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25/03/2022

APC Releases Programme Of Events For The 2022 National Convention

His Excellency Abdullahi Sule, Governor of Nasarawa State and Chairman of the Media and Publicity Sub-Committee for the APC 2022 National Convention has released the programme of events for the Saturday March 26 Convention holding at Eagle Square, Abuja, as follows:

1. Arrival of Accredited National Delegates 10am-1pm

2. Arrival of the Members of the National Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) 1:30pm

3. Arrival of the APC State Governors, National Assembly Members, Ministers and Party Leaders 1:30-2:pm

4. Arrival of the Speaker of the House of Representatives 2:10pm

5. Arrival of the Senate President 2:20pm

6. Arrival of the National Chairman, Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) 2:30pm

7. Arrival of the Vice-President 2:45pm

8. Arrival of the President 3:15pm

9. The National Anthem 3:30pm

10. Opening Prayers 3:35pm

11. Goodwill messages by Youth Wing, Women Wing, People Living with Disability (PLwD) and Diaspora Wing 3:40-4:50pm

12. Remarks by Chairman, Progressives Governors’ Forum and Representatives of Governors’ from each of the six geo-political zones 4:50-5:20pm

13. Interlude 5:20-5:25pm

14. Remarks by the Speaker of the House of Representatives 5:25-5:30pm

15. Remarks by the Senate President 5:30-5:35pm

16. Remarks by the Vice-President 5:35-5:40pm

17. Special Remarks by the President 5:40-5:55pm

18. Welcome Address by National Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee Chairman and presentation of motions 5:55-6:10pm

i.Motion for the approval of constitution as amended

ii. Motion for the ratification of all activities carried out by CECPC

19. Remarks by the Chairman, Election Committee 6:10-6:20pm

20. Elections into Zonal and National Offices of the APC

21. Interlude

22. Counting and Collation of Votes

23. Declaration of Results/Swearing in of the newly elected executives

24. Acceptance Speech by the newly elected National Chairman of the APC

25. Motion for closing of the 2022 Extraordinary National Convention

26. Closing Remarks by National Secretary

27. Closing Prayers

28. National Anthem

29. Departure in reverse order

25/03/2022

At last, Ghana, Nigeria clash for Qatar 2022 World Cup ticket

The match is finally here. It is the first leg of the Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifying tie between Ghana and Nigeria, which has been on the cards since the draws was made on January 22 in Cameroun.

Ghana will host Nigeria in this first leg today in Kumasi, while the decisive leg will hold in Abuja on March 29. The winner of the tie over two legs will join four other African countries on the trip to Qatar later this year.

The Super Eagles arrived in Kumasi, yesterday, for the clash, which, many believe, is one of the most anticipated matches of the first-leg of the 2022 World Cup playoffs.

Apart from deciding which country qualifies for the World Cup, it is also about pride and bragging rights, as well as opportunity to pacify either of the teams’ fans following both countries poor outing at the last Africa Cup of Nations.

While Ghana was booted out of the competition in Cameroun in the first round, Nigeria surprisingly lost to Tunisia in the first knockout stage, prompting both countries to rejig their technical teams.

In Ghana’s case, they sacked Black Stars Coach, Milovan Rajevac brought in homeboy, Borusia Dortmund’s assistant coach, Otto Addo, as head coach and English Premiership top gaffer, Chris Hughton, as the technical adviser.

Nigeria did not sack Coach Augustine Eguavoen, but they fortified the technical crew with the addition of former Barcelona star, Emmanuel Amunike, to the bench.

The playing staff has also seen some adjustments, with both countries bringing fresh stars to add to those that competed in Cameroun.

The Black Stars brought in Ajax Amsterdam star, Mohammed Kudus and Roma FC striker, Felix Afena-Gyan. They also recalled Germany-based Kwesi Wriedt, Fulham defender, Denis Odoi and Hearts of Oak defender, Dennis Korsah.

They will miss suspended captain, Andre Ayew, who got a red card in Cameroun, and injured Rennes’ Kamaldeen Sulemana.

