The fallout of the All Progressives Congress ( APC) North-East Zonal Consultative meeting has continued to generate reactions in the political circle. At the Buhari House, the national secretariat of the party located at the sprawling Blantyre Street, Wuse, Abuja, it is the subject of discussion, albeit in hushed tones. Checks showed that the isolated incidence of the refusal of the National Vice-Chairman North-East, Mustapha Salihu, to proclaim the incumbent Vice- President, Senator Kashim Shettima, as joint beneficiary of automatic ticket proclamation for Tinubu was the cause of the uproar, which unfortunately, almost drowned the substance of the agenda of the meeting and the success achieved at the Gombe gathering.
The meeting, convened at the instance of the Yobe State governor and Chairman of the APC North-East Consultative Forum, Malam Mai Mala Buni, was well attended by the three APC Governors in the zone: Mai Mala Buni, Chairman of the Forum; his Borno State counterpart, Professor Babagana Zulum and the host, governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya.
Serving federal legislators from the zone were also in attendance. National chairman of the party, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, led zonal officers to the gathering, whose agenda was to take stock, analyse the achievements and challenges of the party as part of its mid-term self-assessment programme. Three prominent chieftains of the ruling party, incidentally from Borno State, were conspicuously absent, although they sent their individual apologies. The list included Vice President Kashim Shettima, Honourable Mukhtar Betara and former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume.
The chief convener and Yobe governor, Mallam Buni, in his welcome speech, noted the gains of the North-East zone under the present administration as he listed important positions conceded to the region by the present administration. He pleaded with the top chieftains to continue to galvanize support for the APC and Tinubu administration to consolidate on its present political stature.
Checks revealed that the six states in the region are divided between the main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party which controls Adamawa, Taraba and Bauchi while the APC retains its grip on Gombe, Yobe and Borno. Governor Buni appealed to the ruling party stakeholders to improve the party reward system, run inclusive administration to regain lost ground in the region. He said: “Today, from the zone, we proudly have the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Kashim Shettima GCON, the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, and of course, your humble selves my dear compatriots, the Executive Governors, former Governors, distinguished Senators and members of the National and State Assemblies, Party leaders and elders, and other key stakeholders, youth and women, and our large supporters making the zone more stronger.
“Your Excellencies, distinguished ladies and Gentlemen, this is a cherished political legacy that we cannot afford to truncate nor let it vanish during our time. We must therefore, strive to continue supporting APC, Nigeria’s ruling party, and the national government under the able leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as well as the APC-led administrations in Yobe, Gombe and Adamawa states to succeed and make our great party proud. I want to seize this opportunity to congratulate us over APC’s Ten years of leadership as Nigeria’s ruling party, and Africa’s largest political party. However, it is important to note that this achievement is not an ordinary coincidence. It is a product of careful and strategic planning, focused leadership and giving members a sense of belonging. Therefore, it is important for us to continue promoting the values that unite us, address the few wranglings, give party supporters a sense of belonging, and improve on our reward system.“
The Yobe governor acknowledged the scary security situation in the region but allayed the fears of the people as he submitted that both federal and state governments are engaged in collaborative efforts through additional security measures. “Our collective drive to strengthen security in the Zone, especially at this time becomes more necessary as the rainy season sets in for our people to have access to their farmlands for food sufficiency and food security,” he said.
Tinubu: The right of first refusal
Ahead of the 2027 general election, the zone joined other regions to proclaim automatic ticket for the sitting President and National Leader of the party, President Bola Tinubu. Buni premised the North East resolution on the reform policies of the present administration which he noted, come with life-changing opportunities but long gestation period.
To deflect a needless interruption of the reform programme, he maintained that the initiator must retain the driver’s seat to drive the process to a logical conclusion. He said: “In the last two years, the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration engaged daring policies and programmes to improve the lives of Nigerians. Such reforms come with attendant difficulties, challenges and rough rides but equally, the reforms come with life-changing opportunities of a renewed hope for a better life. This requires tactical planning and time. To achieve this, one term of office may not be adequate. It may require two or more terms to effectively and efficiently execute such programmes that would stand the test of time and serve the people better.
