.All Offices Occupied by Northerners now to go to the Southerners and Vice Versa

By Jude Opara, Abuja

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has agreed to alternate offices between the north and south in the forthcoming dispensation.

This was disclosed on Tuesday by the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) after their meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Disclosing this while responding to a question, Kaduna Governor Malam Nasir el-Rufa’i dispelled reports of division among the APC Governors.

“We were divided over the timing of the convention. Some governors felt we should not have the convention until we resolve all the congresses issues in some states. Because, in some of the states, these matters are even in court.

“So some governors held the view that we should wait until all these are resolved and that was not borne out of any agenda or selfish interest but just a realistic opposition to avoid violating any laws or putting our party structures or elected candidates in future.

“But after our meeting last night to deliberate on the proposal by the national caretaker committee and our briefing with the president today, we are all on the same page,” he said.

Speaking on the outcome of the meeting with the president, el-Rufai revealed that agreement had been reached on the zoning formula and that the governors are part of it.

“We have agreed on a zoning formula for all the six geo-political zones and essentially we swapped the positions, such that now northern zone will take positions that the southern zone had in the last eight years and vice-versa.

 “It is a very simple, equitable and fair formula. We will now go back and consult at the zonal level and look at the positions that are available and the process of the convention preparation have started in earnest.

“So, by the grace of God, on the 26th of March, we would have done our national convention,” he said.

At the meeting were Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha and the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari. Eighteen of governors on the party’s platform were in attendance at the meeting.

It could be recalled that the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) on Monday said it will comment on the postponement of the party’s national convention until it met with President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday.

“As a forum, we met on Monday and agreed to meet with President Buhari on Tuesday for further discussion on the national convention and other issues,’’ Kebbi State’s governor, Abubakar Bagudu, Chairman, Progressives Governors Forum, said.

“We will rather not comment on any timetable or any activities until we meet with the president, he added.

Bagudu said Monday’s meeting discussed developments in states and reviewed recent council elections in the FCT and Saturday’s Osun State governorship primary.

He added that the meeting also discussed the court judgement that resolved the 2021 Kano State congress issue and preparations for the party’s national convention.

“We had briefings from the chairman of the CECPC, Gov. Mai-Mala Buni of Yobe,’’ he said.

 “All APC governors have met, and as always, we appreciate the need to work with other stakeholders.

“We had always been humble to acknowledge that we are not the only stakeholders in the party. We will work with other stakeholders to ensure that we deliver transparently and honestly, national executives that will continue to earn the confidence of all party members and of Nigerians,’’ he said.

The APC Caretaker and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) postponed the party’s national convention from February 26 to March 26.

It released a new timetable and schedule of activities for the National Convention and Zonal Congresses on Monday.

According to the new timetable, activities for the national convention will begin on February 24 with the publication of committees for the zonal congresses.

Sale of forms to aspirants for elective offices will begin from Wednesday, March 9 and end on Friday March 11.

Speaking yesterday after the meeting with the president, Bagudu disclosed that President Buhari advised that that party went for consensus option in choosing its national chairman at the convention.

“President Buhari is a believer in consensus as one of the options of producing leaders and he urged us to explore consensus while recognising that many people who have indicated interest are equally competent but only one person will occupy the office at the end of the day.

“Consensus is part of our constitution and he urged us to work towards consensus,” the Kebbi governor said.

Defending the president’s on consensus Bagudu noted that the option has been adopted by the party in the past.

“We have produced a number of national chairmen by consensus; Bisi Akande emerge as the pioneer chairman of the APC through consensus, John Oyegun emerged by consensus, Adams Oshiomhole emerged by consensus, so the president reminded us of that.”

Bagudu said he believes the party will achieve its aim of selecting consensus candidates.

“And the governors, I have said earlier, have also been working to ensure that as part of equitable arrangement, zoning and consensus are incorporated. We have done that at the lower levels, and even at the national level it’s almost certain that we will achieve it,” he said.

Bagudu also spoke on the March 26 date announced by the interim leadership of the APC for the party’s national convention.

 “The date of the convention, the caretaker committee briefed us yesterday of their meeting and the proposed March 26, 2022. And today, the governors informed Mr President that we have had the briefing from the caretaker committee and we are supportive of their position,” Bagudu said.

 “We are in total support of Mr President, we are appreciative of his leadership, we commend him for his leadership. We are appreciative of the sacrifice of the national caretaker, and extraordinary convention planning committee. And we thanked them for the successes recorded under them. Our party, like I said, is greater and stronger, with more members by the day,” he said