Two members of the Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), contesting for National Working Committee (NWC) positions at the National Convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are missing from the final unity list of the party.
They are former Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani and former National Youth Leader, Barrister Ismail Ahmed.
Nnamani lost in his bid to be elected as Deputy National Chairman (south) to Chief Emma Enaukwu while Ahmed lost the National Organizing Secretary to Suleiman Argungu of Kebbi state.
From the unity list sighted by The Nation, Senator Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa) becomes the National Chairman, Otunba Iyiola Omisore (Osun) becomes the National Secretary.
Chief Enaukwu was the National Vice Chairman (South East) of the party under the Chief John Oyegun and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole leadership.
Other National Working Committee (NWC) members who survived the heavy horse trading include Senator Abubakar Kyari (Borno) and Barrister Festus Fuanter (Plateau) as Deputy National Chairman North and Deputy National Secretary, respectively.
Muazu Bawa Rijau of Niger state made the list as National Vice Chairman, North Central and Comrade
Mustapha Salihu (Adamawa), National Vice Chairman, North East, Isaacs Kekemeke, (Ondo) National Vice Chairman, South West, Victor Giadom, (Rivers) national vice Chairman, South South while the immediate past Director General of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Salihu Lukman (Kaduna) becomes the National Vice Chairman, North West. Dr Ijeoma Arodiogbu (Imo) will serve as the new national vice Chairman,South East.
Also on the list are: for the office of National Organising Secretary zoned to North West, Suleiman Argungu (Kebbi) emerged while Nze Chidi Duru (Anambra) however emerged as Deputy National Organising Secretary.
The position of National Woman Leader is occupied by Dr. Betta Edu from Cross Rivers while Zainab Abubakar Ibrahim (Taraba) emerged as Deputy National Woman Leader.
Barrister Ahmed El Marzuk (Katsina) is the New National Legal Adviser, Uguru Mathew Ofoke (Ebonyi) is the New National Treasurer while Bashir Usman Gumel (Jigawa) is the National Financial Secretary in the new APC NWC to be led by former Nasarawa State Governor and Senator representing Nasarawa West, Senator Abdullahi Adamu. Dayo Israel (Lagos) is the new National Youth Leader.
The South West Unity List was signed by the five State Governors, namely: Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State; Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State; Adegboyega Oyetola of Osun State; Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State and Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State who doubles as Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF).
The National Unity List was signed by APC Governors and leaders.
They include Simon Lalong of Plateau State; Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State; Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State; Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State; Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State; Ben Ayade of Cross River State; Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi State; Professor Abubakar Zulum of Borno State; A. A. Abdulrazaq of Kwara State and Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State.
Other signatories are Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State; Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State; Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State; Yahaya Bello of Kogi State; Hope Uzodinma of Imo State; Nweze David; Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State; M. B. Abubakar; Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State; and Abu Bello of Niger State.
Some of the candidates announced that they were stepping down from the race at the convention venue before the arrival of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, For Gbajabiamila and the Senate President, Senator Ahmed Lawan, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and President Muhammadu Buhari who arrived the venue at exactly 8.26 pm.
Senator representing Ekiti Central in the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele said arriving at the unity list by stakeholders took a long time to arrive at, especially for the position of the National Chairman.
Six of the seven aspirants who bought the party chairmanship form stepped down for Senator Abdullahi Adamu who was also President Muhammadu Buhari’s anointed.
Opeyemi however asked Senator Adamu to evolve quality leadership for the party, adding that the aspirants who stepped down from the race were not pressured to withdraw from the race, saying it was an appeal.
He added that the situation would have nosedived if the aspirants were not allowed to participate in the process of obtaining their nomination forms and campaigning.
He said: “Well, I think it was a wonderful thing for several aspirants to have come out to contest for the chairmanship of the party but I think it’s a better deal that the aspirants who have demonstrated capacity to reconcile.
“They have shown that it is not a desperate situation and our hope and prayer is that the consensus candidate, His Excellency, Senator Abdullahi Adamu will be able to provide the much needed and anticipated quality leadership that we need to move the party forward.
“It was to the extent that nobody was forced to withdraw. All the 6 other aspirants have consented in writing to the consensus arrangement. I think it’s a step ahead.
“It was an appeal. There was no pressure on anybody. It was an appeal, an appeal that took a while. The President had been on this in the last 5 weeks even before he travelled.
“It would have been worse if they didn’t allow them to obtain the form. They all paid. They had the opportunity to go round the country to campaign and it would have been bad if they didn’t have the opportunity of contesting.” Continue Reading
