2023: APC yet to decide on zoning, says Adamu
• Withdraw statement on zoning, Arewa youths tell APC chairman
‘Seun Ibukun-Oni, Abuja
Daily Courier – The national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has led to rest speculations on which part of the country will get its 2023 presidential ticket saying the party is yet to take any position on it.
Party Chairman Abdullahi Adamu said yesterday that the decision would be taken at a later date by the entire APC stakeholders.
Adamu, during a visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja to present the APC governorship candidate in the forthcoming election in Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji, said he could not preempt the party on the zoning issue.
“I am today privileged to be the chairman of the party. The party is greater than me. The party has not made a decision and I cannot preempt what the party decision will be,” he told State House Correspondents in contradiction of a statement by Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai just before the APC national convention last month.
El-Rufai had said back then that “our expectation is that our presidential candidate will come from somewhere in the south.”
He added: “It is up to the southern caucus of the APC to now propose to us an acceptable candidate.”
Adamu declined to respond to another question from reporters yesterday on when ministers who intend to contest in the election would resign ahead of the primaries.
”Thank you very much for your question. Our luck is that I happen to be a lawyer and the issue you are raising is in court right now. So, it will be sub judice for me to discuss it at all,” he said.
On fears in some quarters that the process of settling for the party’s presidential candidate could tear it apart if not carefully handled, he said “God will not allow that to happen to us.
“We will come out by the grace of God, at the appropriate time [with] the candidate the convention will choose.
“I do not want to speculate, but my duty as chairman is to listen to party men, party leaders, stakeholders, to see what is going to be the best when the time comes, and I’ve always found it easier and more noble to get to the bridge before I jump to cross it. We are not yet there.”
The APC National Chairman was accompanied to the Presidential Villa by the Ekiti State governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Dr Kayode Fayemi; Kebbi State governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), Atiku Bagudu; and the National Secretary of the APC, Senator Iyiola Omisore.
2023: Withdraw statement on zoning, Arewa youths tell APC chairman
The Arewa Consultative Youth Forum (ACYF) has called on the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, to quickly withdraw his statement that the party has not taken a position on zoning elective positions for 2023 elections.
The ACYF, in a statement on Saturday, said the statement credited to Adamu was capable of heating the polity and spelling doom for the party if not quickly withdrawn.
The group said it was worrisome that the party chairman could come up with such an inflammable statement when all critical stakeholders were already on the same page on the need for the Presidency to return to the South in 2023.
The statement reads, “The unfortunate statement credited to Senator Adamu is regrettable just as it is demeaning of his status as the chairman of a ruling party.
“Even a political a novice is aware that the consensus from critical political stakeholders is that Presidency must return to the South in 2023.
“His statement that no agreement had been reached on zoning is not in the best interest of the party.
“The statement is capable of leading to electoral defeat for our great party if not quickly withdrawn.
“It is a statement that can confuse, overheat the polity and eventually lead to electoral defeat.
“Leaders must learn to weigh their words and also feel the pulse of the people when making statements on issues as important as this.”
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