholders from the zone, NEC affirmed the official zoning of the position of the National Chairman to the only district that comprises seven states.
Recall that notable actors from the North-West showed their resentment against Tinubu after he went to the North-East geopolitical zone to pick the former Borno State governor, Senator Kashim Shettima, as his running mate for the 2023 presidential poll.
Feeling disappointed, about five outgoing state governors, particularly Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Muhammadu Badaru, Nasir el-Rufai, and the current national chairman, Ganduje, started grumbling. It took the intervention of outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari to encourage the governor to continue working for the electoral success of the party.
At a meeting with the governors in Abuja shortly after Shettima was chosen, Tinubu was said to have told the North-West governors that it would not be proper and equitable to select a running mate from their zone after close to 16 years in office as President and Vice President, respectively.
When one of the governors observed that if equity was an issue, the presidential ticket should have been taken to South-South or South-East, to which Tinubu responded that neither South-South nor South-East won the ticket.
Further, after Tinubu emerged as President, an expanded meeting of northern political stakeholders was held at the home of a former North-East Governor, where it was reportedly resolved that President Tinubu should concede the post of Senate President and APC chairman to the north.
However, while Tinubu agreed to grant the demand for party chairmanship, he opted for the former Kano State governor, instead of allowing the northern stakeholders to nominate their candidate.
In addition, President Tinubu insisted on the former Minister of Niger Delta, Senator Godswill Akpabio as his pick for the Senate, a development that joined North-Central and North-West in silent mind games against the President.
At the NEC meeting, former national chairman and current Senator representing Edo North District, Adams Oshiomhole, spoke eloquently about President Tinubu’s policies, stressing that the administration’s programmes were good enough to earn the President another term in office.
Oshiomhole, who was seconding the motion for a vote of confidence on the President as moved by the Chairman of Progressive Governors Forum, Senator Hope Uzodimma, declared that the masses of Nigeria will be glad to invest another term on President Tinubu.
He spoke glowingly of Tinubu’s performance, saying that his chances of reclaiming his seat for another four years would be guaranteed with support from the vast majority of Nigerians.
As if they were privy to the perceived endorsement of Tinubu’s second term, the President’s former rivals in the 2022 presidential primary, former Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo; former Transportation Minister, Chibuike Amaechi; former Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi and former Senate President, Dr. Ahmed Lawan, all shunned the NEC meeting.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari, who had complained that his administration was made to look bad by his successor’s cabinet members, did not send word or reservations about his absence.
Sources confided in The Guardian that the President plans to placate more aggrieved former supporters, hinting at a midterm cabinet review after the anticipated appointment of diplomats.
The decision to affirm the zoning of the chairmanship was to ensure that Dr Ganduje enjoys another term and continue the battle for the sole of Kano State with the 2023 presidential candidate of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso.
These decisions followed the adoption of a motion moved by the chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), Sen. Hope Uzodimma at the parley, which was chaired by the party’s national chairman, Ganduje.
Earlier on, a chant of “on your mandate, we stand, no vacancy in the villa” enveloped the Secretariat as President Tinubu was chauffeur-driven into the make-shift hall of the venue of the NEC meeting that was attended by many party stalwarts nationwide.
In his remarks, President Tinubu expressed gratitude to the NEC. He declared that he was living up to the progressive ideals of the APC, even as he assured on his administration’s determination to strengthen security and reduce the prices of food items.
While pledging to sustain the developmental strides being recorded by his administration, the President noted that the hardship in the country should not be seen as unusual. He rationalised that other countries of the world are still witnessing economic shocks.
He, however, stressed the need for a more befitting national headquarters for the party, just as he noted with satisfaction the gale of defections by members of the opposition to the APC and the electoral victory being recorded across the country.
The President stated: “I thank the leadership of our party for letting the NEC find a way to celebrate our progressive ideals.
“The place we are gathering today is too small for us and I agree with you that we need a bigger location. I think the Minister of National Economic Planning is here, we discuss it with the minister in charge, and we will do something about it.
“The National Working Committee (NWC) is doing a good job, and I am happy with them. In all the various states, let us set up reconciliatory committees to liaise with these aggrieved leaders. I am appealing to them, to please be calm. I am very happy, and I promise not to let any of you down.”
Earlier, the national chairman of the party, Ganduje, disclosed that his NWC inherited a whooping N8.98 billion in liabilities ranging from legal engagements during the pre-election litigations, election cases and appeals for legislative, governorship and presidential elections.
On the need for a new national secretariat building, Ganduje, who equally enjoyed the vote of confidence of NEC noted: “As part of the commitment to secure and own a national secretariat complex befitting of a ruling party and one that would conveniently accommodate our national officers, the newly established the Progressive Institute as well as the three wings of the party, we have formally applied for a land at the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) that will drive this project. May I therefore appeal for the kind intervention of Mr President for this project to materialise.”
Also, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, who briefed reporters at the end of the parley disclosed that NEC ratified the zoning for chairmanship seat to the North-West geopolitical zone of the country.
He further stated that a seven-member committee chaired by Governor Mai Mala Buni was mandated to undertake the task of including more members in the NEC of the party.
He added that NEC also approved the party’s financial statement, audited account and budget for the year 2025. He added: “Part of the resolution was that the President charged NEC to strengthen existing committees to engage leaders where there are issues and conflict, bring them together and improve relation among them. This is to give the best opportunity to the party to win election in those states.”
On the absence of former President Buhari, Osinbajo, Fayemi and other NEC members, he said: “As far as I know, I have never known the caucus meeting of our party to be attended 100 per cent by all of the members of NEC or caucus, and I am not sure there is any meeting you expect 100 attendance. There is a lot of back-end negotiation of convenience for them to attend.”
He cited the difficulty faced by the party to get President Tinubu to attend the parleys despite his busy schedule.Morka claimed every member of the NEC was invited, adding that unknown to many, the trend in the party is bent on accommodating more leaders to attend the NEC.
He also faulted the claim by the former governor of Kaduna State, el-Rufai, that the party organs have been rendered prostrate. He said: “APC and its organs are working as effectively as possible. How else do you explain the vibrancy of the party? Today, it was said that there are more than 18 National Assembly members who have decamped from the opposition into the party.
“If their party is working, they would not have come to join us, and we welcome them. What the former governor of Kaduna said is akin to grievance-driven commentary, and we don’t take that seriously. It’s clear he has an axe to grind.”
