By Tunde Abatan
Except a miracle happens,the national convention of the All Progressive Congress,APC which has been postponed twice by the Mai Mala Buni led Caretaker/Extra Ordinary Convention Planning Committee may not hold until August or September this year.
One of the reasons for this our sources gathered is the stranglehold of the APC governors on the CECPC especially since one of them ,Governor of Yobe state is the chair man and the fact that he got express permission from President Muhammadu Buhari to use his discretion to direct the party.
It will be recalled that the choice of the Chairman was made by the governors because of their determination as it happened during President Olusegun Obasanjos tenure to determine the party’s direction.
Thus,our sources revealed that since the governors determine what happens in their state chapters they also took control of the CECPC in order to possibly have one of their own possibly to succeed the President.
Another reason is the determination to ensure that there delegates were those who emerged at the convention to have their way.
This stand is one of the reasons why they got President Muhammadu Buhari to insist on the National Assembly not to stipulate Direct primary as the only option to select candidates by the party.
This move our sources hinted also talked with President Buharis who is not disposed to the party spending billions of naira to host the convention.
It is an open secret that the state governors bankroll most of the political parties and since they are averse to control the delegates adopting Direct primary may mae the process mọre cumbersome and expensive.
As of now those championing a postponement are of the view that it won’t be wise to spend billions of naira to host a national convention now and six months later organize the party primaries.
President Buhari is said to have been convinced on this and it is one of the reasons why the sake of forms expected to have started in the party’s national headquarters in Abuja last week was put on hold.
Another reason why the National convention may nọt hold until August or September when the party will have few months to next year’s election is the inability by the party leadership to agree on where to zone the national offices of the party.
While some wanted the North Central others are rooting for North West since there appears to be an unanimous decision to zone the Presidential ticket to the Southern part of the country.
However,beside the national offices is the Presidential slot.
“I can tell you that the moment they agree on who to field as presidential candidate,they will hold the convention. The next six months is enable them agree on who to field and this is about the biggest task before President Buhari and the cabal who are not disposed to those who are out there now”declared a competent source.
There is no doubt that the next few months will be decisive for the party and direction of politics in the country as what APC do or fail to do will determine the move of the opposition too.
