By Sylvanus Isa
There are fears of an imminent implosion in the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the party inches closer to its presidential primary election scheduled to hold on June 6 through 8, 2022.
Many party leaders who are opposed to the presidential aspiration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu are pointing the finger at his desperation to emerge as the party’s standard bearer.
This is in spite of the opposition by President Muhammadu Buhari, to his presidential enterprise.
THE CONCLAVE had reported that Tinubu had told Yourba leaders in Akure at a meeting early this year that the President was not supporting him.
Tinubu had told the leaders at the meeting including Pa Reuben Fasoranti, Chief Olu Falae and Basorun Seinde Arogbofa that he was going to contest for the presidency in any case.
Just two days to the nomination process and with President Buhari’s indication that he has a successor-in-waiting whom he had anointed, Tinubu has lost his equanimity, appearing ready to fight dirty as demonstrated in Abeokuta on Thursday.
Tinubu had taken a dig at President Buhari, narrating rather sarcastically how having been thoroughly beaten in three previous presidential contests and his consequent cry on National Television, he had gone to him to assure him that he (Tinubu) would support him to become president in 2015.
Tinubu expected that Buhari should look in his direction, but has become disappointed and angry that the president is looking in another direction.
At the Abeokuta meeting with delegates where he made snide remarks about Governor Dapo Abiodun, referring to him in the Yoruba language as “eleyi”, meaning “this one” for openly supporting the presidential aspiration of Vice-president Yemi Osinbajo, an indigene of Ikenne in Ogun State, Tinubu had attempted to equate his rejection by Buhari as rejection of the Yoruba nation.
There were feelers on Thursday that the APC leadership and the Presidency were alarmed at the Tinubu’s outright attacks on the President.
They feared, as learnt, that the Lagos State former governor was ready for a fight that could blow up the party.
THE CONCLAVE reports that security agencies and other relevant agencies have begun to analyse the development and how to nip the potential political threat in the bud.
There are reports already doing the rounds that the APC Screening Committee may be deployed in disqualifying Tinubu on account of the petition against him that was submitted to it by a party member- Sagir Iyali.
Although, it could not be confirmed if the John Oyegun Screening Committee took on Tinubu on the petition when he appeared before it, the Committee is in receipt of the petition.
The Committee may resort to considering the petition against Tinubu in the light of the unfolding development with a view to taking a potential bull out of the China shop.
Although media reports said the tension in the APC was largely precipitated by the delay in submitting and announcing the report of the screening of the 23 presidential aspirants, THE CONCLAVE reports that it is part of the complexities in the APC that the leadership is contending with prelude to the party’s presidential primary election to choose the standard bearer.
For instance, Daily Trust reports that the committee received a petition against the party’s national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The petition was from one Sagir Mai Iyali, who claimed to be a member of the APC from Kano State.
He asked the panel to disqualify the former Lagos State governor over alleged false documents he purportedly presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) previously.
Contacted on Thursday, the screening committee’s Chairman, Chief John Odigi-Oyegun told Daily Trust that they were still working on their report, assuring the news medium that the public would be carried along when it was ready.
When asked via phone when the report of the committee would be ready, Oyegun said “I don’t know yet; we haven’t finished it. We are still working on it.”
The party had fixed its presidential primary for June 6, 7 and 8. Twice, the exercise had been postponed by the ruling party.
There were reports that the June 3rd deadline fixed for the conduct of parties’ primaries was extended by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enable the ruling party to conduct its presidential primary.
● No cause for alarm – Lawan, Yarima, Okorocha
Meanwhile, a cross-section of the APC presidential aspirants interviewed on Thursday said there was no cause for tension over the delay in the submission of the screening report despite the lone petition against Tinubu.
One of the leaders of the camp of the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said the committee needed enough time to work on the report.
“Everything is going as planned by the party. The committee should be allowed to conclude its report and submit it to the party for necessary action,” he said.
On his part, a former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha said there was no cause for alarm about the delay in the completion of the Oyegun panel’s report.
In a phone interview, he said: “It is okay, the report will be out eventually, I don’t foresee any problem because of the caliber of the committee’s members. They are people of timber and caliber. They are not new in politics and elections. There is no cause for alarm.”
Another aspirant, a former Governor of Zamfara State, Senator Ahmed Sani Yarima, said “It’s a party matter; they are in the right direction, they are taking their time to ensure that there are no mistakes. There is still time, the convention is on Monday and the results can be released on Saturday. I have confidence in the committee.”
(Source: With additional reports from Daily Trust)
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