By Akombo Aondona, Abuja
At long last all is set for the thrice-postponed National Convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to hold at the Eagle Square Abuja today, Saturday 26 March 2022.
However, that the only sure nugget The Dream Daily Newspaper can provide about the event.
Of the weightier matter of who clinches what position, especially on the national executives expected to be elected at the convention – the party’s zonal offices are also up for grabs at the same event – The Dream Daily Newspaper can only report that it is getting curiouser and curiouser by the second, with the heaves and ebbs of alignment and realignment, agreement and disagreement, etc dogging the process of reaching consensus on what have been termed “the unity list” of candidates to fill all positions available for contestation at the convention.
Purported to be the idea of President Muhammadu Buhari as the “leader” of the party, sources told The Dream Daily Newspaper that “the unity list”, which has a strew of confusing, mutant versions depending on who you speak with in the obviously factionalised APC, is supposed to have the President’s preferred National Chairman candidate, Senator Adamu Abdullahi, in that position – conceded, according to APC sources, to the President by all factions in the party.
The rest of “the unity list”, stated our sources, was drawn up by the APC governors.
However, that is where our sources appeared to have stopped in agreement on the matter.
While it seems that Senator Adamu Abdullahi is the candidate to beat for the chairmanship post, it appears not to be plain sailing for the former governor as The Dream Daily Newspaper also spotted other “unity” lists which left Adamu out of the sharing equation and also rearranged names purported to have been agreed for other positions by the APC governors and other “power centres” in the party.
It will simply be unwieldy to publish all the “unity” lists The Dream Daily Newspaper saw flying around all night long as that might lend credence to fake news and false flag operations being obviously deployed by all interested blocs in the APC to buoy their positions in the actual contested expected to last all day and through Sunday night at the Eagle Square, Abuja.
What seems apparent about the “unity” lists, however, is that the power blocs in the APC are all angling to fix their loyalists in the national exco with a longer eye on the 2023 General Elections, particularly to secured the ruling party’s tickets in that highly anticipated elections.
It is no brainer that the biggest prize in this complex, interesting and intriguing contest is the presidential ticket of the APC. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi and even ‘outsider’ or a dark horse like the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, are some of the known names impinging on the mutating “unity” lists making the round in the nation’s capital city since the weekend.
It is therefore obvious that the much-loved consensus arraignment of President Buhari is currently being buffeted by several stubborn storms from many sides of the APC factions seeking for dominance at this convention.
This situation is as exasperating for the delegates who have since flooded Abuja, booking up all hotels, etc in the nation’s capital, as it is for media and political analysts as well as other stakeholders, including foreign observers, following the development closely.
However, what seems to be the preferred position of the observers who have no dog in this fight is to see a real contest at the Eagle Square where all candidates slug it out in a democratic, free and fair voting process.
Meanwhile, a crew of seasoned journalists from The Dream Daily Newspaper accredited last night by the APC National Convention Media and Publicity Sub-committee – supervised in person by the Special Assistant (Media) to the President, Malam Garba Shehu – is currently at the convention ground to bring you a rolling coverage of the event here on our website as well as via our social media handles: @_thedreamdaily and on Facebook at thedreamdailyng. Therefore, please stay with The Dream Daily Newspaper for the best coverage of the 2022 APC National Convention.
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