Quote:JOHN ALECHENU , SAMUEL AWOYINFA , FRIDAY OLOKOR , SUCCESS NWOGU and GODWIN ISENYO


There are strong indications that northern governors in the All Progressives Congress have withdrawn their support for the elongation of the tenure of the party ’ s National Working Committee .

SUNDAY PUNCH gathered on Saturday that the party ’ s stakeholders were looking beyond the National Chairman , Chief John Odigie - Oyegun , to lead the party .

One of our correspondents gathered that key supporters of the party ’ s National Chairman , especially northern governors , had shelved their earlier decision to sink or sail with the chairman .

A highly- placed party leader, who spoke to SUNDAY PUNCH on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media on the issue, said the President’ s move during last Tuesday’ s National Executive Council meeting was akin to a “ checkmate in a game of chess. ”

The party leader said , “ President Muhammadu Buhari is the main reason why Chief ( Odigie- ) Oyegun lasted this long as chairman, many may not know or simply choose to disagree with this fact .

“ Some of our governors , who felt comfortable with Oyegun ’ s leadership style , aligned with certain interests at the Villa to convince the President on the need to allow Odigie - Oyegun to complete his term despite resistance from people like Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu .

“ The argument then was that we should not behave like the Peoples Democratic Party where party chairmen were changed almost every year .

“ They further argued that removing Odigie - Oyegun at that time , no matter his perceived indiscretions , would create some sort of instability within our party .

“ It is not easy to convince President Buhari , but once he is convinced about something , he supports it wholeheartedly .

“ Being the leader that he is and a person who swore to uphold the constitution , when his attention was drawn to the adverse consequences of this constitutional breach, he sought a legal opinion .

“His legal team , including the Vice - President , convinced him and he chose to err on the side of caution . ”

The party leader also said , “ Most of our northern governors are aware of the President ’ s principles on such matters and have since fallen in line.

“ What is before us now is the setting up of the various congress and convention committees and agreeing on who the next chairman is. ”

A highly- placed member of the party ’ s NWC , who also spoke on the condition of anonymity so as not to “ ruffle feathers” , explained that the issue at hand went beyond the person of the party ’ s National Chairman .

On the contenders for the APC top job , he said , “ For now , our choice is limited to Edo State . And like you may know , when you mention Edo , Adams Oshiomhole cannot be far away . ”

The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi , was not immediately available for comments as he was said to have travelled outside the country. Calls to his mobile indicated that it was switched off .

But when contacted , the Plateau State Commissioner for Information and Communication , Yakubu Dati , said , “ As a former speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Governor Simon Lalong believes in the rule of law. He believes the party ’ s internal mechanism will resolve this matter amicably . ”

However , it was gathered that some southern governors and ministers had started a campaign in support of tenure elongation for Odigie- Oyegun and others.

Investigations by SUNDAY PUNCH revealed that the address by the President did not go down well with the southern governors and ministers , who were already enjoying a smooth working relationship with the Odigie - Oyegun- led national executives of the party .

Ogun State governor, Ibikunle Amosun , could not be reached for his comments on the issue but the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Dayo Adeneye , directed one of our correspondents to the leadership of the party in the state .

The Publicity Secretary of the state chapter of the APC, Mr. Sola Lawal , who spoke on behalf of the party , said the NEC remained the supreme body of the party , while the president is the leader.

He said , “ The President only has a voice , the NEC is supreme. ”

“ In this case , I do not see the NEC reversing itself on tenure elongation for Oyegun and others because 20 out of the 24 APC governors voted in favour of tenure elongation .

Lawal added , “ It is not possible for an individual to foist a new candidate on the NEC without carrying everyone along . ”