By Anayo Okoli, Clifford Ndujihe & Denis Agbo
Ahead of Saturday’s National Convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, the battle for the various National Working Committee, NEC, positions has been intensified in the six geopolitical zones of the country.
Apart from the national chairmanship, which will be decided at the Convention ground in Abuja, other slots will be decided in the zones. At press time, screening of the various candidates for the numerous slots was on going, Sunday Vanguard gathered.
No fewer than six candidates have obtained, filled and submitted nomination forms for the national chairmanship. They are two former Nasarawa State governors, Senators Abdullahi Adamu and Tanko Al-Makura; former Benue State Governor, Senator George Akume; former Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari; Senator Sani Musa and former Congress for Progressive Change, CPC Deputy National Chairman, Malam Saliu Mustapha.In the South-East, the zone has been allocated 11positions which they are expected to fill through consensus.
Abia State was allocated the positions of National Welfare Secretary and Zonal Youth leader; Anambra State was given three positions, namely Deputy National Organizing Secretary and Ex-Officio member while Ebonyi State was allocated offices of National Treasurer and Zonal Secretary.
Enugu state was asked to produce the Deputy National Chairman, South and Zonal Woman leader. Imo State got the positions of National Vice Chairman, South East and Zonal Special Citizens.
In Abia, it is learned that the party has adopted consensus to fill their slots and Chief Friday Nwosu, a lawyer has been chosen for the National Welfare Officer and he has since picked forms for the position while the State Zonal youth leader, Ikenna Anyalewechi will fill the position of the zonal youth leader.
He has also purchased forms. In Ebonyi State, the State party chairman, Chief Stanley Okoroemegha, confirmed to Sunday Vanguard that they would fill the positions allocated to them through consensus.
In Imo State, it is believed that the fierce battle for the soul of the party is making it difficult for the leaders to agree on how to fill the positions given to the state.
The disagreement between Governor Hope Uzodinma on one side and Senator Rochas Okorocha and Senator Ifeanyi Ararume on the other side, is tearing the party apart in the state. Calls put across the State Chairman; MacDonald Ebere on the issue was not answered.
However, the state Publicity Secretary, of APC, Cajetan Duke, said that nobody has told the party that he or she is interested in the positions.
Also, in Anambra where the party is having issues, it was not possible to ascertain how they would fill the positions allocated to them. A member of the party in the state said that it would be a big battle as some stakeholders are angling to take control of the structures. In Enugu, the battle is raging.
Therefore no consensus as former Senate, President Ken Nnamani, and former National Chairman of the party in South East, Chief Emma Enukwu, are said to have picked forms for the position of Deputy National Chairman, South. It could not be confirmed at press time who and who are interested in the position of Zonal Woman leader also allocated to the state.
Nnamani, a member of the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, CECPC, had earlier been tipped as a consensus candidate but the move did not fly Since Nnamani and Enukwu picked the nomination forms, last week, there had been altercations among APC stakeholders in the state on who actually should be given the position.
Shadow groups such as Nsukka United front had argued that the party in the state does not micro zone its party positions but allows individuals with capacity, irrespective of senatorial zone, to assume such critical positions for the progress and growth of the party that is still in opposition in the state.
Vanguard News Nigeria