From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Posters of former Zamfara State Governor Dr Abdul-Aziz Yari Abubakar showing his intent to contest the vacant position of All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman have flooded the national Secretariat of the ruling party in Abuja.
Boldly captioned “Yari is the Answer, APC National Chairman”, the election posters have been strategically and conspicuously posted on the secretariat fence along the Blantyre street in Wuse, Abuja.
While one of the posters featured a picture of Abubakar with his apparent sponsor, one Suleiman Liba, the other posters featured President Muhammadu Buhari.
Liba, who identified himself as Special Assistant on Media to Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, is purportedly behind the posters.
The former Zamfara governor formally indicated his interest to contest for the vacant party leadership seat.
When the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee formally declares open the contest for the party’s National Convention in a yet to be decided date, ex-governor Yari will be battling contenders like the former governor of Nasarawa State, Alhaji Tanko Al-Makura, among others. Tacitly confirming his interest to run, Yari cites his experience in party administration.
‘In all these, my experiences and the lessons learnt about bringing together divergent interests for national cohesion and party success are very significant. I did not learn as a mere onlooker but as someone who has been part of the real process that birthed the current democratic dispensation in Nigeria,’ he said.
‘I feel much empowered to lead in the national interest and lead a truly national party to much success nationwide,’ he declared.
Also indicating interest in the APC party chairmanship when his campaign coordinators visited him recently, Senator Al-Makura has confirmed that he would run on the condition that the leadership of the party zones the office to the North Central.
‘If they zone the office of the national chairman of our party to North Central zone, then we will all go out with our might and officially declare our ambition. If they throw it open, we will come out in full glare to contest, but if they zone it to either North East or North West, then I will not go into the race because I am a loyal member of APC.
‘I am yet to officially declare my ambition because the Caretaker Committee has not release the guidelines for the elections. As a loyal member I will abide by any position taking by the party,’ Al-Makura stated.
‘On my ambition for the office of the National Chairman of our great party, I want to thank Governor Abdullahi Sule, who is in the forefront of this project. Since the flag off of our party’s revalidation in Gudi, without consulting me he spoke publicly and every one was very happy”
Going down the historical perspective on how CPC started in Nasarawa State and metamarphorsed to APC, the senator Almakura noted that everything about APC started from Nasarawa State adding that the reasons given by the governor were widely accepted.
‘We are following events keenly as they unfold to see when the Caretaker Committee of APC will release the guidelines. As a loyal member of the party I will accept its verdict in good faith,’ he stated.