Nigeria recalled top striker, Victor Osimhen, who missed the AFCON through illness, as well as Odion Ighalo and Watford’s Emmanuel Dennis, who were not allowed to play in Cameroun by his club.

Akinkumi Amao and Ademola Lookman are also debuting for the Super Eagles in Kumasi. Who wins the tie would be decided on the pitch over two legs, but the coaches have already started claiming victory before the first ball is kicked.

Ghana Coach, Addo, a former international midfielder, has assured Black Stars’ fans that his side will make them smile. But he acknowledges that victory would not come on a platter of gold.

“We all expect Ghana to qualify for the FIFA World Cup (Qatar 2022) but that won’t be easy as we need to do our best to make it to this tournament.

“Matches between Ghana and Nigeria are always difficult but we believe in our players, we believe in our strategies, and we believe in the unflinching support of all Ghanaians as we go into these two matches.”

Nigeria coach, Eguavoen, who led the country to 1-0 defeat of Ghana in his first stint as his country’s boss in 2006, said:
“It’s a very crucial match, a lot is at stake. The most important thing is to qualify for the World Cup. We have a strong squad and a large pool of players to choose from.

“The boys are sharp and ready to go. We have to win well against Ghana to get over the line. We will do the talking on the pitch.”

Eguavoen, who will be without injured midfielder, Wildfred Ndidi and first choice goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye, insists these players absence will not change the fate of his team.

Nigeria had their last training session in Abuja yesterday morning and also trained at the Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi by 7.00 p.m.

Head-to-head, Ghana has the advantage with 25 victories out of their 56 previous clashes, with 19 ending in draws. But the Super Eagles are current form side, as they have won three of their past five matches and drawn one with the other ending in a defeat, Ghana have lost three games, drew one and won one.

25/03/2022

All now set for APC national convention

• Eagle Square agog for 12,000 delegates
• Keep your eyes on the ball, Buhari tells APC leaders
• Adamu, Akume, Al-Makura, others meet on consensus
• Party bars political appointees from voting at convention
• PDP charges INEC not to monitor APC convention

After two postponements and horse-trading that almost derailed the process, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is now set to hold its national convention.

The Eagle Square, venue of the party’s convention is agog, as party leaders and delegates gather to elect new members of the National Working Committee (NWC) that will pilot its affairs for the next four years.

The Square, which wears a new look, will host no fewer than 12,000 delegates that will participate in the elective convention, where sixty-six party officials, including 21 NWC members would be elected.

Itinerant traders were seen yesterday, positioning themselves to make brisk business while there was heavy presence of security personnel, monitoring entry and exit posts.

The convention, which is a precursor to the conduct of primaries for candidates of the party, has a direct bearing on the fortunes of the party in the 2023 general election.

Members of the Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje-led protocols subcommittee were sighted putting finishing touches at the settings.

As at 4.00 p.m. yesterday some delegates across Nigeria arrived Abuja in their a*o ebi, holding APC souvenirs. The party on Thursday also barred political appointees from voting as delegates at the convention.

In a statement the party said: “The CECPC has declared that all political appointees, who were elected as delegates to the National Convention slated for March 26 shall not vote in view of the controversy surrounding Section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act, 2022.

“However, political appointees can still attend as observers.”The race for the chairmanship seat promises to be hotly contested by seven aspirants, comprising Senators Abdullahi Adamu, Tanko Al-Makura, George Akume, Sani Musa, Saliu Mustapha, Abdulaziz Yari and Mohammed Etsu.

As at 5:00pm yesterday, the aspirants, who were at a closed-door meeting at an unknown location in Abuja, could not agree on a consensus deal.

A party source disclosed that a formal statement would be made available to newsmen on the outcome of the parley. Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, who chairs the media sub committee expressed optimism that the aspirants would heed to the call by President Muhammadu Buhari to settle for a consensus candidate.

Adamu, who governed Nasarawa State between 1999 and 2007, is believed to be the favourite candidate of President Buhari.

