ANALYSIS… 2023: One of these six men likely to emerge APC national chairman

Following the decision of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to zone the seat of the national chairman of the party to the North, there are strong indications that the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) would go the same route.

Since the fusion of the legacy parties in 2014 gave birth to APC, the contest for the party’s leadership positions at any level has never been this keen. Already the forthcoming national convention of the party has generated much attention.

If not for the crisis that rocked the tenure of Comrade Adams Oshiomole-led National Working Committee (NWC) mid-term, a full convention to replace the executive arm of the party would have been due by June 2022.

The party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) had on June 25, 2020, sacked the Oshiomhole-led NWC and saddled the responsibility of running the party on Governor Mai Mala Buni-led 13-man Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC).

Ahead of the party’s convention, agitation for zoning of its positions and elective offices keeps mounting the need for the party to honour the gentleman’s agreement of power rotation between the North and the South.

But, the silence from the CECPC on the modalities for the national convention has been fueling tension. Nevertheless, with what is playing out, indications are that the party has conceded to the idea of a power shift.

Although the APC has not formally disclosed its decision on the matter, some of its stakeholders revealed that the party would settle with zoning the national chairmanship of the party to the Northern region, citing the array of national chairmanship aspirants, who are all from the North.

Already, many founding fathers of the APC from the Northern region are showing interest in the race to succeed Governor Mai Mala Buni as chairman of the ruling party.

As members await the release of the official timetable to announce the date and venue of the party’s convention, these party chieftains eyeing the seat of its national chairman are leaving nothing to chance in their bid to draw up a winning strategy.

In this analysis, Ripples Nigeria reviews seven candidates, one of whom may likely emerge as the next national chairman of the ruling party.

1. Senator Ali Modu Sheriff

Modu Sheriff holds the record of being the first elected governor to serve two consecutive terms in Borno state following his election in 2003 and again in 2007 on the platform of the defunct All Nigeria People Party (ANPP).

Born 1956 in the Ngala Local Government Area of Borno State, Sheriff attended the London School of Business, majoring in Insurance, Banking and Finance. He was elected Senator to represent Borno Central in the Third Republic first on the platform of the National Republican Convention (now defunct) and again on the platform of the ANPP.

He was a founding member of the APC but left to chair the PDP before a Supreme Court ruling reinstated former governor of Kaduna state, Ahmed Makarfi as chairman of the party’s national caretaker committee.

He has since returned to the fold of the ruling party and is now reaching out to stakeholders across the six geo-political zones to buy into his manifesto of making the APC the party to beat in 2023 and beyond.

His knowledge of partisan politics dating back to the Third Republic and the fact that he commands the respect of both serving and former federal lawmakers, incumbent and erstwhile governors; all of whom have a huge saying in the selection of delegates expected to vote at the election, places him at a vantage position.

But Sheriff is not without blemish. The former governor was arrested by the EFCC in June 2015, for alleged embezzlement of public funds during his eight years as governor of Borno State, but was granted bail.

His government was said to have received over N300 billion from the Federation Account between 2003 and 2011, an amount said to have been mismanaged by him. He was subsequently detained from June 3 to June 4, 2015, and released on administrative bail without being charged to court.

2. Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari

Yari, the immediate past governor of Zamfara state is also eyeing the seat of the party’s national chairman. Born in 1968, Yari holds a graduate diploma in Public Administration from the Kebbi State Polytechnic.

He is a one-time chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF); a position that gave him a lot of influence and respect among his former colleagues and some serving governors.

Following the completion of his two-term in office as governor in 2019, Yari did what most retiring governors often do by contesting a seat at the Senate. Although he won, a Supreme Court judgment nullified his election and those of all candidates fielded by the All Progressives Congress on the ground that they were not validly nominated.

Yari is wealthy and capable of running a campaign singlehandedly; however, the EFCC, had in the first quarter of 2021 summoned Yari for questioning over an alleged attempt to launder the sum of N300 billion while serving as governor. Although he is not facing any prosecution, this could count against him and his ambition to become the next APC chairman.

Also, the defection of the current Governor of the state, Bello Matawalle to the ruling APC could be a threat to Yari’s aspirations, as some of his supporters that Matawalle has lured to his side may whittle down his (Yari’s) influence and control of the party structure and machinery in the state. Eventually, this may ultimately frustrate his chairmanship ambition.

3. Umaru Tanko Al’Makura

Of all the aspirants desirous of piloting the affairs of the ruling party, Al’Makura is the oldest at 69. A trained educationist at the famous Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Almakura was the Plateau State Secretary of the defunct National Republican Convention, NRC (1990-1992).

Born August 1952, he was elected governor of Nasarawa state on 26th April 2011 on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), defeating the then incumbent governor, Aliyu Akwe-Doma of the PDP.

Following the successful merger of the legacy parties into what is today known as the APC; Almakura joined the Buhari team and played a prominent role in his election in the North-Central State. He currently chairs the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals.

The major drawback against the aspiration of Almakura according to a party insider is “his penchant for doing things like a lone ranger.”

