APC Convention: Wamakko C’ttee Keeps Aspirants In Suspense

The refusal of the Convention Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to announce the zoning arrangement is keeping aspirants for the national offices in suspense, two weeks to the maiden convention. Already, the chieftains of the party are divided over the zoning arrangement. While some are asking for the zoning of offices, the likes of the interim spokesman of the party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed have been insisting that there is no zoning arrangement in the party. Although Chief Bisi Akande, the interim national chairman, has been resisting the pressure to contest for his current seat, sources close to a national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu are claiming he would vie for the post in the June 13/14 Convention. Investigations conducted at the National Secretariat of the party revealed that no fewer than four other chieftains of the party are also indicating interest in the post. The list includes former external affairs minister, Chief Tom Ikimi, former deputy national chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sam Jaja, former governor of Bayelsa State, Timpreye Sylva, former national chairman of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Chief Ogbonnaya Onu and Chief John Oyegun. Informed sources disclosed that Ikimi enjoys the support of former Borno State governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and Governor Rochas Okorocha, Sylva is being sponsored by the Progressive Governors Forum, (the umbrella for the APC governors), Jaja has the backing of his political godfather, Governor Rotimi Amaechi while Okorocha is mounting pressure on Onu to withdraw from the race because of his presidential ambition. The zoning controversy, according to our investigations, goes beyond the June 13 convention as it also includes the February 2015 Presidential poll. “While some people are saying we need zoning to avoid lop-sidedness of our offices and to guide us in picking the presidential candidate, this is the position of most of the chieftains from the North, but our colleagues in the South, especially, Southwest, do not want any zoning arrangement, to them it would make us be like the PDP. They are even saying the Presidency can come from anywhere,” an insider disclosed. He explained that when the merger became a reality, “Initially, we were saying the Presidency should come from the Northwest while the Chairman should come from the South but now they are singing a different tune.” Alimodu Sheriff and Okorocha were said to be cautioning the leadership against bringing in crisis that is killing the PDP into the party. This is why political pundits are pessimistic that the June 13 convention could make or mar the party but the chairman of the convention committee, Wamakko is thinking otherwise.