Asked if the aspirants have shown signs of conceding to the consensus idea based on President Buhari’s request on Wednesday, Sule said: “They have not made it public to us yet. What our party has that others don’t have is the fact that we have a political leader and father that everyone, who is truly a member of this party respects and that is President Muhammadu Buhari.

However, Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong during an interview on Channels Television, yesterday, confirmed Adamu as the choice of the President for the national chairmanship position.

He also disclosed that the much awaited unity list would not be released until Saturday.
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has urged leaders and members of APC to channel their energies into improving fortunes of the party in the forthcoming elections, and avoid distractions and disharmony.

Receiving APC National Assembly leadership at the State House yesterday in Abuja, the President reminded members of the proximity of the election dates set by INEC, admonishing that positions should be harmonised with a bigger picture of winning elections and providing good governance.

“As you all know, the National Convention of our party, which we have committed to, is holding on March 26, 2022. And we cannot afford to do anything that will jeopardise the chances of the party in the 2023 General Elections. The limited time frame of the INEC timetable does not permit us any room for delay or further squabbling. We must therefore in the light of this reality consistently keep our eyes on the ball and refuse any distraction.

The President said he met with the governors and the party national chairmanship aspirants on Wednesday, to reiterate the need to go into the convention with a united front.

He said, “It is the same rea*on why I invited you today. We should all do our part to ensure the success of this convention. This will fortify us for the campaigns ahead of us.’ ’

Fielding questions, President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan said notwithstanding the decision of the party hierarchy to go consensus, the party will not bar any member from contesting for any position.

Senator Lawan spoke following concerns over why the party allowed candidates to spend money to secure application forms only to be forced into consensus arrangement.

“On the issue of why allow other people to buy forms, I think democracy does not prevent anybody from buying forms, what democracy does is to provide opportunity for everyone having some guiding principles. If a position is zoned, until a consensus is reached, everybody who thinks he or she has something to offer can go and buy the form and also throw his or her hat in the ring,” he said.

“I think that question shouldn’t be put to us because we are not the party. But because you asked and we are in your territory we will make some effort to say something to it.

“The essence of this engagements is for the party to achieve consensus, and consensus is a process. It doesn’t just happen like that. So, I believe that before we go into the convention square on Saturday, by the grace of God, we would have a lot of consensus reached and maybe the sort of document that we call or refer to as Unity List should have taken place!

In his remarks, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, who described the meeting as productive, explained that the idea was to encourage all stakeholders to unite and have a peaceful and very successful convention.

Some of the principal officers on the delegation from the Senate were, Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege; Senate Leader, Abdullahi Yahaya; Deputy Senate Leader, Ajayi Boroffice; Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu; Deputy Chief Whip, Sabi Abdullahi;
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Idris Wase; Majority Leader, Alhassan Ado Dogowa; Chief Whip, Mohammed Tahir Monguno; Hon Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, among others.

HOWEVER, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to attend, monitor or supervise the Saturday, March 26, 2022 National Convention of the APC.

The PDP, in a statement by its national publicity secretary, Debo Ologunagba, warned that INEC would be going outside its statutory mandate under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as emended) and the Electoral Act 2022 by attending or monitoring the APC National Convention.

According to the opposition party, “INEC, being a government agency set up by law, that also draws from the budgetary allocation of the country with respect to superintending over electoral processes and management of political parties, can only superintend over and monitor bodies over which it has mandate to supervise. This presupposes that any such body must be legally operating as a political party under INEC rules and guidelines.”

The PDP claimed that “the APC, having been defunct on December 8, 2020 when it dissolved its National, States as well as Local Government structures ceases, in the eyes of the law, to be a political party and as such cannot be subject of INEC’s regulations with particular reference to its supposed National Convention.”

“For emphasis, the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) was established for the singular purpose of organising the APC National Convention in 2020. The Committee violated the Constitution and the Electoral Act by engaging in party administration, conducting congresses to produce officers at the various state chapters as well as delegates for APC National Convention,” the PDP explained.

