Some aggrieved governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will meet in Abuja this week ahead of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the party, sources said.
The source said the governors would express their displeasure over the outcome of recent primaries conducted by the party and try to salvage what remains ahead of the 2019 general elections.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released particulars of presidential and National Assembly for various political parties last Friday, October 25.
The papers released by INEC opened another can of worms as some APC governors were not comfortable with the outcome because their candidates lost out.
INEC will also publish particulars of governorship and state assembly candidates of various political parties on November 9, heightening fears that crises in the ruling party would deepen.
This is amidst serious crisis in some states like Zamfara where INEC declared that APC would not field candidates for any elective post; Imo where Governor Rochas Okorocha is trying to install his son-in-law Uche Nwosu as gubernatorial candidate; and in Ogun where Governor Ibikunle Amosun could not secure the ticket for Adekunle Akinlade who is his preferred successor.
Other governors including Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Muhammad Jibrilla Bindow (Adamawa); Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna) had also protested against the decision of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) led by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
There were speculations last week that some aggrieved APC governors and ministers, including other bigwigs were planning to remove Comrade Oshiomhole.
The APC chairman however told journalists that only one or two governors were against him insisting that he enjoys the support of 90 percent of members of the party.
Political parties have up to November 17 to withdraw or replace names of presidential and National Assembly candidates; and December 1, this year to replace gubernatorial and state assembly candidates.
Credible sources said the planned meeting by the governors in Abuja is meant to explore ways of ensuring that only their preferred candidates emerged for various offices.
INEC will publish final list of nominated presidential and National Assembly candidates for 2019 elections on January 17th, 2019 and that of governorship and state house of assembly January 31, 2019.
Section 34 of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) provides that lists of candidates must be published at least 30 days before the day of election.
A reliable source in APC said, “The governors that are aggrieved would come in this week.”
Daily Trust reports that Oshiomhole had travelled out of the country soon after the primaries and is not yet back.
“After their meeting, the aggrieved governors would direct the NWC to call for NEC meeting where all those that matter, including President Muhammadu Buhari, would attend,” another source said.
“That is where they would most likely pass a vote of no confidence on Oshiomhole unless something is done in the next couple of days. The governors are very powerful; even the president needs them for his re-election,” he said.
But some sources said the pressure on Oshiomhole was gradually waning because he had sorted it out with some of the governors.
For instance, there was reprieve from Governor El-Rufai after Malam Uba Sani, his Political Adviser, was submitted as APC candidate for Kaduna Central senatorial district instead of Senator Shehu Sani who had hitherto been endorsed by the appeal panel of the party.
Similarly, Governor Bindow had survived all political landmines set for him as he triumphed in both direct and indirect primaries, a development that precipitated the cry of injustice by Mahmud Halilu, the brother to the wife of the president.
It was gathered that El-Rufai and Bindow would most likely “be on the fence” during the NEC meeting, a development that would save Oshiomhole considering that the number of governors against him had drastically reduced. (Daily Trust)
