By Emmanuel Mogbede
The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Youth Leaders Aspirants’ Forum has adopted Malam Saliu Mustapha, one of the national chairmanship aspirants as consensus candidate for the position.
A communique issued by leader of the forum, Malam Umar Lauya, said that the decision to adopt Mustapha was taking at the end of its meeting having seen him as a long-time party loyalist.
According to the communique, this is sequel to a series of meetings and consultations among various stakeholders and a significant proportion of electorates, and having keenly observed the ongoing political calculations within APC.
“We are using this medium to inform the world in every strongest term possible that the youth of the party have adopted Malam Saliu Mustapha as our consensus candidate for the forthcoming national convention.
“Right from his days in the All Peoples’ Party, All Nigerian Peoples’ Party and Congress for Progressives Congress and now the APC. We see him as a long-time party loyalist.
“The meeting also inferred that we need someone who is very strong to handle the affairs of the party and resolve the pending crisis within a short time before 2023 general elections.
“The meeting also concluded that the collective interest of the party in general is superior to any personal or group interest in this critical time,” the communique said.
It said the meeting also resolved that no meaningful development could come to the party by delaying the process technically by some few individuals.
The communiqué, therefore, advised the relevant APC authorities to consider Mustapha as a neutral person that could resolve and end the pending party crisis across the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that aspirants in the race to contest the APC top position include former governors and senators.
From the North East, Sen. Ali-Modu Sheriff, a two-term former governor of Borno who has been trailing others in proactive agenda setting, Danjuma Goje also a former governor of Gombe and Mr Sylvester Monidafe.
Also, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, a former governor of Zamfara and former Chairman, Nigeria Governors Forum is in the race.
From the North Central – a former Deputy National Chairman, defunct Congress for Progressive Change, Malam Saliu Mustapha, a former governor of Nasarawa State, Sen. Tanko Al Makura, Sen. Mohammed Sani-Musa and the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Dr George Akume.
The APC National Convention has been slated for Feb. 26, to elect new national executives to manage the party’s affairs presently being managed by Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee.
The committee was inaugurated on June 25, 2020, to among other things, reconcile aggrieved members of the party and conduct a national convention to usher in a new set of National Working Committee members (NAN)
