APC ALLOCATES OFFICES

. Buhari to fly presidential flag . ANPP for National Secretary
. ACN picks National Chairman, Legal Adviser posts . Ribadu, Lamido Sanusi, Bafarawa to challenge Buhari as PDP governors swell rank

Ahead of 2015, of the future of the All Peoples Congress, APC, is gradually taking shape as the road is now clear for former Head of State, General Mohammadu Buhari to emerge as the presidential candidate of the party following the deliberate omission of the Congress of the Progressive Change from clinching one of the top party offices of the merger arrangement.

According to the document in the possession of the Sunday Mirror, the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN got the juiciest positions in the APC, such as the National Chairman, National Legal Adviser, Deputy National Treasurer, Deputy National Youth Leader, two Vice Chairmen and two ex-officio members.

The All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP was also awarded with the National Secretary, National Financial Secretary, Deputy National Organising Secretary, National Welfare Secretary, Deputy National Publicity Secretary, two Vice Chairmen and two exofficio members.

While the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, got the National Treasurer, Deputy National Chairman (North), Deputy National Secretary, Deputy National Legal Adviser, Deputy National Auditor, National Woman Leader, National Youth Leader, one Vice Chairman and one exofficio members’ positions.

The All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA was given the National Organising Secretary, Deputy National Chairman (South), Deputy Financial Secretary, Deputy National Woman Leader, one Vice Chairman and one ex-officio member’s post. The Democratic Peoples Party, DPP, got the National Auditor and Deputy National Welfare Secretary.

A source who is a former governor from the North told Sunday Mirror that CPC could not get any of the major slots as it will likely produce the presidential candidate while the ACN will produce chairman of the Board of Trustees. General Buhari had in a recent interview said that though he will contest the 2015 election under APC but he may step down for a better candidate from the North.

Sunday Mirror can confirm that northern candidates that may challenge Buhari for the sole ticket include former Presidential candidate of DPP and former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, former Presidential candidate of ACN, Nuhu Ribadu as well as the present Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

It is also believed that with the crisis in the People’s Democratic Party, some serving state governors including Niger State governor, Babangida Aliyu, Sule Lamido of Jigawa state as well as Rabiu Kwankwaso may seek the office of presidency through the platform of the APC.

Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) Ogbonnaya Onu has called on the APC to close ranks before 2015, as PDP would not relinquish its control of the centre easily.

The ANPP yesterday also set up a committee, headed by Dr. Onu to distribute the slots allotted to the party in the APC merger arrangement. The committee is also detailed to continue merger talks with the other merging partners.

The decision to raise the committee was reached at the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party yesterday in Abuja. In his address at the NEC meeting, the national chairman of the party, Onu, hailed the progress made so far in the merger process and expressed confidence that with the APC on ground, realizing the goal of producing the next President is possible, if elections are free and fair.

He also noted that when the APC is finally registered, there would still remain a lot of work to be done for the new Party to grow stronger and be in a position to deliver victory at the federal level.

“Let no one ever think, that it will be easy to defeat an incumbent administration. But, it can be done. However, a lot of hard work will be needed. Challenges will come. Our patience will be tested. Our ability to persevere will also be tested. But if our eyes are on the right path, if we listen attentively to the voice of Nigerians and respect the feelings of all, we will definitely succeed by the grace of the Almighty God.

“Hence it is important, that building a strong political Party requires sufficient consultation, in a way that all organs of the Party can function efficiently. It is then, that members can have a strong sense of belonging. By so doing, people will be ready to put in their best for the good of the Party.

“I am confident that with the APC on ground, realizing our goal of producing the next President of our country is possible, if elections are free and fair. Serious efforts must be made to ensure that every vote, counts and every voter, matters. Every effort must be made, to ensure that a conducive environment is created to make elections free and fair. This, we should insist on for the good of our country.

I believe that with a credible electoral process, our country will be stronger, our democracy will grow and blossom and hence pave the way for the unity, peace and prosperity of our dear country.”

This comes as the Chairman of the board of Trustees of the party, Ali Modu Sheriff, said the positions would be filled by Monday. The national publicity secretary of the ANPP, Emma Enuekwu, said the party’s NEC resolved to set a new committee on merger talks, headed by the National Chairman. Others in the committee are incumbent governors of Borno State, Kassim Shettima; Zamfara State, Abdullazeez Yari; and Yobe State, Ibrahim Geidam. Also in the committee are former governors of the party including Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, Senator Sani Ahmed Yerima, Senator Buka Abba Ibrahim and Ibrahim Kwankwaso.

The national secretary, Tijjani Tumsah; national treasurer, Alhaji Shaibu Musa are also in the committee. Enuekwu said the committee’s mandate is to continue to act on behalf of the party in the merger negotiations until APC is registered. He said the committee will handle the sharing of the offices and positions allotted to ANPP under the merger arrangement.

The 89-member merger committee, drawn from the merging parties, had last week announced the end of their assignment of streamlining the modalities for the emergence of the interim leadership of the merger party. They also said they have referred further work for registration of the APC to the individual parties.

However, briefing newsmen after the meeting, Ali Modu Sheriff said “a committee was set up to go and look at these positions and divide it among party members. Our decision is also to continue with the merger to a logical conclusion.

It is one agenda meeting, to talk about the merger, what has happened so far and where we are going. And the position of the ANPP is to get the leaders to sit down and share it.

“It will be done by Monday. By Monday everything will be completed.” Sheriff however said there was no rancour so far in sharing the positions. He said, “there was no rancour.

In politics either in Nigeria and anywhere in the world there are different views, always and the view that is decided on last is usually the amicable one. And what we decided amicably now is to have a committee of all the leaders to sit down and share the positions across the country.”

Source: National Mirror