Governor of Nasarawa State and Chairman Media and Publicity sub-committee for the national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Governor Abdullahi Sule, has confirmed that the ruling party will adopt unity list in the emergence of the national leadership.
Speaking at a world press conference at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Friday, Governor Sule also clarified the category of political appointees to participate as electorate during the convention.
He further argued that since the ruling party is adopting consensus option in chosing the national officers, there is every tendency for unity list to be used for the exercise.
“If you remember, we have mentioned that as far as out party is concerned, we have three options in our constitutio and the number one choice always is consensus because it actually creates rancour-free convention. The reason being that all the stakeholders in various zones will meet, agree and sign before we go into the convention. Our first choice is always consensus. And we are still on that first choice. However, democracy demands, even our (APC) Constitution demands and the constitution of Nigeria demands that if that doesn’t work, we will go ahead and look at the other options. But right now, that remains our option number one.
“On the issue of political appointees to the President, our delegates’ list is actually statutory. So, if you have a former president as a political appointee, if you have a former senator as a political appointee, these are already automatic delegates, you know. So, let us not confuse the two because being an appointee does not necessarily take you out of being a delegate, because our delegates are classified clearly.
“Former president under our party, former elected this, elected that, party officials and the rest of that. I don’t think anybody who holds any political party office is actually right now a political appointee of the President, or the governors and the rest of that.
“So, most of the list that we submitted, if you are talking of the ones who have submitted now, we don’t have commissioners, we don’t have advisors, we don’t have all those unless if somebody particularly was a former this or former that, in that case, you know, just being an appointee doesn’t completely exclude such a person from being a delegate.
“The issue of unity list, it is actually an item that you have to know well. One, when will it be ready, from all what we have heard from various regions, the unity list will be out today and will actually be be submitted. Somebody asked whether it is for real we are going to have unity list or not, of course, yes, if you are talking of consensus, you must have unity list, because that is the whole essence of consensus.
“You know, if you are having consensus, you’re going to have people who have agreed, aspirants who have agreed, stakeholders who have agreed, and also the constituency that have agreed, and in that case, that name will automatically will be adopted. And that’s just the meaning of the unity list. That’s how unity list are going to put together,” he responded.
On the dissenting voice from the Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, against the consensus arrangement, he said: “If you look at the news items you will see so many things written you will see these and that. One thing I will tell you is this: one of the most respected governors who also happens to be the chairman of the Nigerian governors forum and a very strong member of the APC is Governor Fayemi.
“And governor Fayemi was sitting in all the meetings where all these have been agreed. So when you said that I was surprised, but then I just received a report that actually there is a refutal, by Governor Fayemi, that he never said that. And that is what I have just seen.
“On the arrangement for the consensus. I think anybody who has been following up with the activities of Mr. President and the party will understand that so many things have been going on towards consensus. Mr President has met with the governors met with the aspirants for chairmanship, met with the National Assembly is meeting also with all the major stakeholders of this party and the rest of that. If you look at that it is actually arrangement towards a consensus.
“As far as the payment, refund of their funds. I also mentioned, you know, earlier on it, so many governors have mentioned, the party also has mentioned that clearly is the President has said in the case of fairness, all those that have agreed on this consensus, out of respect for the leadership of the party, should have the money refunded to them? And I think that is it. One thing I can tell you clearly, the leadership of this party, the stakeholders of this party, the governors are united.
“When we go to our meetings, we are going to these meetings united, we don’t hear some of the things that you hear. Sometimes honestly, we came out of one meeting, APC governors’ meeting, and I had the governor of Kogi sitting next to me, and we came out and somebody say we had a big fight, we nearly exchanged blows. And there was zero discussion on that. Nothing even came close to that. So sometimes you will hear a lot of things that may not necessarily be exactly the case,” he clarified.
