nPDP faction plans take over of APC NWC

 

                             Photo credit: Google

By Oyekan Oluwatobi, Abuja

The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Convention has been slated for March 26, there are strong signal that the new Peoples democratic Party faction in the legacy parties that paved the way for the merger into the APC may dominate in the new look National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, which will come up on Saturday.

It was gathered that the nPDP have been ahead in the number of aspirants who have put across their interest to lead the APC at the National Working Committee level. Recall that while the then major opposition parties, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Action Congress pf Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressives Change (CPC), faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) had merged to form the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014, the merger was later joined by the new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), then led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Rabiu Kwankwaso and some aggrieved Governors and senators, including Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, Murtala Ntako, Bukola Saraki, Abdulahi Adamu, Yakubu Dogara and others.

The merger, however, led to a strong union in APC that was able to wrestle power from the PDP in 2015. Some members of the nPDP who defected to the APC in 2014 may have returned back to the PDP, a good number of their members have remained and gained grounds in the now ruling party.

According to the Authority newspaper, the correspondent gathered further that among the seven aspirants who picked the APC nomination to contest the National chairmanship of the National Working Committee, about four are from the nPDP bloc.

Favoured candidates like Senators Abdulahi Adamu, Mohammamed Sani Musa, George Akume and Saidu Etsu are from the nPDP bloc.

They are however facing stiff opposition and challenge from the defunct CPC bloc, with former Governor of Nasarawa State, Umaru Tanko Al’ Makura and Saliu Mustapha, as well as from former Governor of Zamfara state, Abdul Azeez Yari of the defunct ANPP.

The nPDP has also shown strong interest in the Deputy National Chairman of the new look APC, with former House of Representatives Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara been favoured to clinch the Deputy National Chairman, North position, while former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, also from the nPDP bloc may have positioned himself to clinch same position for South. 

Both Adamu Abdulahi, Ken Nnamani and Dogara are rumoured to be the anointed candidates of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Another nPDP man, Senator Iyiola Omisore is vying for the National Secretary position, against defunct CPC’s former Communication Minister, Adebayo Shittu.

For the National Vice Chairmanship position, the nPDP has also dominated, especially in the South South, where former Deputy National Secretary, Victor Geidom and former deputy national publicity secretary, Yekini Nabena both from same nPDP have filed up  against each other’s neck.

Reacting on the development, former spokesperson of the Northern elder statesman, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has predicted that a vast majority of former members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is likely to take control of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) after its elective national convention on March 26, 2022.

Baba Ahmed, who stated these in a series of posts on his Twitter handle on Tuesday said, “By the time APC concludes the selection of its new leaders in a few days, you are likely to see the vast majority of former PDP members in control of APC. PDP’s new leaders will also have a heavy presence of former APC stalwarts in charge of its future. Do the math. What will be new?

He also noted that, “There will be many former PDP/APC big wigs in charge of smaller parties as well. People who see parties only as election platforms are unlikely to move to small parties just to make up the numbers. They will move there to take over and realize personal ambitions. What will change?

 “A wholesale rejection of politicians who have made the rounds of the dominant parties, treating them only as casually-interchangeable platforms, offering the same thing: leadership that benefits leaders.”

Reacting to the call for more experienced leaders to continue to dominate in the game of politics in the country, the former Federal Permanent Secretary said, unless Nigerians broke with a past these politicians want to preserve, it would be difficult to rebuild the nation on stronger foundations.

Source: The Authority Newspaper