• Coalition moves to adopt a consensus candidate
• Ondo APC chieftain urges Tinubu to meet Southwest Christians
• Wike’s group to boycott Atiku’s campaign inauguration today
• Okowa, Obaseki, and others in Uyo for PDP campaign flaff-off
The plot against the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) by aggrieved members thickened, at the weekend, after Northern Christian leaders concluded arrangements to adopt any of the leading presidential candidates of the opposition political parties as their consensus candidate in the 2023 poll.
The group, led by the immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal, disclosed yesterday that they have resolved to work with their Muslim counterparts in the North to adopt one of the opposition presidential candidates in a bid to defeat APC’s same faith ticket.
Recall that some APC Christian leaders had kicked against their party’s Muslim-Muslim ticket. Part of their grievances was that the single faith ticket excluded Northern Christian leaders from occupying positions in the party.
Sources said the aggrieved politicians are considering Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s (LP) Peter Obi and New Nigerian Peoples Party’s (NNPP) Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who have presented a Muslim-Christian joint ticket, as their consensus candidate.
The resolution was contained in a communiqué jointly signed by a former deputy governor of Sokoto State and the Minister of Water Resources during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mukhari Shagari and Dogara.
The communiqué, released yesterday, was the outcome of their consultative meeting and dialogue between Northern APC Christian leaders and Northern Muslim political leaders held on Saturday at NAF Conference Centre, Kado, Abuja.
The APC Northern Christian leaders claimed that the resolution had the full backing of their members across the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
It reads: “We have agreed to work together with a view to fostering unity, peace and national cohesion; to work together and jointly adopt a pan-Nigerian political platform that will engender unity, inclusiveness and a sense of belonging among the Nigerian citizenry.
“Conscious of the multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural configuration of Nigeria, we believe that a same faith ticket and voting along religious lines may trigger dangerous dimensions of negative consequences among our disparate peoples in ways that will hamper nation building.
“Consequently, we have agreed to channel our energies on matters that unite us more as a people instead of encouraging attacks on sensitive issues bordering on religion in the name of politics.
“In view of the above, we have agreed to set up a committee with the mandate to fashion out strategies for advancing the objectives set forth in this resolution.”
Some of those at the meeting included Boni Haruna, Abdulfatah Ahmed, Damishi Sango, Senator Idris Ahmed Umar, Yomi Awoniyi, Simon Achuba, Ummara Kumalia and Baba Shehu Agaie.
Others are Air Marshal Monday Morgan (rtd), General Ishaya Bakut (rtd), Mohammed Sani Sidi, John B. Bawa, Dr. Iliya Stephen Mshelia, Sarah Allabeh-Nanpon, Leah Solomon, Mohammed Alhaji Yakubu, Prof. Salamatu Machunga, Mela Nanghe (SAN), Reverend Joseph Hayab, Reverend Innocent Solomon, Reverend Habila Tengya, Haruna Mohammed and Gwamna Dimas.
Former governor of Katsina State, Ibrahim Shehu Shema, Senator Adamu Aliero, Capt. Idris Wada, Senator Umaru Tsauri, Imam Sani Ishaq and Sheik Halliru Maraya, who could not make it to the meeting, sent in their apologies and adopted all resolutions of the meeting.
MEANWHILE, an APC chieftain in Ondo State, Prince Biyi Poroye, has, however, urged the party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to meet with Christians in the Southwest region to assuage their feelings over the same faith ticket.
Boroyo said Tinubu should not take the silence of many Christians in the Southwest, especially members of the APC, as acceptance of the choice of a Muslim running mate.
Boroyo, who spoke in Akure, said the meeting with Christian leaders in the Southwest would provide an opportunity to explain why they should trust Tinubu.
According to him: “In 2019, we lost in the presidential election in Ondo. The APC will win the 2023 presidential election, but there are salient issues that have to be addressed, especially the Muslim-Muslim ticket. Many APC Christian leaders are just keeping quiet. I have interacted with them. The Christians in APC need to meet with the presidential candidate.