It stated that, “the CECPC by its composition with a state governor, Mai Mala Buni as Chairman is illegal and unconstitutional by rea*on of Section 183 of the Nigerian Constitution, which bars a sitting governor from holding “any other executive office in any capacity whatsoever.”

PDP said that if APC had listened to one of its members, the Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo, SAN, who had cautioned that the “competence of Governor Mai Mala Buni to organise the congresses has been called to question by the Supreme Court”, it would not have been in this quagmire.”

The Party for the umpteenth time cautioned Nigerians, who intend to participate in the electoral process under the APC to be guided, as they are on a voyage that leads to nowhere.

25/03/2022

Rivers woman jailed 10 years for selling 19-month-old baby for N200,000

A Magistrate’s Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has sentenced a lady, Blessing Stephen, to 10-year imprisonment for conspiracy and child trafficking.

The Chief Magistrate, Felicitas Amanze, described Stephen as unrepentant and hardened, adding that the prosecution proved she deceived the child’s mother, Abigail Monday, to sell her baby for N200,000, and gave her N20,000.

Stephen was sentenced to three years on count one and seven years on count two. The sentences, according to the chief magistrate, will run consecutively.

The court also directed that the child’s mother, Monday, report herself to the court three times a week to sweep and dust the furniture in the courtroom for one year.

Stephen and Monday were arraigned for selling the latter’s 19-month-old baby for N200,000.

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Speaking to journalists outside the court, a legal officer representing the International Federation of Women Lawyers, Esther Okorienta, said the judgement would serve as a deterrent to child traffickers.

She said, “We are delighted with the judgement of the court. We also noted with dismay the arrogance of the second defendant. She was not even remorseful after the judgement. We are happy that she was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment. The rate of child trafficking in the country is alarming.”

25/03/2022

Garba Shehu asks Nigerians to apply for UN jobs that expired six months ago

Garba Shehu, media and publicity aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, has invited Nigerians to apply for a closed fellowship program hosted by the United Nations Development Programme.
“Our young graduates may wish to apply for the Graduate Fellowship Program by UNDP. They will place 20,000 graduates into 1-year internships in various multinational companies and development partners. The salary is good and the experience is unquantifiable,” Mr Shehu said in a tweet on Thursday.
Mr Shehu urged his 1.3 million followers on the social media platform to amplify the opportunity, so Nigerians could take advantage of it despite the nation’s high unemployment rates.
However, checks by Peoples Gazette revealed that the UNDP stopped accepting applications in October 2021.
“The deadline to apply as a Fellow has now closed and applications are currently being reviewed,” the NJFP said on its website.
The Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme was launched in August 2021 as a youth empowerment scheme organised between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It was set up to accommodate 20,000 fellows from across the country.
It couldn’t be ascertained whether or not Mr Shehu knew of the programme’s deadline before announcing it. Efforts to reach him for comments at the time of filing this report fell through.

25/03/2022

IOCs fear collapse as FG says N1.36tn crude stolen in 14 months

The total value of Nigeria’s crude oil stolen between January 2021 and February 2022 is about $3.27bn (representing N1.361tn at the official exchange rate of N416.25 to the dollar), the Federal Government declared on Thursday.

International oil companies and their counterparts in Nigeria said the massive oil theft across the country currently posed a threat to not just their existence, but to the Nigerian economy.

The Federal Government through its Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, met with the Oil Producers Trade Section, as well as the Independent Petroleum Producers Group in Abuja at a stakeholders’ engagement on crude oil theft.

OPTS is a body comprising IOCs operating in Nigeria, while IPPG is an association of indigenous exploration and production companies.

A presentation by the NUPRC at the event indicated that oil theft rose sharply between 2021 and 2022, as an official of the IPPG stated that about 91 per cent of total crude produced at the Bonny Terminal was stolen in January 2022.

In its report on the trend in oil theft, the NUPRC said, “Total value loss for the period January 2021 to February 2022 is about $3.27bn.