Being of the CPC legacy bloc, the 69-year-old businessman-turned-politician has a good chance of emerging the national chairman of the party; the only bloc that is yet to have a shot at the national chairmanship seat since the establishment of the party. Promoters of Al-Makura’s candidacy also believe that he may enjoy presidential backing owing to his CPC roots.

Read also: ANALYSIS… 2023: See five northern PDP heavy weights who may queue up for chairmanship position

Al-Makura also enjoys the support of his successor, Governor Abdullahi Sule. He also enjoys the support of some members of the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF), being one of its earliest members and the Senate caucus.

Until his recent encounter with EFCC, Al-Makura is seen as a top contender and less controversial figure in the race for the APC chairmanship.

The anti-graft agency recently grilled the former governor alongside his wife, Mairo, over alleged breach of public trust and misappropriation of billions of naira by his administration.

4. Senator Danjuma Goje

Senator Goje, a former governor of Gombe State, is another member of the league of former governors seeking to lead the party in the post-Buhari era. Goje was elected as governor on the platform of the PDP. His political influence in the state was instrumental to the APC takeover of the state in 2019.

Currently, a third-term senator representing Gombe Central and Chairman Senate Committee on Appropriation, Goje is a committed party man whose loyalty to party supremacy saw him dropping his ambition to run for the 9th Senate Presidency. He stepped down for current Senate President Ahmed Lawan.

A highly-respected politician with national clout and appeal, Goje’s campaign handlers promised his leadership will deliver a party where its (party) constitution, hierarchy, and supremacy would be respected.

But, political observers in the Northeast have expressed fear that the cold war between the lawmaker and Governor Inuwa Yahaya over control of party structure in the state may affect his ambition. They argue that the influential role of the PGF in determining who gets what in the party may be deployed by Yahaya to stall Goje’s aspiration.

Like other past governors, Goje has faced cases of fraud with the EFCC. However, the Office of the AGF, on June 7, 2019, took over the N5 billion fraud cases against the former governor from the EFCC and the case has since died a natural death.

5. Kashim Shettima

Senator Kashim Shettima, another former Borno State governor, is a highly influential lawmaker in the National Assembly, whose administrative acumen, and intellectual capability, are the unique selling points that are likely to work in his favour in the chairmanship race.

Though Shetima is yet to make public his intention, observers are of the view that major party stakeholders may prefer him for the chairmanship position. His supporters are quick to brandish his high sense of justice, especially in his choice of a worthy successor.

Although he has a penchant for speaking the truth to the throne, Shettima is said to be held in high esteem by President Buhari. In a presidential congratulatory message recently to the former governor, Buhari was quoted to have said: “I am proud of Shettima for his achievements in office as one of the best governors in the country for the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

Senator Shettima will be remembered for many things, including the fact that he handed the state over to Prof Babagana Zulum, a capable and deserving successor.”

6. Senator George Akume

A two-term governor of Benue State, Senator George Akume is the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs. He is perceived as the most eligible aspirant to occupy the position of APC national chairman.

The former Minority Leader of the Senate from June 2011 to June 2015, Akume who recently opened a campaign office for the actualization of his dream, is hopeful to be the next national chairman of the party.

Akume’s lingering rift with the present governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, recently took a new twist as the governor has called on the EFCC to prosecute Akume for allegedly fleecing the state of N2 billion in 2007.

Ortom said the former governor should be questioned on the said fund which he allegedly withdrew from the state coffers at the twilight of his administration.

Stakeholders view

Speaking on the comparative strength of the possible candidates, a stakeholder said none of them has a special advantage over the other, as all of them are former governors.

“All of them are former governors and you know the party does not do micro zoning. The party can only zone between North and South. It is now left for the zone to say let’s decide whether it’s going to North Central or North East or North West, but most of the aspirants are from the North East and North Central,” he said.

“In the party, intricacies of Asiwaju lineup and El-Rufai lineup are there. You may have heard some snippets that George Akume has always been in the ACN and then some governors had been in the CPC with Buhari for a long time,” another APC chieftain told Ripples Nigeria.

Similarly, another chieftain of the party who didn’t want to be mentioned said it is too early to assume or predict the strength of any of the candidates as the national convention is not forthcoming yet.

“It is too early to predict until they start their tour from East to West to North and then South. There are no alignments yet so you cannot say this is where the pendulum is swinging to. So, now people are just expressing their feelings and it is too early to make judgements.

“In the next couple of weeks, we might see those alignments because as we speak Buhari has not said it will be this person, but we’ll know when they start their campaigns. What you are witnessing now is the expression of interest. When they start campaigns you’d now see where the majority of the southwestern governors are heading to and then you can align properly. But for now, there is nothing like alignment.

“The people are just expressing their opinion and all of them are all eligible because they are all founding fathers of the party. The good news is that all of them are former governors and they are all from the North and they are eligible to contest but then they are yet to flag off their campaign. When they start moving from ward to ward then we would know,” he stated.

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