From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Fresh controversies yesterday trailed the released comprehensive list of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC).
Shortly after the council list was made public, the party’s national leadership, the National Working Committee (NWC), totally disassociated itself from it, claiming breach of protocols in releasing the list.
It hinged its rejection of the council list on several factors, ranging from its failure to give final approval to the list before the release to the collapse in the consultations between the eggheads of the PCC and the three-man committee set up by the NWC to harmonise the list.
A member of the NWC, who spoke to Sunday Sun in confidence, argued that for the fact that the PCC released the final council list instead of the national leadership of the party confirmed that something is fundamentally wrong.
The source further claimed that the PCC rejected the party leadership’s requested 18 top positions in the council as condition for accepting the list.
Miffed by the controversy surrounding the list, the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, had urged the NWC to panel-beat the framework for the campaign council list.
According to him; “on behalf of myself, the team of the presidential campaign council, let me commend the DG and Secretary of the campaign that have worked very hard to bring this report about the organisation structure. If they (report) need panel-beating, you do so. It is not a red card that we brought. We are bent on bringing brighter hope and confidence to the country.”
Consequently, the NWC had constituted a three-man committee, comprising the National Legal Adviser, the National Organising Secretary and Deputy Women Leader, to meet the leadership of the council to harmonise the differences.
However, after the first meeting, which ended in deadlock, there was no other attempt to hold another one. But while the leadership of the party waited for the council’s invitation for another meeting, they were surprised to see the release of the list.
While reacting to the development, a source said: “I don’t actually think that the list will constitute problems again after the visit and Asiwaju’s acceptance for the NWC to tinker with it, but it appeared that the Tinubu camp are insistent on sticking with their list.
“There has been concerns over the audacity of the camp of the presidential candidate concerning the list. During a NWC meeting, the National Chairman had informed members about the request for compulsory inclusion of the following persons into the council.
“They are the two Deputy National Chairmen (North and South), National Secretary, National Organizing Secretary, Deputy National Organising Secretary, National Publicity Secretary, National Woman Leader, National Youth Leader, and the National Leader on People with Disabilities, as minimal requirement.
“The NWC had also insisted on their inclusion with specific responsibilities, but those that went for the harmonisation meeting were surprised that the Tinubu camp did not only populate the list, but also took up all the directorates.
“The point of disagreement, if you ask me, is that they want to involve the NWC members in the capacity of just ordinary members of the campaign council. However, the meeting will continue on Monday.”
Reacting to the released council list, a NWC member told Sunday Sun in confidence that there is no way the leadership would accept the list as presently constituted.
“There was no courtesy from the PCC to give the party’s leadership prior information about the release of the final list. I can tell you that the NWC did not make any input to the list. The PCC leadership got it wrong.
“Ordinarily, the NWC should have announced the list publicly, but they did not even see the comprehensive list let alone announcing it. The NWC had specifically requested inclusion of 18 members into the list, but only an insignificant number were added and given inconsequential positions.
“I am very sure that if the party’s leadership had been allowed to go through or scrutinise the list, such error about the inclusion of the former governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani, would have been avoided. As it is now, we can only watch to know the outcome of such unilateral decision,” the NWC member fumed.
Meanwhile, the PCC has defended the exclusion of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, in the list, saying that it was not an indication that something is amiss within the family of the APC.
A statement issued by the PCC spokesperson, Festus Keyamo, revealed that it was based on the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari to exclude him and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha.
“Nothing can be farther from the facts. For the avoidance of doubt, President Buhari is the Chairman of the Campaign Council. As a result, president has specifically directed that the vice president and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha should be left out of the Campaign Council to concentrate on the governance of the country and administration of government.
“As a responsible party and government, all the key functionaries of government cannot abandon their positions for campaigns. The APC has the mandate of the Nigerian people to administer the country on their behalf at least till May 29, 2023, and this we intend to do with all sense of responsibility.
“We will not toe the path of those who governed the country in an irresponsible manner before us and our party is not in total disarray like those who wish to ‘rescue’ the country, but cannot simply manage their own internal affairs,” Keyamo said.
Similarly, the campaign council has admitted error in the inclusion of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and Senator representing Enugu East Senatorial District, Chimaroke Nnamani, in the list of its members.
The former governor of Enugu State was listed as number 350 on the 422-member campaign council list as a member of the local government directorate.
Reacting to the development, a member of the council and one of the spokesmen, Bayo Onanuga, said Senator Chimaroke’s name was added in error.
While lamenting the mix-up, Onanuga said that the mistake could have arisen from the fact that Chimaroke shares a surname with Ken who is also a prominent politician from Enugu.
“It is an error. It should be Ken Nnamani,” he said.
Before the clarification, an aide to Senator Chimaroke Nnamani said the announcement should be ignored.
“Chimaroke is a PDP Senator. He has a PDP re-election ticket. How can he be in Tinubu’s campaign council? Please, ignore it.”