“Average monthly value loss for the period is about $233.99m. Average daily value loss for the period is about $7.72m.”

It added, “Losses are mainly from Bonny Terminal Network, Forcados Terminal Network (and) Brass Terminal Network.”

The commission outlined factors that aided crude oil theft to include inadequate security, poor community engagement, economic challenges, poor surveillance, stakeholder compromises and exposed facilities.

This came as the OPTS Chairman, Rick Kennedy, who doubles as Managing Director, Chevron Nigeria Limited, and represented IOCs at the meeting, described the massive oil theft across the country as an organised criminal activity.

Kennedy, who was represented by the Managing Director, ExxonMobil Nigeria, Richard Laing, said, “When I say it is an organised criminality, the sophistication of the engineering involved points towards a high degree of sophistication and technology, as well as the distribution.

“I think we’ve just got to be honest and accept that this is not theft but more than that.”

The IOCs called for a quick solution to the menace, stressing that the development posed a serious threat to their existence.

“It is important that the Federal Government, industry, and a whole bunch of other stakeholders find a solution and find it quickly. That will be my strong advice,” Laing stated.

On its part, the IPPG through its Chairman, Abdulrazaq Isa, said the criminal operations were being extended to host communities, adding that it must be stopped now before its too late.

“This is a massive criminal operation and is now being extended into the communities as they’ve been dragged into it,” Isa, who was represented by the Managing Director, Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited, Chikezie Nwosu, stated.

Explaining the jump in oil theft between last year and now, Nwosu said, “In December 2021, the overall theft or what was stolen from the line was 91 per cent of the crude.

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“That means for every 100 barrels, all that got to the Bonny Terminal was nine barrels. In January this year it improved to 75 per cent but in February it went back to 82 per cent.”

The IPPG representative stated that independent producers could no longer survive, “and that is why I’m talking about the urgency.”

He added, “The critical part of this problem started in 2021. Prior to that, you could still survive with crude oil theft when it was still single digit in terms of percentages.

“But in 2021, we saw it rising slowly from 12, 15, 40 to 91 per cent in January this year. And you cannot survive with this. If you produce 100 barrels of crude, all you get at the end of the day for export is nine or 10 barrels. How can you survive?”

On the impact of this menace, the NUPRC in its report stated that government revenue was adversely affected, as revenue accruing to the operators had been impacted negatively

The NUPRC said there had been a loss of value arising from surging costs due to frequent repairs of damaged facilities.

It stated that spillages and leakages were mostly caused by activities of saboteurs leading to environmental degradation and deprivation of source of livelihood to indigent people.

It, however, stated that actions were being taken to mitigate crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism, as a work team comprising the regulator and operators was set up in August 2021.

“The work team was set up to deliberate on workable solutions to mitigate crude oil losses, identify various responsible parties along the crude oil loss value chain and propose improvement areas for effective surveillance,” the NUPRC stated.

On the implementation of the host communities provision in the PIA 2021, it stated that the draft regulations was already in place, as further engagement with stakeholders was underway.

The Chief Executive, NUPRC, Gbenga Komolafe, said the meeting was organised by the commission to hear what the IOCs and their counterparts in Nigeria had to say about the recent menace of oil theft.

He said, “The meeting was convened to get the opinion of stakeholders, especially the investors, which include the OPTS and IPPG. It is the concern of the government that we increase our oil production.

“Because when the upstream is sick, it affects the well-being and health of the country. The situation is happening in upstream and is a threat to the existence and wellbeing of the economy.

“So we are very concerned about this and we’ve been doing a lot and will ensure that we do everything possible to increase oil production in a manner that will make the nation benefit from the upward movement in the international prices of crude.”

25/03/2022

APC Convention : Buhari hosts Tinubu, Akande, other founding fathers to dinner

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday night continued his consultations with critical stakeholders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

He hosted founding fathers of the party to a dinner.

