Stakeholders in the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the North-East zone are set for a showdown with their counterparts from the North-West over the slot for the Vice- Presidential candidate of the party.
Checks revealed that the APC National Working Committee (NWC) has since sent the name of Kabiru Masari as running mate to the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu amidst speculation that the party would soon substitute Masari before the deadline stipulated by the provisions of the Electoral Act.
Tinubu had last week at a function declared that he was still involved in consultations for a running mate.
Masari is incidentally from Katsina, in the North West as incumbent President, Muhammadu Buhari. The zone last week declared that it would seek an audience with Tinubu and present its demand for the VP slot.
But at the weekend in Abuja, APC stakeholders from the Northeast at the end of a meeting said for fairness, equity and justice, the slot of VP be conceded to the North Central.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, National Coordinator of North East APC Stakeholders Coalition, Alhaji Abba Aji Suleiman, described the stance of North West to produce VP to Tinubu as “not only misplaced but a gross display of insensitivity to the relevance of other regions in the scheme of things in the party”.
The North East stakeholders argued that “the North West Region had been within the corridor of power in the last seven years of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, and for such demand to be made indeed speak volume of gross insensitivity.
“It is the considered view of stakeholders in the North East that it would only be fair and just if the vice-presidential slot goes to the North Central, given the numerous contributions of the region to the growth and development of the party.
“The stakeholders must come to terms with the fact that the North Central region hasn’t had a shot at the highest level of governance since the return of democracy in 1999. This time has presented that unique opportunity that must be utilized in the party’s best interest.
“The North-West APC Stakeholders must also realize that the overarching objective of the party is to secure a landslide victory at the polls, and if that is indeed the case, would it make any sense if a region that has been represented adequately in the last ten years, would also demand the vice-presidential slot”.
Alhaji Suleiman further argued that “unless the stakeholders of our great party in the North West want us to believe that the North Central is not deserving of producing the vice-presidential candidate hence the demand for the vice-presidential slot.
“The stakeholders of the APC in the North East wish to use this medium to call on the leadership of our great party to ensure justice and fairness by providing that the vice presidential slot is given to the North Central”.
He expressed concern that “despite the array of credible candidates in the region with excellent profiles and broad appeal across the country”, the zone has been denied relevance and appealed to the APC to consider the North Central for the position of vice president.
In another development and a separate briefing, Director General of the Voice of Nigeria, (VON), Osita Okechukwu told newsmen that both the Labour Party and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) constitute no threat to the ruling party in forthcoming general elections.
The APC chieftain expressed confidence that the ruling party would win convincingly in the NNPP presidential candidate zone of North West and also defeat the LP candidate, Peter Obi in the southeast.
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