All appears set for the emergence of a former Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, as the new National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress.
This followed the decision of his last standing challenger, a former Cross River State governor, Clement Ebri, to withdraw from the race.
Ebri announced his decision to withdraw from the race in a statement he issued on Thursday.
In a statement he signed, Ebri said, “Following deep consultations with my family, friends and associates, party leaders and stakeholders in the progress of our great party, the All Progressives Congress, I have decided to withdraw my candidacy from the race for the National Chairmanship of the APC.
“This decision has been taken in what I consider to be the overall best interest of the party and my belief that all stakeholders must row in the same rancour-free direction as we approach general elections in a few months.”
It was gathered that the South-West caucus of the party had endorsed a former Ekiti State governor, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, for the position of the Deputy National Chairman (South). He will replace the outgoing occupant of the position, Segun Oni.
It was learnt that one of the party’s National Leaders, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the former Interim National Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande and all the APC governors from the South-West have endorsed Adebayo as the geopolitical zone’s consensus candidate for the position.
The party’s governors, who have been engaged in a series of meetings since Wednesday night, are said to have given their support to the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, in his battle of wits with party stakeholders from the South-East.
It was learnt that governors who attended a meeting held at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, late on Wednesday, expressed support for the governor in his bid to reclaim his position as the leader of the party in the South-East.
A source, who pleaded anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the meeting, said, “Okorocha, is having the last laugh because his colleagues felt he was not only the leader of the APC in the South-East, he is also the Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, as such, if the ‘so-called stakeholders’ are allowed to get away with what they did to him, it would reflect badly on them as governors because it would encourage similar acts of rebellion elsewhere.”
6,800 delegates to storm Abuja for convention
Meanwhile, about 6,800 delegates are expected to storm the nation’s capital, Abuja, for the APC national convention scheduled to hold on Saturday (tomorrow).
The Secretary of the APC National Convention Planning Committee, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, confirmed this to News men, on Thursday.
He said, “Give or take, we are expecting about 6,800 delegates from across the country for the convention.”
As part of preparations for Saturday’s event, the Chairman of the Media Sub-Committee for the convention, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, on Thursday, led other members of his committee to inspect ongoing work at the Eagle Square, venue of the event.
Ajimobi, who is also the Governor of Oyo State, explained that efforts were being made to encourage the emergence of consensus candidates in order to reduce acrimony.
He said, “Politics is about conflict and resolution and today we are meeting many of the aspirants, we will look at them, we will interview them, then there will be give and take so that it will be a smooth operation on Saturday.”
Also, the chairman of the subcommittee for accreditation, Senator Ahmed Sani, said the process of screening and accreditation of delegates would be thorough because people were being expected from across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
He said, “There is not going to be just one card. There is something that you present at the gate to be checked on the list because we don’t have the opportunity to put photographs of delegates on the cards.
We won’t boycott APC convention, says nPDP
The leader of the new Peoples Democratic Party bloc of the APC, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, has assured party supporters that members of the nPDP will attend the party’s national convention.
Baraje said this in a statement in Ilorin on Thursday soon after his return from Saudi Arabia where he went to perform the Muslim pilgrimage.
The statement which was released by his Media Office quoted him as saying there as no reason why they should stay away from the convention.
He said contrary to speculations in some circles that the nPDP was planning to boycott the event; they were preparing to attend it.
Baraje said, “We are looking forward to the Saturday convention, we will be at the convention and after that, we shall see how things unfold.”
On news reports that President Muhammadu Buhari foreclosed a meeting with the nPDP, Baraje said although, he did not have details of the President’s statement, members of his group were still waiting for an invitation from the President.
He, however, said if such a thing happened; it would be part of the issues to be raised at the meeting with the Presidency whenever it holds.
Baraje also announced that members of the nPDP would hold an enlarged meeting late on Thursday to find a common ground on the best way forward.