In attendance were the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the first Interim Chairman Chief Bisi Akande; Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu former Imo Governor Senator Rochas Okorocha; former Kano Governor Ibrahim Shekarau and former Sokoto Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko

Others were: Governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna); Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina) and Minister of Transportation, Rt Hon Chibuike R Amaechi

Also in attendance were Chairman, Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the party Hon Mai Mala Buni and Secretary to the Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha

The get together, it was gathered, was hosted by the President to show appreciation to the critical stakeholders for their continued support, understanding and cooperation to his administration.

The engagement was also in furtherance of efforts by Buhari at ensuring a rancuor- free and successful National Convention of the party on Saturday.

Details of the interactive dinner held behind closed doors were not disclosed.

25/03/2022

Three siblings disappear from Abuja school, teachers, proprietor detained

There is panic among residents of Kabusa community in the Federal Capital Territory over the disappearance of three siblings.

The children, Marvelous, Alex and Rehoboth Sunday, were said to have gone missing from their school, Star Child Academy, on Tuesday.

According to residents, their mother had gone to pick them up from their school located around the ECWA One area of Kabusa, but they were nowhere to be found.

Efforts made by their mother, staff of the school and residents to locate them were said to have been abortive.

The incident sparked a protest from women in the community, who picketed the school and the police division in the area.

Speaking to our correspondent, a family friend, Benson Ubong, said residents checked every nook and cranny of Kabusa from the day of the incident till Wednesday, adding that the children were not found.

Ubong said, “The father of the three children is my colleague and we live in the same area. Around 1.28pm on Tuesday, we were sitting together and having some conversation when a call from his wife came in. She said she went to the school to pick up the three children, but they were nowhere to be found. The father immediately put a call through to the owner of the school.

Scene of the protest
“The woman was not really cooperating at that moment; their dad was upset. About 20 minutes later, he left the place of work and dashed to his residence. He then reported the incident at a police station.

“On Wednesday, women in the community, both young and old, protested at the school and the police station. After then, there was information that somewhere around Waru, there were corpses of some children; we went there and there was nothing like that.

“Up till now, we don’t know where they are; their parents and the entire community have been thrown into mourning. The family recently lost one of their children and now all of the surviving children are nowhere to be found. They are two females and one male. The first one is eight years old, the second is six years old and the last is two years old.”

The FCT police spokesperson, DSP Josephine Adeh, confirmed the incident.

She said all the teachers in the school, alongside the proprietor, had been arrested over the matter.

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Adeh said, “The matter was reported to us. We have arrested all the teachers and the proprietor of the school. The case has now been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department.”

In a related development, residents of Chukuku, in the Kuje area council of the FCT on Thursday protested against incessant abductions in the area.

Another scene of the protest
The residents, who made bonfires and barricaded the Kuje/Gwagwalada Road, appealed to the Federal Government to combat the insecurity in the area.

As a result of the barricade, vehicles were diverted through the Kuje-Airport Road to get to Gwagwalada from Kuje.

A resident, who gave his name simply as Austin, said bandits had been having a field day in the community.

According to him, the protest was caused by the abduction of three residents on Thursday.

He said, “This is getting too much. Bandits have been operating freely in our community. In the early hours of Thursday, they operated here for hours and took away two men and one woman. The residents were angry because of that and decided to protest against the abductions in the area.

“This is not the only incident; week in and week out we experience attacks by bandits in this community. Why do we have a government then if our lives and property are not secured? The government must live up to its task and provide adequate security in the community.”

25/03/2022

APC convention: Buhari battles last-minute crisis, summons govs, chairmanship aspirants’ fail to agree

In a bid to save the All Progressives Congress from collapse at the national convention, which holds on Saturday, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Thursday, held a series of meetings with governors, party leaders and APC members in the National Assembly.

The PUNCH learnt that some governors and chairmanship aspirants of the APC were still against the imposition of Senator Abdullahi Adamu by the President as of Thursday night.

