SGF position can’t stop North-Central from producing National Chairman – APC Forum

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The North-Central chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has asserted that holding the office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) does not disqualify the region from also producing the party’s National Chairman.

This position was outlined in a statement released on Saturday in Abuja by the Forum’s Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga. The statement responded to suggestions that the North-Central should relinquish the SGF role if it intends to secure the National Chairmanship of the APC.

Currently, the SGF, Senator George Akume, hails from Benue State in the North-Central region. With Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje’s recent resignation as APC National Chairman, voices within the region are pushing for the chairmanship slot to return to them.

Reaffirming their stance, the Forum maintained that the North-Central is entitled to produce the party’s National Chairman in accordance with the APC’s existing zoning principles, and rejected claims that the region cannot occupy both positions simultaneously.

“The North-Central deserves to produce the SGF and APC National Chairman due to the region’s contributions to the party. The North-Central gave President Bola Tinubu and the APC the third highest number of votes in the 2023 presidential poll – behind the South-West and North-West,” the statement noted.

Tinubu received 1,760,993 votes (41.3%) in the North-Central in 2023. Peter Obi of the Labour Party got 1,415,557 votes (33.2%) while Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party received 1,025,178 votes (24.1%) in the region.

“Among the various geopolitical zones, the North-Central has the highest number of APC governors. APC controls five of the six North-Central states – Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa and Niger. This unmatched record demonstrates the strength and the wide acceptance of the party in the region.

“Returning the position of National Chairman to the North-Central, in accordance with the zoning arrangement of the APC, is not a favour, rather it is well deserved. The North-Central deserves to produce both the SGF and APC National Chairman. Holding the position of SGF cannot stop the North-Central from producing the National Chairman,” the statement said.

The Forum, in the same vein, faulted calls that the position of APC National Chairman should be reserved for Christians from the North-Central.

Warning those behind the calls to have a rethink, the APC Forum stressed that the North-Central is a secular region.

“The politicians who are bringing up the issue of religion are doing so because of their selfish interests. We hereby warn them to have a rethink. The North-Central has historically been a secular region and we will not allow self-serving individuals to use religion to divide our people,” the statement added.

The Forum alleged that the particular politicians pushing the religious agenda did not support Tinubu and the APC during the 2023 presidential election.

“We know that these are the same people who worked for Labour Party candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, in the last election. They did not support President Bola Tinubu, rather they delivered their polling units to the Labour Party,” the Forum said while urging Tinubu to ignore calls that religion should be considered in selecting the next APC National Chairman.

Instead of considering religion, the North-Central APC Forum urged Tinubu to consider track records in making appointments.

“Only individuals with proven track records should be considered for appointment into any position, that is the only way to maintain the growth, progress and dominance of the APC. Any other consideration, including religion, should be jettisoned.

“Our endorsement of Alhaji Tanko Al-Makura for the position of National Chairman is based on his track records – as a loyal, committed party man and a political office holder who had served as a governor and a senator.

“We believe that the party, and the country in general, will be better if track record is considered when appointments are made,” the statement said.

Reaffirming its support for Al-Makura to become the National Chairman of the APC, the Forum emphasized that he hails from the North-Central region, specifically Nasarawa State—the same state as the recently ousted former chairman, Abdullahi Adamu.

The Forum also highlighted that Al-Makura represents the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) faction, one of the three founding parties that came together to create the APC. It pointed out that, unlike the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), the CPC bloc has yet to occupy the position of APC National Chairman.

The statement added, “Senator Tanko Al-Makura was a two-term governor whose clout and experience are pluses and both former and sitting governors will see him as one of their own.

“He was a former Senator who will be seen as part and parcel of the legislature. He was among the chairmanship aspirants who accepted without grudges the consensus option that threw up Abdullahi Adamu as National Chairman during the APC National Convention in 2022. His loyalty to APC and Mr. President is not in doubt.

“He has discharged critical party assignments in the country that gave him first hand ideas and intrinsic knowledge of the party nationally.”

The party assignments include Chairman, Ekiti State APC Primary Election Committee that produced former Governor Kayode Fayemi in 2018. Al-Makura also served as the Chairman of the North-East Zone Reconciliation Committee in 2018, and equally as a member of the Baba Bisi Akande APC Reconciliation Committee in 2020.

“He has a very rich experience and knowledge of political activities as he was Youth Leader (Plateau State) in National Party of Nigeria (NPN)  – 1979; State Secretary (Plateau State) in National Republican Convention– 1989; founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – 1999; Governor on the platform of the CPC – 2011; pioneer member and signatory to the merger that found APC – 2013 and APC Senator – 2019,” the statement added.

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