There are strong indications that the All Progressives Congress (APC) may be heading for a crash as the leadership has now been split along ideological lines.
This followed decisions by the National Executive Committee (NEC) as regards the mode of the party’s primary elections.
The NEC had decided that: “primary elections into all elective offices shall be by the direct and indirect election or by consensus. The use of the direct and indirect primaries shall, however, depend on the peculiarity and need of a given State.
“The adopted mode shall now be applied to all categories of the party’s primary elections, i.e. state Assembly, Senate, House of Representatives and for the governorship elections”.
But many chieftains, elected officials and members of the party have cried foul.
According to them, subjecting some states and positions to indirect primaries was to enable certain persons to call the shot and determine who gets what.
However, President Muhammadu Buhari is believed to have, yesterday morning, read the riot act to party chieftains bent on stoking crisis in the APC over the use of direct primary in the selection of the party’s candidates for elections.
The president’s rebuke of those orchestrating the destabilization plot came as the APC, yesterday morning, warned those being used to stoke the crisis to step off warning that stern disciplinary action would be taken against them.
The group reportedly being egged on by a few governors with a two term southern governor in charge had scheduled to hold a meeting for Sunday afternoon at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
The principal aim of the meeting is to call for the dissolution of the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC).
The southern governor who is championing to have his son in law as his successor, according to sources, was mobilizing to truncate the party’s decision on the use of direct primary as it could jeopardize his succession agenda and also truncate the governor’s own plan of proceeding to the Senate.
Members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) who do not belong to the NWC, it was gathered, were those being mobilized to canvass for the dissolution of the Oshiomhole-led NWC.
“The president has stepped in and warned them to clear off,” a senior party source said, yesterday morning in response to the brewing crisis in the ruling party.
The president who is travelling in China was believed to have given the directive by phone to some of those pinpointed as being involved.
A number of governors are said to be unhappy over Oshiomhole’s insistence on the use of direct primary as they allege that it would jeopardize their efforts to plant their associates.
Governors who normally have the control of the party structures are able to through the delegates that are loyal to them able to foist their choices as candidates in elections.
A statement by APC National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, yesterday, confirmed that the NEC decisions have triggered internal crisis.
He said: “The attention of the National Working Committee (NWC) has been drawn to an illegal meeting scheduled to hold on Sunday (yesterday) at Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja by some members of our party organs, with a view to fault the decisions made by the NWC followed by the National Executive Committee (NEC) as regards the mode of the party’s primary elections.
“We want to state clearly that the meeting which has been fixed for 2pm is illegal and an attempt to puncture the sincere efforts being made by the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole-led NWC to reposition our party ahead the 2019 General Elections and to ensure unity, equity and justice in the party.
“The outcome of such meeting which is already known will be a nullity and we admonish our members to disregard such meetings in the interest of the party. It is illegal to call such meetings outside the purview of the constituted authority.
“The identities of those plotting such meetings have been identified and unless they desist from such they will be dealt with in line with the party’s Constitution at the appropriate time.
“The NWC will resist any attempt to disrupt the current peace and harmony prevailing in our great party after the exit of some members of our party.
“We urge any member who is not satisfied with the decisions of the party to utillize channels provided by the party’s constitution to air their views.
“We remain focused in delivering good governance to Nigerians and above all ensuring the victory for our party come 2019, and we will not be intimidated by the antics of a few in ensuring success for our party”.
Meanwhile the National Working Committee of the APC has reviewed the nomination forms upward to the tune of N55million. While the Presidential Nomination form goes for N50million, the Expression of Interest Form costs N5million.
Also reviewed upward are the cost of nomination forms for the governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives and state House of Assembly forms.
When contacted, a governorship aspirant in Ogun State, Senator Adegbenga Kaka, urged the NWC of the APC to review downward the fee payable for the governorship nomination form.
He noted that as a progressive political party, the elective positions should not be for politicians with deep pockets.
He said, “As a progressive party, the APC should not deprive those who have something meaningful to contribute to the party and the society at large.”
A House of Representatives aspirant in Osun State, Hon Olalekan Badmus, described the nomination fee as too expensive.
He said he was confident that the party would review it downward.
Badmus said, “It is outrageous when compared to the PDP’s fees for the House of Representative which is N1.5million. The PDP did that with the intention of encouraging the younger politicians.”
The APC’s National Working Committee had proposed N55million as the cost of the nomination and expression of interest forms for the office of President, which is way higher than the N12million being charged by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.
Those seeking the party’s nod to contest the state houses of assembly elections are asked to be prepared to part with N1.1million as against PDP’s N600,000, while for the House of Representatives, APC aspirants should are asked to pay N3.8million. The PDP is asking its aspirants to pay 1.5million to contest the tickets.
For the Senate, APC aspirants will pay N8.5million as against the N3.5million the PDP is asking from its aspirants for the same position.
Governorship aspirants of the ruling party are asked to pay N22.5million each to contest the ticket as against the N6million to be paid by their counterparts in the PDP.