APC Convention: Aspirants Defy Buhari, Refuse To Embrace Consensus
Some aspirants vying for various positions in the All Progressives Congress, including those seeking the office of the national chairman at today’s convention have refused to step down.
This is contrary to the appeal by the President, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), that those who would be voted into offices should emerge by consensus.
It was learnt that as of 9.30pm on Friday several aspirants were still meeting at various locations in Abuja. Saturday PUNCH learnt that national chairmanship aspirants continued to meet for the second day with no agreement.
One of the aspirants, Saliu Mustapha, said he was still in the race, adding that consensus should be all-inclusive.
In a statement on Friday by the Director-General, Saliu Mustapha Campaign Organisation, Bala Usman, the aspirant said no consensus had been reached as far as he was concerned.
The statement read in part, “Our campaign organisation has received several calls from multitudes of party stakeholders, friends and associates regarding the upcoming convention of our party and the decision of Saliu Mustapha as an aspirant, especially in relation to the unravelling issue of a possible consensus arrangement.
“Indeed, we recognise consensus as one of APC’s acceptable leadership selection methods, which is completely legal and constitutional. However, we are convinced that for consensus to abide, it must be all-inclusive and devoid of any vestige of imposition.
“This is why Mallam Saliu Mustapha, together with all the other aspirants, would continue to engage to review the options before them and agree on a common and mutually beneficial decision. Until this is done, nothing has been decided yet.”
However, the APC said the much-expected Unity List proceeding from the wide consultations on consensus to pick party leaders would be out on Friday. Nonetheless, it was learnt that the list was delayed as governors continued to debate over the list.
The party reaffirmed that consensus remained its preferred mode of choosing its leaders.
Fielding questions from our correspondent at the party’s world press conference held at its national secretariat on Friday, the Chairman of the National Convention Media and Publicity Sub-committee, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, said the unity list would be out soon.
He said, “From what we have from the regions, the unity list will be ready today (Friday). It will be submitted. If you are talking of consensus, you must have a unity list, because that’s the whole essence of consensus.
“If you’re having consensus, you would have people who have agreed, aspirants who have agreed, stakeholders who have agreed, and the constituency that has agreed, and in that case, that name automatically will be adopted. That’s just the meaning of the unity list.”
However, speaking on Channels Television Politics Today, Sule said a former Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Adamu, had been adopted as the consensus candidate for the office of the national chairman.
