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By Francis Nansak
There may be a sharp division within the ruling All progressives Congress in Nasarawa State before or after the long-awaited National Convention of the party.
At the moment, uncertainty saturate a tentative date for the APC convention, despite the earlier announced February 26, by the chairman caretaker committee of the party and Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni whose stay spans about two years now.
In Nasarawa State, uneasy calm has set in with the emergence of a former governor and the Senator representing Nasarawa West Senatorial District, an unexpected move ever in the imagination of the immediate past governor, Senator Umaru Al-Makura, who started consultation much earlier in the bid to become the next APC national chairman.
Senator Adamu’s eleventh hour interest for the position of national chairman, became a root shock to many who never anticipated such from him, especially that the interest of Senator Al-Makura was made opened and discussed at the highest corridors of power in virtually all government houses of the 36 states and the presidency.
Senator Adamu’s entry in the view of some party faithful and supporters did not go down well with them, even though some maintained that it has been his style, each time an opportunity of such is created, however others have pegged him a betrayer for his undisclosed intentions.
You will recalled that even when the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress was yet to zone the national Chairmanship position to the north central states, Senator Al-Makura, Senator George Akume and Musa Sani, openly made their intentions known as they had wide range of supporters who have indicated interest to support them.
Senator Adamu who was inaugurated to champion the course of reconciling aggreived party members, was never envisaged could be interested in eyeing the apex position of. The party until recently when the position was finally zoned to the north central states.
Be that as it may, this has instead of cementing partisanship amongst the APC family, the interest of the the chief reconciler is begining to throw the party into the pathway to division mustly from Nasarawa State, which would have been viewed as examplary of unity.
While all these lasted, some aspirants for national and state assembly position in the 2023 election are either disadvantaged or cashing in on both interest. Those in support of Senator Al-Makura, especially from the Nasarawa West Senatorial District, would prefer that the immediate past governor succeed Mala Buni, in order to clinch the ticket during the primary, while on the part of the Adamu’s camp, they are pushing hard with same interest as it will be a walk over on other camps if senator Abdullahi Adamu becomes National chairman.
But at a public function at the weekend, some youths did not take it lightly with Senator Adamu, where he was booed and called all manners of names.
Giving the foregoing and divergent dispositions, Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki Nakande foreclosed in a press release, that was made available to newsmen by the press secretary to Senator Al-Makura, Chief Danjuma Joseph, on Sunday, pointing out that so far, Senator Almakura remains the only aspirant for the national chairmanship of the APC who has fulfilled a major constitutional requirement by getting the endorsement of his state governor.
He said he also has the experience to restructure the party ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Well meaning members of the party must therefore mobilise to support the President in his choice of Almakura as that is the best choice the APC has at the moment.
In order to avoid rancour and to pave the way for the right candidate who will lead the APC in the 2023 elections emerge we must respect the decision of Mr. President.
“I’m aware that a certain aspirant from the same state with Almakura is being prepared to work against the interest of the party by acting as spoiler to the ambition of Almakura by pretending to be interested in the position.
“The most unfortunate thing is that this is someone whom Almakura as governor, helped in the past to win the senatorial elections of his district in 2015 as he was facing imminent defeat from a younger candidate.
“This person should be grateful to Almakura for protecting his interest rather than trying to bite the fingers that fed him.
“What is more, this aspirant, who is a former governor of Nasarawa State does not even have the endorsement of his state governor yet he goes about telling people that he is being sponsored by governors.
“He is only being used as a spoiler to deny Almakura the chairmanship, but he won’t succeed.
“I’ll advise him to abandon that route to infamy as he is an elderly person who shoujd be seen as straight forward and because he has nothing to gain by repaying good with evil.
“He should rather throw his weight behind Almakura and support Mr. President as that is the right thing to do,” he advised.
