Ndume: Position Of 19 Govs On APC CECPC Will Prevail

The ongoing crisis bedeviling the Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the All Progressives Party seem to have been quelled by crucial stakeholders after President Muhammadu Buhari warned against incendiary statements.

Wading into the matter, Ali Ndume, a senator representing Borno South has detailed the events which led to the alleged ouster of the Mai Mala Buni-led CECPC.

Ndume disclosed his stance on Monday during a live interview on AriseTV monitored by Ripples Nigeria.

According to Ndume, the actions of the 19 Governors, who are allegedly in support of the emergence of Niger State Governor, Sani Bello as the CECPC Chairman, will be eventually ratified for the betterment of the party.

Last week, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State noted that certain actions and inactions of Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni put the ruling party at risk because they were a hindrance to the plan to hold its convention on March 26.

El-Rufai also said 19 of the 23 governors elected on the ticket of the party were on same page on the mission to prevent the party from collapsing. He did not name the four governors that were not with them.

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Speaking during the interview, Ndume corroborated El-Rufai’s assertion saying, “When we have 19 people on one side, the voice of the majority will prevail and have its way. The President is the leader of our party and as I said, the 19 Governors seem not to prefer Buni and we cannot afford to go into the elections with a divided house. This issue will be resolved eventually with the inclusion of the other four Governors.”

However, he expressed worry about the internal wranglings within the ruling party but praised President Muhammadu Buhari for intervening before further degeneration.

Buhari, in a statement over the weekend, advised party leaders to remain steadfast and be united ”if the party is to continue in the path of victory and its dominance at all levels throughout the country.”

Ndume said, “What is happening in the APC is worrisome but this is not unusual due to political interests — the problem is that the interest of some individuals overrode the party but the President intervened.

“The statement made by President Buhari will get everyone into line for the betterment of the party. The President expects everyone to do the right thing but he stood up before the issues degenerate.

“Various persons have shown interest in the party leadership, and the party will vote by consensus, direct or indirect. The interested candidate depends on where the chairmanship is zoned to, but I am not sure whether it has been zoned to North Central. My best candidate is to have someone that cannot be manipulated, who is a leader and father to all in order to take decisions on what is better for the party.”

On the issue of zoning, the lawmaker reiterated the need for fairness by ensuring a Southern Presidency in 2023.

“In fairness, the South must present the next President and it is left to those zones to produce the candidates to run; everyone in APC is in support of zoning to the south with the specific southern region is dependent on the outcome of the national convention. I will go with the President’s preferred presidential candidate.”