As of press time, some of the APC chieftains at the Presidential Villa were a former interim Chairman of the party, Bisi Akande; national leader, Bola Tinubu; Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbomnaya Onu; Senator Rochas Okorocha, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau and Senator Aliyu Wamako.

Others are governors Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State; and Aminu Masari of Katsina State; the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; Chairman, Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the party, Mai Mala Buni; and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha. The President is expected to meet all the 23 APC governors jointly today (Friday).

It was gathered that chairmanship aspirants held long meetings in Abuja over the President’s demand and were expected to issue a joint statement.

One of the aspirants said, “We met with the President on Wednesday night and he made it clear that he wanted all those vying for offices to emerge through consensus. In essence, he wants the entire convention to be a mere formality for affirmation. He wants Senator Adamu as the next chairman.

“The President also promised to return the money spent to procure the N20m form. So, we are currently holding meetings and we will issue a joint statement.

“Sincerely, none of us is happy about this. If they knew this was what they were going to do from the start, they should have said so. At least we wouldn’t have wasted money on adverts, mobilisation, logistics and transporting supporters to Abuja from our states. This is disappointing for a party that calls itself progressive.”

A deputy national chairmanship aspirant, Sunny Moniedafe, said he would not be stepping down, adding that everything would be settled on the field of contest.

Moniedafe said, “I have spent over N300m over the last 20 months. I visited Gombe, Bauchi, Adamawa and Borno states several times. It is not just about buying form. How can the APC stand before the world and canvass votes from Christians when all top positions for the North are being given to Muslims? Muslim chairman, Muslim deputy national chairman (North), Muslim organising secretary and I hear the vice-chairman, North-East zone, will go to a Muslim too.

“I’m not playing religious politics, but Nigeria is a diverse country. Let us take all these into consideration. I don’t agree with what they are doing and I hope they have a rethink. I am an Urhobo man but from the North.”

Confirming Buhari’s position on Adamu, Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State, who is a member of the APC caretaker committee, said in an interview with Arise Television on Thursday that the President had asked the 23 APC governors to ensure that Adamu emerges the chairman at Saturday’s convention.

“At the moment, we are looking at Senator Abdullahi Adamu based on the suggestion by the President for whatever rea*ons. But I believe that this is a democratic system. If the other contestants do not key in or buy this idea, it is their legitimate right to contest, but we hope that this matter will be resolved within hours or the next few days,” Bello stated.

Also speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme, Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, said the President remained the leader of the party and had the right to insist on his preferred candidate.

Lalong added that it was not a case of imposition but consensus.

When reminded of the fact that those who choose to step down must indicate by writing, Lalong said there was ample time to get all the aspirants to do so.

However, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, who is also the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, said he was not aware of Buhari’s endorsement of any candidate.

Fayemi, while speaking at an event organised by the Centre for Democracy and Development, on Thursday, said Buhari had the right to anoint a candidate, but added that there was no guarantee that his candidate would win.

Responding to a question, he said, “As to your question on whether the President has anointed anyone, I have no knowledge of that, but the President is well within his rights to have a preferred candidate. But in our party, let him come and campaign for that candidate at the Eagle’s Square on Saturday.

“If his candidate wins, fine; if his candidate loses, well, he is going to have to live with that.”

However, a source in the Presidency said Buhari had adopted the micro-zoning formula presented by the governors and it would therefore be wrong to say the President was imposing people on the party.

The source said allegations that the President was imposing aspirants was nothing but blackmail.

He stated, “The issue of Mr President trying to impose persons against the wishes of party leaders, especially governors, does not arise. It is pure blackmail by those who have lost out.

“The man has been transparent enough to tell stakeholders his desire for the party to have its chairman and the governors themselves wanted to know if he had a preferred choice, which he told them at the meeting on Wednesday.”

The Presidency official further stated that Buhari also had his preferred aspirants for the national secretary and national deputy chairman of the APC, but decided to respect the micro-zoning the governors had endorsed.

The rebuttal comes amid claims by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State that some forces outside the South-West were trying to impose aspirants on the party.

