The Adamawa State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) is in suspense over the brewing crisis between Governor Ahmadu Fintiri and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, over the choice of National Vice Chairman of the party.

In Nasarawa State, Governor Abdullahi Sule warned against bitterness and open conflict among APC governorship aspirants, emphasising that any form of division within the party would ultimately hurt Nasarawa more than any individual in the forthcoming primary.

Hurt by the way the congress went, former presidential aide, Okoi Obono-Obla, said he has lost faith in the APC.

Meanwhile, authorities in the party have stepped up post-convention mobilisation efforts, directing its state and zonal coordinators to intensify grassroots engagement and promote the policy achievements of President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.

Matters came to a head after Shuiabu Idris emerged as Zonal Vice Chairmen during the recent APC Congress for the North-East, a development that is pitching Fintiri and Ribadu ahead of the 2027 APC gubernatorial primaries.

The Guardian gathered that Ribadu’s supporters said he remains the APC leader in the state while the governor, a new entrant into the APC, assumed the de facto leader, stressing that the NSA had already settled for the Executive Secretary of Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Ahmed Aminu, as Governor Fintiri’s successor.

At the North-East zonal congress of the APC, the NSA successfully foisted his loyalist, Idris, as the National Vice Chairman, while effectively excluding Fintiri’s allies from vying for key positions, thereby infuriating the new entrants who described the congress as an imposition.

There are fears within Fintiri’s camp that the governor could be losing grip of the necessary structures to determine his successor, even as the NSA continues to consolidate his hold on Adamawa APC.

Expressing reservations about the development, Ibrahim Mohammed, an influential APC stakeholder in the state and strong ally of Fintiri, while speaking on the succession battle ahead of the APC National convention, maintained that the Gombe zonal mini-convention, which produced Idris as National Vice Chairman, North-East, was a sham.

He argued that the congress in Gombe, only gave an indication of what was to come within the APC as it relates to the selection of candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Sule made the statement during a meeting he held with all declared APC governorship aspirants at the Governor’s Lodge in Abuja, immediately after the APC National Convention.

The meeting, convened at the instance of Sule, brought together all declared governorship aspirants alongside former governors and Senators Abdullahi Adamu and Umaru Al-Makura who declared unwavering commitment to the party’s unity and a peaceful primary process ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Governor Sule pointed out that, inasmuch as he would be transparent and sincere throughout the primary election process, that would not preclude him from identifying his preferred zone and aspirant.

“This is the beginning of showing you how transparent and sincere I am, as far as this is concerned. That will not stop me from saying this is the zone I prefer. Those who want to listen to me can follow. Those who don’t want to listen can do otherwise,” he added.

Obono-Obla, in a statement he issued in Calabar, at the weekend, lamented: “My faith in the party to which I have given my all since 2013 is now badly shaken, more than ever before.

“In 2022, the party denied me the opportunity to contest as a senatorial candidate, but I did not mind. I continued to work tirelessly for its success at both the National and State Elections in 2023.”

He stated that the situation calls for deep reflection as his commitment remains unquestionable, but the path ahead must be chosen with clarity and courage.

Gov. Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, who serves as the Director-General of the party’s Renewed Hope Ambassadors network, directed the coordinators to intensify grassroots engagement and promote Tinubu’s policy achievements during the group’s fourth strategic meeting in Abuja at the weekend.

The meeting followed an earlier session of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) at the Presidential Villa, attended by Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.

Uzodimma said the Renewed Hope Ambassadors network was established to drive a coordinated communication strategy at the community level under the theme: “One Party, One Message, One Mobilisation Framework.”

He called on party members to close ranks following the APC national convention, stressing that alignment between party structures and government at all levels “is critical” to consolidating gains under the Tinubu administration. (The Guardian)

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