The national convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will finally hold today, Saturday, but not without controversies over consensus candidates. This is coming after postponing on several occasions.
The APC has been dipped in a ‘masked’ crisis over control of the party but it eased up with the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The candidacy of the national chairman is now the centre of the crisis as pressure is on aspirants to accept Buhari’s stand on consensus at the convention holding at the Eagle Square, Abuja.
However, the delegates may also vote to alter some sections of the party’s Constitution to be in tandem with the Electoral Act of 2022.
Howbeit, there are strong indications that the party is heading into the convention with unresolved crisis, even in some of its state chapters.
Allegedly, aspirants have refused to bow to the President’s order for a consensus and accept the nomination of the former Nassarawa State governor, Abdullahi Adamu.
Between Thursday and Friday, the aspirants reportedly held five meetings, but failed to agree.
The Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, also confirmed this on Friday night by claiming that the party has not decided on a consensus candidate for the post of the national chairman.
It was gathered that six aspirants – Senators Tanko Al-Makura, Goerge Akume, Sani Musa, Saliu Mustapha, Abdulaziz Yari and Muhammed Etsu – had agreed to support any of them except Adamu.
As at press time, it was not clear whether the dissenting aspirants had agreed to sign a pact to accept consensus or would still go ahead with their plan to allow delegates decide their fate.
If the aspirants did not succumb to the pressure, delegates at the convention may exercise their rights of electing the national officers of the party.
Political commentators have predicted that the convention is a make or mar for the ruling party as Nigerians watch as it unfolds.