The Presidency official stated, “Even where he preferred certain persons, he could not force them on the people if the positions they are seeking are not zoned to their states.

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“For instance, he wanted his long time ally and friend, Ahmed Farouk, as the deputy national chairman (North). But Farouk could not make it because he is from the North-West, while the position was zoned to North-East. That is why you can see Muhammed Kyari as the new person.

“In the same vein, he would have loved Ife Oyedele as national secretary, but the slot does not belong to Ondo; it goes to the Oyo/Osun axis according to the briefing he got from the governors. So, do you now expect the President to force people on others? It is not possible.”

Meanwhile, Buhari met with federal lawmakers, who are members of the APC, at the Presidential Villa on Thursday.

While addressing the legislators, the President urged party leaders and stakeholders to stick to the zoning arrangement released three weeks ago by the caretaker/extraordinary convention planning committee.

This is as he urged them to avoid distractions and to channel their energies into improving the fortunes of the party in the forthcoming elections.

The President reminded members of the proximity of the election dates set by the Independent Electoral Commission, advising that positions should be harmonised with a bigger picture of winning elections and providing good governance.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, disclosed this in a statement titled, ‘Avoid distractions, keep your eyes on the ball, President Buhari tells APC leaders, members’.

Buhari told the lawmakers that a zoning template was produced and adopted by the party after wide consultation in order to ensure that the leadership was reflective of the diversity in unity, while representing various dynamic interests.

He stated, “It is imperative that we adhere to that template. The time available to us is limited and I, therefore, enjoin you to collaborate with the various stakeholders within and outside your respective states and zones to agree to work together and harmoniously in electing into the allotted positions appropriately as stipulated in the provided template.

“This will not only produce a smooth process and limit friction, but will enhance the image of the party positively and strengthen our overall position of dominance in the political space.”

Buhari also emphasised that as the national convention draws closer, members could not afford to do anything that would jeopardise the chances of the party in the 2023 general elections.

He added, “A critical segment of our national democratic process is the National Assembly. Being representatives of our people from all over the country, the National Assembly, especially the 9th Assembly, has exhibited a commitment to a peaceful democratic process in its conduct and utmost maturity in its relationship with other arms of government. I commend the leadership for this success.

“Distinguished senators and honourable members, we have an obligation to conduct the upcoming convention in a manner that not only fortifies the unity of our party, but also improves the prospects of our electoral fortunes in the 2023 general elections. You have an important role to play in ensuring that this happens.”

But the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, lamented the neglect of the National Assembly.

A top source at the meeting told The PUNCH that Gbajabiamila wondered why the National Assembly was only being consulted two days to the convention when everything had been concluded.

“Gbajabiamila lamented the relegation of the National Assembly in party affairs. The governors have already drawn up unity lists; the President has also picked his own candidate. So, he said it was wrong to put the National Assembly last when all had been finalised,” a lawmaker who attended the meeting said.

In a related development, it was learnt that the President met with APC stalwart and presidential hopeful, Tinubu; and a former Chairman of the party, Akande, as part of efforts to ensure that the convention goes smoothly.

Akande was said to have kicked against the plan of the governors to impose his estranged ex-deputy governor, Senator Iyiola Omisore, on the party.

“Buhari is trying to get the support of all the key stakeholders in the APC. The matter is that most people do not want Senator Adamu. Now, he is seeking the help of Tinubu and others. But Bisi Akande is against Omisore. He will present his demands to Buhari,” a party chieftain said.

Also on Thursday, the party barred political appointees from voting at its convention holding on Saturday.

The APC made this known in a statement titled, ‘Attention to political office holders who were elected as delegates’.

It read, “The National Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the APC has declared that all political appointees, who were elected as delegates to the national convention slated for 26/3/2022, shall not vote in view of the controversy surrounding Section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act, 2022.APC convention: Buhari battles last-minute crisis, summons govs, chairmanship aspirants’ fail to agree

“However, political appointees can still attend as observers.”

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