“The people will vote for Tinubu if the right thing is done. Southwest is predominantly Christian. There will be a commitment to the party but some of them have to be convinced why they should trust a man who does not trust in their faith. Those are the issues. The sentiment that Tinubu comes from Yoruba is not enough. Many of us get insulted about the action of a Muslim-Muslim ticket,” he said.
AGAIN, APC has postponed the flag-off of its presidential campaign earlier slated for today in Abuja, while PDP will flag off its presidential campaign today in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital.
The postponement of the APC campaign kick-off comes as indications emerged that since the arrival of Tinubu from London last Thursday, high-level consultations were still being held among stakeholders.
Last week, a tripartite meeting of APC governors, the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) and the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee (NWC) was held at the party’s national secretariat to harmonise areas of disagreement with the earlier published PCC list.
Director of Media and Publicity of APC PCC, Bayo Onanuga, however, said while the official flag-off has not been held, the campaign is a marathon and had already begun in Lagos, Katsina, Benue, Kogi and several other states.
He noted that the exercise would be dependent on when the party formally inaugurates its PCC. Although the council has not been inaugurated, its Women Wing has now been slated for inauguration today at the Presidential Villa.
MEANWHILE, the five aggrieved PDP governors (G5) and their supporters may boycott Atiku’s presidential campaign inauguration today. It was gathered that grievances of members of the group, led by the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, had deepened after failing to get the National Chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, to vacate office to allow genuine reconciliation to take place.
On September 21, the team resolved to pull out of the campaign council of Atiku until Ayu vacates office. Chief Bode George, who read the communiqué after the meeting said: “Ayu must resign as the National Chairman of the party for an acting Chairman of the Southern Nigerian extraction to emerge and lead the party on the national campaign.
“Consequently, we resolve not to participate in the campaign council in whatever capacity until the resignation of Ayu.”
It was learnt that the team had continued to reject other efforts, excluding the resignation of Ayu, made by some organs of the party to pacify them.
Members of the team, who were recently visited by the Adolphus Wabara-led Board of Trustees (BoT), were said to have stuck to their Ayu-must-go demand as a precursor for peace.
HOWEVER, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, yesterday witnessed a convergence of delegations of PDP stakeholders who had started arriving. Among them were the Vice Presidential candidate and governor of Delta State, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa; Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, Bayelsa State governor, Douye Diri; former Cross River State governor, Liyel Imoke, Senator George Sekibo of the Rivers East Senatorial District and Senator Lee Maeba among others.
The host governor and Chairman of the PDP PCC, Udom Emmanuel, who was on hand to receive the delegations at the Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, expressed delight over the hosting of the campaign flag-off and thanked the leadership of the party for entrusting him and other members of the campaign council with the task of driving the Atiku/Okowa rescue mission.
Giving assurances of the council’s preparedness for a grand rally to launch the PDP to victory, Emmanuel said the flag-off promises to be stunning, adding that the outstanding performances by PDP governors have given impetus to the party.
“Let me thank PDP for the confidence they have in us. If you see the whole affairs of the party are piloted by the governors. It’s whole confidence in us that the party can derive strength from what the governors are doing in different states. Talking about how prepared we are, be rest assured this will be one of the best,” he stated.
On his part, Okowa said the presidential campaign flag-off in Uyo would be an extension of the loudly celebrated 35th anniversary of Akwa Ibom State creation and the kick-off of PDP’s celebration of the 2023 victory. He described Emmanuel’s chairmanship of the PCC as special, hence the party’s anticipation of a great and exciting outing.
Similarly, Obaseki lauded Emmanuel’s ingenuity in bringing his private sector capacity, competence, skills and dexterity to bear in managing party and state affairs and reaffirmed the party’s confidence in his leadership ability.
THEGUARDIAN
