As a crisis of confidence hits the National Working Committee (NWC) of ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) following a failed attempt by the National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, to foist senate president, Senator Ahmad Lawan, on the party as “consensus candidate” for the primaries scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday), a cross section of delegates arriving Abuja from across the country today are calling for his resignation immediately.
Earlier in the day, Adamu controversially announced Lawan as the “consensus candidate” ahead of the scheduled primaries to the outrage of fellow NWC members who dismissed the statement as “your personal opinion”.
Reacting, many said Adamu’s antics showed that he is working overzealously for “a small cabal including few shadowy but influential figures at the Presidency whose stock in trade is to drop the name of President Buhari, who is a worthy and highly principled leader, in pursuit of their nefarious agenda.”
According to them, Adamu now constitutes a “clear and present danger to continued existence of APC as a corporate entity”, capable of subverting Nigeria’s democratic processes.
“By this show of shame, Adamu has clearly shown that he is not fit to preside over APC. It is shameful that a man rehabilitated from political penury in March by President Buhari who made him National Chairman by consensus can now be trying to destroy the same party within three months,” said Mohammed Argugu, a delegate from Sokoto State.
Another delegate, Ms. Bintu Ibrahim from Niger State, said: “I no longer have confidence in Adamu to continue as APC Chairman.”
Earlier, the APC’ National Vice Chairman of North-West, Dr. Salihu Lukman, had condemned Adamu’s “autocratic leadership style” by making weighty public statement in the name of APC without consultation with fellow NWC members.
Also, self-styled “leader of reformed APC”, Alhaji Buba Galadima, has described Adamu as “a political snake” who once stabbed President Buhari in the back in 2003 as governor of Nasarawa State.
Galadima, now estranged from Buhari, said “If President Buhari is someone who remembers past evil against him, he would not even be shaking hands with Adamu today, much less make him APC Chairman given the very wicked thing he did against Buhari while Buhari was the presidential flagbearer of ANPP and Adamu the sitting governor of Nasarawa.”
At a meeting of the NWC meeting at the weekend, a source said the National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore, had angrily upbraided the chairman “for treating the rest of us as if we are children.”
According to multiple sources at today’s NWC meeting, Adamu had defended his position as the outcome of “my consultation with President Muhammadu Buhari”.
But impeccable Villa sources denied President Buhari ever anointing Lawan as “consensus candidate”. It was further gathered that the President was livid when news reached him that Adamu had acted unethically by announcing Lawan in his name.
Adamu’s lie was further exposed by a declaration by thirteen northerner APC governors reiterating their earlier resolution that power should shift to the South after the tenure of President Buhari next year.
The northern governors spoke after a closed-door meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa today.
Flanked by other northerner governors inside the Press Gallery of the Villa, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State said: “Majority of us APC governors from the north have agreed that power should go to the South after President Buhari. This is the position we support.”
El-Rufai’s words were echoed by the immediate past Acting National Chairman of the party, Governor Buni of Yobe State, who said “That is the position of we northern governors.”
Buhari, however, punctured Adamu’s lies when he declared after meeting with Northern governors that he has not anointed anyone.
According to Buhari, he has “no preferred candidate,” and has “anointed no one,” and that he is determined to ensure that “there shall be no imposition of any candidate on the party.”
“You were elected as I was. Have a clear mind as I have. God gave us the chance; we have no reason to complain. We must be ready to take pain as we take the joy. Allow the delegates to decide. The Party must participate, nobody will appoint anybody,” he said.
Ironically, Lawan who is Adamu’s own “consensus candidate” hails from Yobe State.