“Therefore, in the spirit of natural justice, fair play and national interest, the forum should consider the architect of these policies and programmes, His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, with the right of first offer and endorse him for the 2027 Presidential election to accomplish the reform policies and programmes for the benefit of Nigerians. I want to also appreciate the Vice-President, Kashim Shettima GCON, for doing the zone proud through his unalloyed support and loyalty, enhancing team work for the success of the government and party. The zone equally appreciates the President for appointing a prominent son of the zone, Malam Nuhu Ribadu as National Security Adviser.”
Mustapha Salihu: A spanner in the works?
While the remarks of Governor Buni accommodated the Vice-President as a joint beneficiary of the automatic ticket to the thunderous ovation of the party faithful, the speech of the National Vice Chairman North East and incidentally member of the APC National Working Committee, Salisu Mustapha, threw spanner into the almost seamless session.
Multiple sources revealed that Mustapha’s choice of words confounded delegates, particularly from Borno, the home state of the Vice President who felt that their son was about to be left in the lurch, politically stranded.
A party source said that the APC National Vice Chairman North-East use of the word, “ sole candidate” conveyed the wrong impression to delegates from Borno that Shettima would be dropped and reinforced the suspicion that Tinubu was shopping for his replacement outside the North East.
The source stated: “Even Governor Zulum was taken aback when Mustapha insisted that he would not do a recant and declare Tinubu/Shettima 2027 ticket, to placate already agitated delegates from Borno state. That aggravated the tension as Mustapha was almost physically assaulted before security men on ground formed a barricade around him and ensured he was taken away safely from the venue.”
The APC deputy national chairman, (North), Bukar Dalori, however seized the initiative to calm frayed nerves as he toed the path taken by Governor Buni to endorse Kashim Shettima as running mate to Tinubu. Speaking with journalists barely 24 hours after the Gombe incident, an adamant Salisu Mustapha however justified his silence on proclamation of a joint Tinubu/ Shettima ticket. He claimed that by convention, a running mate to a party standard bearer could only emerge after the conduct of the presidential convention. He said: “In my full speech—the last paragraph before the endorsement—I eulogised Kashim Shettima, recognising him as our son and expressing that we stand by him as people of the North-East. I also appreciated the national security adviser as our son, whom we are proud of, and acknowledged all the ministers and parastatals given to North-East indigenes, thanking Asiwaju [Tinubu] for that, before calling for the endorsement of him as the sole presidential candidate. In party politics, we have only one ticket at the primary stage—for the executive chairman, local government chairman, governors, and president. There is no provision in our constitution that allows for the endorsement of a joint ticket at that level. It is only after the primaries, when a candidate emerges, that he chooses a running mate. That choice remains the constitutional prerogative of the presidential candidate, even though consultations may occur.”
Buni: A tactful political asset
Amidst the unnerving situation thrown up by Mustapha’s proclamation of Tinubu as sole candidate which courted the anger of delegates, investigation revealed that Buni who had served as National Secretary and former Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party, deployed his experience to save the situation. The party source revealed that the APC National Chairman, other governors and federal legislators were anxious to scamper out of the venue but were prevailed on by Governor Buni who insisted that such action could backfire, throw the entire gathering into total confusion and create the narrative that the meeting ended abruptly without any resolutions. He revealed that “ During the brief disruption, Yobe State governor who doubles as the convener of the zonal meeting advised the National chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Gombe and Borno state governors, other national officials, national and state legislators, against leaving venue of the meeting until its conclusion. It wasn’t surprising that the calmness demonstrated by Buni helped to douse the already charged atmosphere, such that no physical injuries were recorded. The meeting reached a final conclusion as scheduled with a communique drafted and submitted to the National Working Committee as directed by the National Chairman, Umar Ganduje.”
Presidency confirms Borno’s apprehension?
Few days after the Gombe gathering, the Presidency in a statement appeared to have aligned with the position canvassed by Saliu Mustapha. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Communication, declared that Tinubu would only make a pronouncement on his running mate after the APC presidential convention and his acceptance of his endorsement.
READ ALSO: What are bunions?