APC convention: Chairmanship ‘zoned to north’ as governors meet Buhari

Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, says the All Progressives Congress (APC) has agreed on a zoning arrangement for party offices ahead of the national convention.

El-Rufai spoke on Tuesday at a media briefing after a meeting of the progressive governors’ forum (PGF) with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja.

According to the Kaduna governor, in line with the agreed arrangement, positions earlier held by the north will now go to the south and vice versa.

Before the appointment of a caretaker committee chaired by Mai Mala Buni, Yobe governor, Adams Oshiomhole, a former governor of Edo from the south, was national chairman of the APC.

Buni took over the party after the national working committee (NWC) led by Oshiomhole was dissolved.

Speaking at the media briefing, el-Rufai said the arrangement is to ensure fairness.

“We have agreed to a zoning formula for all the six geo-political zones,” the governor said.

“Essentially, the northern zone will have the positions the south has had in the last eight years and vice versa. It is a very simple, equitable and fair formula.

“We will now go back and consult at the zonal level and look at the positions that are available and the process of the convention preparation we started in earnest.

“By the grace of God, on the 26th of March, we would have done our national convention.”

El-Rufai also said the APC governors were divided on the timing of the convention, but added that efforts are ongoing to ensure a resolution.

“Yes, we were divided. We were divided over the timing of the convention,” he said.

“There were some governors that felt that we should put off the convention until we resolve all the congress issues in some states.

“As you know, in some states, these matters are even in court. So, some governors held the view that we should wait until all these are resolved.

“And this is not borne out of any agenda or selfishness. It is just a realistic proposition to avoid us violating any laws or putting our party structures of elected candidates in danger.”

The governor, however, said they are all on the same page now.