The Caretaker Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in
Lagos State, Mr Tunde Balogun, has disclosed that the founding fathers of the
party had an agreement in 2014 that the South-West geopolitical zone will
produce the party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 election.
He said it would be “dishonourable” for the party to
jettison the agreement now, adding that the President, Muhammadu
Buhari, the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and many
other persons made the “gentleman’s agreement”.
There have been insinuations among some party members and
chieftains that the resolutions of the National Executive Committee meeting,
presided over by Buhari on Tuesday, was a ploy by some party chieftains to
hijack the control of the party for personal interest, including scheming
towards 2023.
The NEC approved the extension of the six-month tenure of the Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee for another six months. It also approved the immediate dissolution of the party organs at the polling units, wards, local government, states and zonal levels as well as the non National Working Committee component of the National Executive Committee.
It thereafter approved their immediate reconstitution and
composition of the dissolved excos to serve in their respective offices in a
caretaker committee capacity, excluding the non-NWC members of NEC.
But speaking with our correspondent on Saturday, Balogun
said, “In 2014, the founding fathers of APC had a gentleman’s agreement and
they committed themselves to the agreement. The party was victorious because
they honoured the agreement they made and everyone worked together for the
party in 2015 and 2019.
“According to the 2014 agreement, the South-West should be
the zone to produce the presidential candidate in 2023. Among them (those
present) were President Buhari and Asiwaju Tinubu.
“What I want is for this agreement to be honoured by the
founding fathers. I have no doubt in my mind that they are men of honour. An
agreement was reached and that agreement produced Buhari as the President in
2015 and 2019, so to jettison the agreement now will be dishonourable.
“Like I said, they are men of honour and I hope they will
honour the agreement. They know what I’m talking about. Anything different from
following the agreement is like shifting the goalpost.”
When asked the other parties to the agreement, Balogun
declined. Asked if he also believed that the NEC resolutions were aimed at
thwarting the 2014 agreement, he maintained that doing anything contrary to the
agreement “is like shifting the goal post”.
Some party members have also argued that part of motives of
the resolutions was to frustrate the rumoured presidential ambition of Tinubu,
Balogun maintained, “That agreement should be honoured, anything contrary is
like shifting the goal post.
“There are a lot of people who have personal agenda, pushing
through all these caretaker idea and the dissolution of structures looks
unconstitutional to me. Caretaker is alien to APC constitution but that is what
obtains now. However, as a loyal member of the party, I don’t want to go
against the party.
“People, because of their personal agenda and aspirations,
are trying to destroy our party and make it unstable. That should not happen.
Our party’s interest should not be sacrificed on the altar of personal
aspiration or ambition of any individual.
“There is nothing wrong with leaders like Asiwaju (being
supported). He’s one of the greatest leaders we have in Africa; he has
charisma, character and he’s a man of his people. If he wants to aspire, it’s
his constitutional right to aspire to any position in the land.”
Balogun’s revelation came as a fresh twist to the raging
debate over where the ruling party would zone the presidential ticket to ahead
of the 2023 election.
Former Lagos State Governor and Minister of Works and Housing,
Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN), had also told journalists on November 24 that the
APC had a gentleman’s agreement that should be honoured.
Even though the party’s deputy spokesperson, Yekini Nabena,
had previously told The PUNCH that the party was currently not concerned about
the zoning of the presidency in 2023, some party chieftains, including a
foundation member of the party from Bauchi State, Abdullahi Dauda and APC
Chairman in Zamfara State, Alhaji Lawal Liman, noted that there was a zoning
agreement in principle.
Meanwhile, some top APC members believed to be loyal to
Tinubu, have also faulted some of the resolutions of the NEC, saying it was a
ploy to frustrate Tinubu’s perceived presidential ambition. Even though Tinubu
has yet to declare his intention to run, insinuations are rife that he might
contest the party’s ticket for the election.
Spokesperson for aggrieved members of the APC, under the
aegis of Concerned APC members, Abdullahi Dauda, described the dissolution of
elected party executives as illegal, noting that it was a ploy to influence the
party’s candidates in 2023 general elections.
He said, “This illegal dissolution of elected executives at
all levels points to one thing and one thing alone, which is to give state
governors who want to be the only power bloc in the party, a free reign.
“They want to control everything and decide who becomes what
in 2023, nothing else. This party was founded on a principle of justice and
fairness; the APC and the north alone will not have succeeded in producing
President Muhammadu Buhari without the support of the South West, especially
party leaders like Tinubu.
“If anybody said this was not targeted at Tinubu, why did
the NEC hold without the usual caucus meeting? Those who planned this whole
thing knew that if a caucus meeting was held with people like Chief Bisi Akande
and Tinubu himself attending, some of the decisions they took would not have
been taken.
Also, Senator Abdul-Aziz Nyako from Adamawa State described
the action as a “bit too hasty”, as he asked Tinubu not to lose hope.
He said, “Perhaps, they did it a bit too early. It is very
important for the APC to retain a pool of its veteran and grass root
politicians. It is important that some important members of the party be
retained to be in charge of the party organ.
“Asiwaju is not a small person in Nigerian politics. As
someone whose intention is to run for the presidency is not hidden, he should
not sulk over the dissolution of party structure. All hope is not lost for him
but he has to design another strategy. He should keep his eyes on the
congresses and launch deeper into the states.”
The National Coordinator of Tinubu 2023 Non-Negotiable,
Mutiu Kunle Okunola, said it was understandable that some people felt
uncomfortable with the recent developments in the party. He however said the
group was more focused on mobilising for grass roots support.
In Osun State, a chieftain of the party, Mr Kolapo Alimi,
said those opposed to Tinubu’s ambition had yet to present an alternative. He
stated, “Whoever wants to provide alternative to Asiwaju, let them provide it.
Up till this moment, we have not seen any other person. I ask those oppose to
him, if you don’t want Asiwaju, who is the person you are clamouring for?”
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