APC: Battle for governorship tickets hots up

The All Progressives Congress (APC) will hold its governorship primaries across the 36 states tomorrow. Correspondent UJA EMMANUEL (Makurdi), JOSEPH OKWUOFU (Ibadan), BISI OLANIYI (Port Harcourt), ADEKUNLE JIMOH (Kwara), BOLAJI OGUNDELE (Asaba), LEKE SALAUDEEN (Lagos), OGO ANIOKE (Abakaliki), ABDULGAFAR ALA (Kaduna), NICHOLAS KALU (Calabar) and OKODILI NDIDI (Owerri) write on the preparations for the exercise.

Three candidates are in the governorship race in Lagos State. Apart from Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, others are former Commissioner for Establishment, training and Pensions Mr. Jide Sanwo-Olu and former Works Commissioner Dr. Obafemi Hamzat.

The flagbearer will emerge through open ballot (known as Option A4), the party spokesman, Mr Joe Igbokwe, said.

Igbokwe said the primary will hold in 245 wards. He said during the exercise, members would queue behind the photograph of aspirant of their choice; counting would be done openly and the result would be announced in the presence of members present.

The party spokesman said the open ballot system is transparent and less expensive compared to indirect primary where aspirants would have to accommodate and bribe delegates. He said every card- carrying member of the APC will decide who will be the party’s flag bearer in next year’s governorship election.

Benue

The defection of Governor Samuel Ortom from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) provided an opportunity for more aspirants to join the race for the occupation of Government House Makurdi come 2019. In all, there are five aspirants on the APC platform. There are: Mr. Asema Achado, Chief Titus Zam, Mr. Benjamin Adanyi, Chief Akange Audu and Mr. Emmanuel Jime.

Achado is a multi-billionaire consultant architect with business interest in hotels, schools and tourism sector.

Zam is the immediate past Special Adviser to the governor on Local Government are Chieftaincy Affairs. He was sacked after Ortom fall out with Senator George Akume. Zam hails from Gwer West Local Government. He was a one-time chairman of the council.

Adanyi was first a minority leader during the era of former Governor Gabriel Suswam and later in 2015 when the APC captured the state he was elected the majority leader. He remained in control until the crisis which divided the Benue State House of Assembly.

Audu is a retired permanent secretary and an in-law to Governor Samuel Ortom. He contested the APC governorship primary in 2015 and lost to Ortom. He hails from Apir, in Makurdi Local Government and his wife is the present chairman of Makurdi Local Government.

Jime was a Speaker of the Benue House of Assembly before he was elected into the House of Representatives to represent Makurdi-Guma Federal Constituency. He contested in the APC governorship primary in 2015, but lost narrowly to Ortom.

Oyo

There are eight contenders for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket. They are: Mr. Joseph Tegbe, Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), Chief Bayo Adelabu, Dr. Owolabi Babalola, former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, Dr. Ayandele Olusola, and Dr. Azeez Adeduntan.

What are their strengths and weaknesses?

Born on June 3, 1950, Alao-Akala retired from the Nigeria Police as Assistant Commissioner of Police.

He started his political career 24 years ago. Alao-Akala served at various positions at the grassroots before he emerged as the Deputy Governor from May 2003 to January 2006 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He became governor in 2006, following the impeachment of his principal, Rashidi Ladoja. He contested the 2007 governorship and won. He remained governor till May 2011, when he lost the governorship election to the incumbent Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

Tegbe is a partner and head of the technology advisory practice of KPMG in Nigeria. He holds a first class honors from the Obafemi Awolowo and a known technocrat.

By every parameter, Akintola is a notable and highly successful legal practitioner of Ibadan origin. Specially, he is from  Ido Local Government.  His voyage into politics started far back when he was a young lawyer. How he was made the Deputy Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly during the aborted Third Republic by the late strongman of Ibadan politics was instructive. Shortly that brief stay in politics, he took a break that lasted for 19 years before his recent expression of ambition to contest the number seat in the state.

Adelabu was born to Aderibigbe Adelabu of Oke-Oluokun compound, Kudeti Area in Ibadan. His grandfather is the famous Adegoke Adelabu, popularly known as Penkelemess.

Adelabu received a First Class Degree in Accounting from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. Before his resignation, Adelabu was on secondment to the Central Bank of Nigeria for one year in 1999 when he led the finance team on the CBN re- engineering and corporate renewal project tagged “Project Eagles”.

The Ibarapa-born technocrat is the Project Director and Director at Integrated Energy Distribution And Marketing Limited. He is among the serious contenders for the seat; being among the early aspirants to pay the N22.5 million party nomination fees.

He enjoys the support of the people of his zone with large followership. But, he needs to work hard to win the support of other zones, especially party leaders, if he desires to win the elusive party ticket.

The Ibadan-born medical doctor-cum politician was trained by late Ibadan politician, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu.

