APC Presidential Ticket: We Have Actually Zoned By Adeboye Adebayo

I have carefully read and analysed the statement released by the Chairman, South West Governors’ Forum; His Excellency Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu on his official Facebook Page and I have come to realise that truly, waters are being tested by some people at the level of the leadership of our great party, APC.

Few days back, when the National Chairman of our party, APC, Abdullahi Adamu was addressing the media after a visit to President Muhammodu Buhari alongside other chieftains of the party, he said the presidential ticket of our party is yet to be zoned and that gave a credence to the rumour that indeed some people are working seriously to satisfy a destructive selfish agenda.

A destructive agenda that is capable to destroy all the good efforts of the founding fathers of the APC on the altar of selfishness and self aggrandisement. APC under President Mohammodu Buhari with the support of our revered National leader; Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and few other patriotic leaders has endured a rigorous time, a trying period and very many disintegrating moments.

The party has surmounted the challenges of loyal and patriotic party members not being rewarded, for very many of them had shelved their agitations hoping for the best as long as the party remains in power. The party survived the confusing moments when a convention committee that was supposed to last only six months turned to be pretending as the National Working Committee, NWC and lasted two years or thereabout. Numerous party members struggled to benefit from their commitments and loyalty expecting rewards through appointments or business patronage, no way!

Some other loyal and patriotic party members tried to apply for loans at NIRSAL Microfinance Bank, Central Bank, SMEDAN and other business supporting agencies to either establish or sustain their business with good business plans but the selfishness of some party leaders who have had the opportunities to be appointed will not allow them, yet these numerous number of party members didn’t rock the both with the hope that reward will surely come if the party remains in power and our great party stays afloat above the stormy water of destruction and disintegration.

I wish to remind the leadership and numerous members of our great party, APC at all levels with high sense of humility and responsibility that they should cast their minds back a little bit, when the APC was formed. Because the presidential ticket had been zoned to the North to favour General Muhammodu Buhari then as the upcoming candidate of the party, Chief Bisi Akande automatically emerged as the pioneer Chairman of the party from the South.

To maintain the zoning arrangements, when Chief Bisi Akande left office as the Chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun assumed the office and when Chief John Oyegun left office, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole assumed the position of the National Chairman to maintain the zoning arrangements. After the removal of the Comrade Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, the resumption of the Yobe State Government, Mai Mala Buni at the National Secretariat of our party was in a capacity of Caretaker & Convention Committee Chairman which was supposed to last only six months and as far as APC is concerned, Buni led committee was never a National Working Committee, NWC of our party and Mai Mala Buni was never an APC National Chairman.

In the build up to the 2022 National Convention of the party, a statement was made by zoning committee at the time and it was affirmed by the Progressive Governors’ Forum and the Convention Committee, the statement agreed on the zoning formula which stipulated that all offices being occupied by the Northerners should go to Southerners and vice versa including Presidential ticket of our great party APC. The zoning arrangements made it possible for the incumbent Chairman of our party, Senator Adamu Abdullahi to emerge as the Chairman under a consensus arrangement of only a Northern affair as no Southerner contested during Party Chairmanship contest of our great party because of the existence of the zoning and that is why some eminently qualified leaders of our party from the north didn’t throw in their hats into the ring of presidential race. Some who were interested are now contesting for governor in their states.

So in the real sense of it, the All Progressives Congress, APC has actually zoned the presidential ticket of our great party to the South, if not Southwest and since no Southerner within the party contested the party National Chairmanship and it remained a complete Northern affairs and President Muhammodu Buhari is about to complete his eight years tenure as the President of Nigeria under the platform of APC, hence the Presidential Ticket contention of our party should be solely and completely a Southern affairs so as not to plunge the party into unnecessary crisis and avoidable destruction because of selfish agenda of the few. I believe our party cannot afford to disappoint its numerous hopeful members by satisfying the selfish agenda of some few elements and jeopardize the larger hope of Nigerians. Testing water with such selfish ideas at this critical time will not be good for history.

*_Adeboye Adebayo is a Chieftain of the All Progressive Congress, APC in Orile Agege, Lagos & National Director, Media & Publicity, Asiwaju Project Beyond 2023._*