He is a politician with a deep sense of history and deep-rooted intellectual capacity. He served as Commissioner for Health twice in the administration of former Governor Alao-Akala.

Many party leaders see him as someone who will not be submissive. So, it may be difficult woo them to his side.

Dr. Adeduntan is a vascular surgery doctor. He received his medical degree from Obafemi Awolowo, College of Health Sciences, Ogun State University and has been in practice for more than 20 years.

Twice, he attempted to contest the governorship seat before joining the ruling APC. He is relying on the structure of the incumbent Governor Ajimobi to win the party ticket.

Imo

The Imo APC is working round the clock to avoid any form of internal crisis that may result from the primary. To this extent, the leader of the party, Governor Rochas Okorocha and other stakeholders have been holding talks with the aspirants with the intention of pruning down the number ahead the primary.

Political gladiators and aspirants have been forging alliances and wooing forces within the party to ensure that they carry the day. Those contesting the party’s governorship ticket include, former Chief of Staff to the State Governor, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu; former Secretary to the State Government, George Eche; Senator Hope Uzodinma; former Deputy Governor, Eze Madumere; Mr. Chucks Ololo; and Sir Jude Ejiogu.

But, Nwosu has been tipped as the aspirant that will likely clinch the party’s ticket ahead of the party primaries, having the uppermost control of the APC delegates.

Another factor that gave the youthful former Chief of Staff the edge over other aspirants is the unflinching backing of the governor who has endorsed him several times as his preferred successor. Aside from the governor’s support, Nwosu has firm control of the structure of the party in the state, being instrumental in the victory of the APC faction that was inaugurated after the contentious party primary.

Ebonyi

Nine chieftains picked the governorship nomination forms in Ebonyi State for next year’s general election.

They include: Vice Chairman Senate Committee on Appropriation and Senator representing Ebonyi South Senatorial zone, Sonni Ogbuorji; former Secretary to the State Government, Professor Bernard Odoh; and the 2015 Labour Party governorship candidate, Chief Edward Nkwegu. Others are: former Chairman of the state Universal Basic Education Board, Chief Austin Igwe Edeze who hails from Izzi Local Government; and Senator Emmanuel Agboti, a one-term Senator from Ebonyi South. The remaining ones are: Kelechi Chima, Ogbonnaya Obasi, Christian Chukwu, and former Commissioner for Works and Environment Dr. Paul Okorie.

Six of the aspirants – Ogbuoji (Afikpo South), Agboti (Afikpo North) Chima, Obasi, Chukwu and Okorie (Ohaozara) – are from Ebonyi South where incumbent Governor David Umahi of the People’s Democratic Party hails from. Two aspirants, Edeze and Nkwegu are from Ebonyi North, while Prof Odoh is from Ebonyi Central.

Rivers

It is difficult to predict who the eventual winner of September 29 governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State will be, among the four highly-influential and very-experienced contenders: Pastor Tonye Cole, Dr. Dawari George, Senator Magnus Abe and Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, in view of the intrigues and power-play.

Cole, the billionaire businessman and co-founder of Sahara Group, was on August 30 in Lagos endorsed as the governorship aspirant of Rivers APC for the 2019 election by the state’s stakeholders of the party, during the apex leadership caucus meeting, which was attended by most of the governorship aspirants and presided over by Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, before he travelled to China, as part of Federal Government’s delegation.

Cole, an architect, hails from Abonnema-Kalabari, the headquarters of Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers and he is a major financier of APC, both in Rivers state and nationally.

George, a former member of the House of Representatives, who is an indigene of Buguma-Kalabari, the headquarters of Asari-Toru LGA of Rivers, was earlier appointed by Amaechi as the state’s Commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources.

Abe, who hails from Bera-Ogoni in Gokana Local Government, was a governorship aspirant in 2015, but he lost the ticket to Dr. Dakuku Peterside.

Lulu-Briggs also hails from Abonnema-Kalabari, with his governorship jingles always on local radio stations in Port Harcourt, without letting reporters know about his ambition and what he intended to do differently, if he emerged victorious.

A renowned environmental and human rights activist, AkpoBari Celestine, an Ogoni man, who earlier showed interest in the governorship race, in a telephone interview on September 24 this year, disclosed that he later decided not to pick the expression of interest and nomination forms, while also refusing to proceed to Abuja for the screening, as a loyal party man, while respecting the decision of the stakeholders of APC on Cole.

The major issue that will determine the eventual winner of the governorship ticket in the multi-ethnic Rivers state is the upland/riverine dichotomy.

Kaduna

In Kaduna State, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)’s gubernatorial primary is already concluded even before the scheduled date. The incumbemt Governor, Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai is the party’s sole aspirant.

Although, there was a young party member, Falal Jalal who had earlier indicated interest in contesting for the guber primary, but he later dropped his ambition. However, analysts had described Jalal as a joker, who was sponsored by one of the Senators in the state.

Jalal who addressed a press conference to announce his withdrawal from the race alleged planned electoral malpractices in favour of Governor El-Rufai, a reason he advanced for his withdrawal. But analysts had from onset predicted that, he was not going to pick nomination form, as his suspected paymaster was not ready to waste N22million on the young chap.

However, even as Governor El-Rufai is emerging as the party’s flagbearer, he has a fierce battle ahead of him 2019. The APC has a big task to explain that its policies, most of which the oppositions are using against it, were actually in the best interest of the citizens.

Delta

Delta State APC is divided into two factions, with both groups laying claim to being the authentic one. As at today, there is the Olorogun O’tega Emerhor/Chief Hyacinth Enuha faction, which identifies itself as the mainstream Delta APC and there is the Senator Ovie Omo-Agege/Chief Great Ogboru faction, which draws its life from the muzzling support it gets from the National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

The Omo-Agege/Ogboru camp clearly has just one person it pushes as sole aspirant, while the Emerhor side has a lot of aspirants, mostly from Delta North District. The only alternative in the Omo-Agege group, being the international rights and environmental activist, Comrade Sunny Ofehe, has reportedly rested his ambition for Chief Ogboru.

The Emerhor group believes the most expedient way to snatch the state from the PDP is to field a strong candidate from the home base of the incumbent governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa.

In the other faction, however, there are at least three aspirants who from the Delta North District. The former Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon Victor Ochei; a former House of Representatives member and former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, under Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff reign, Dr Cairo Ojougboh; and the renowned Economist, Professor Patrick Utomi.

Kwara

Thirteen persons picked nomination and intent forms, but only 12 of them will participate in the primary, as one aspirant failed to complete the process.

The aspirants include Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN), Abdulrahman Abdulrazak, Abdulfatai Yahaya Gambari, Lukman Mustapha, Moshood Mustapha and Shuaib Yamman. Others are Saliu Mustapha, Yakubu Gobir, Prof Shuaib Abdulraheem, Akeem Lawal, Kayode Abdulwahab and Tajudeen Audu.

Many of the aspirants have urged the party to resist the temptation of imposing candidates on Kwarans in all the primaries, canvassing for people’s candidates at all levels.

Interestingly, 10 out of the 12 aspirants hail from the Kwara Central, while one is from the Kwara North senatorial district. He is Alhaji Shuaib Yaman. The North is the one district that has not produced the state governor since the beginning of this current democracy.

Cross River

In Cross River State, the APC adopted the direct primary to elect candidates that would represent the party for various elective positions in the elections next year.

The aspirants include: Chief Edem Duke, Prof Eyo Etim Nyong, Pastor Usani Usani, Senator John Owan-Enoh and Mr John Upan Odey.

With Dr Mathew Achigbe as the new chairman of the party, it appears they are set for the governorship primary elections which is expected to hold on September 29.

However, there appears to be a problem, which it seems may plunge the party into another round of crisis if not properly managed, and this is the argument over the zoning of the governorship position of the state.

For some members of the party, the governorship position has been zoned to the northern senatorial district of the state, while for others it is an open contest for anyone who is qualified and willing to run from any part of the state.

Proponents of the zoning arrangement in the APC argue that Donald Duke from the southern district served for eight years from 1999 to 2007, while Liyel Imoke from the central district took over until 2015. Present Governor, Prof Ben Ayade, who took over in 2015, is from the northern district and is still on his first term.

Though these three ran on the platform of the Peoples Democratic party (PDP), the APC members in support of this arrangement, feel power still has to be retained in the North for equity.

Those against this argument, insist there was never such agreement at any time. They argued that Duke and Imoke never had power handed over to them based on any zoning arrangement, as people from other districts contested against them, but that they fought for it.

This situation has created a sharp division within the party. In fact some stakeholders of the APC have threatened to vote massively for the opposition PDP in next year’s if someone from the northern district does not emerge as the candidate of the party at the primaries.

This presents a rather awkward situation as one of the five aspirants, John Upan Odey, is from the north. Duke and Nyong are from the south, while Usani and Owan-Enoh are from the central.

The APC stakeholders who spoke through a group, the Cross River North Solidarity Forum (CRNSF), said they would vote against their party if someone from the north does not get the ticket.

In a statement issued in Calabar by the group’s spokesman, Joseph Ogah, they said that the President Muhammadu Buhari led government has not been fair to members of the party from the zone in terms of appointment and will resist any move by “corrupt people who just defected to the party to hijack the ticket from the north.”

The group said that if the APC does not want people from the northern senatorial district of the state in the party, they would not hesitate to seek their political fortune elsewhere where every zone will be treated equally.

Also members of the party from the Northern Senatorial District of the state have threatened to boycott party activities ahead of 2019 if zoning is not respected.