The All Progressives Congress (APC) can not afford to repeat it’s past mistakes of handpicking it’s national chairman as was done in the case of Adams Oshiomhole that has created the crisis in the party, former Governor of Zamfara State Abdulazeez Yari has said.
Speaking to newsmen after meeting with the Senate caucus of the party to canvass for their support on the insinuation that the President has anointed Abdullahi Adamu, he said,
“The President made mistake in the past by anointing Adam’s Oshiomhole single handedly nobody voted for him, he was anointed as the national chairman and you can see the result today, do you want to remain like that?”
He said the president has since debunked the insinuation,
“You have also been reading in the newspapers that President Muhammadu Buhari did not anoint anybody, the special adviser on media, Garba Shehu has since clarified that.
“We are trying to break those jinx, we must come through the ballot box so that we can respect the votes of the people not by picking.
“Let me remind them those that think they can just be pushed forth to come and do it, that it will not be business as usual.
On the zoning arrangement whereby the party zoned the national chairmanship position to Noth central he said, “I am not aware of that, because what we were briefed is that the positions of the North should go to the south and that of the South to the North.
“That is what the caucus sat down to agree and I am one of them and many others are not, therefore as you see in the social media that is the same way I saw it in the social media and as a senior person in this party I can not rely on information from the Social media they deserved to be verified. “In anyway one thing we should be determined to do is to bring about true democracy.
“For instance, this particular office is always being mared by all sorts of arrangement that did not deliver the right choice of the people, because it may be annointed by the zone whether the others like it or not so the responsibility the chairman is supposed to carry our is 30/20 and we dont care because it is under consensus arrangement.
“For instance,, if the chairmanship be zoned to Northern Nigeria and Presidency to the South are we going to dictate to the zone who should be chosen? No.
“We are trying to break that jinx and embrace the real democracy. I did not know any issue about zoning because it was not communicated to me, I only saw it on social media
He said he has already purchased his form and he knows that it is the National assembly makes laws for everyone. “Whether reconciliation or any other process I have already picked form. We are ready to meet in the ballot box.”
He indicated that zoning is unconstitutional in their party.
While soliciting the support of the senators in the party he said, “I am here to seek for your support for my ambition to be the national chairman of the APC. You are the stakeholders of this party and the symbol of democracy.
“This is my first place of call since we started this journey in the last one year. I will want to work together with you. We need people that are tested and trusted,” Yari said insisting that there is no zoning in their constitution.
“We know the constitution of the party. It did not segregate where one comes from and I will work hard to ensure that I emerged Chairman. We will deliver based on the constitution of the party,” Yari said while urging stakeholders not to vote someone like their former chairman, Adams Oshiomhole.
“The contest should not be about where you came from, it should be about what you can do.
“We hope to produce the next president and we need a leader that will ensure that the party keep winning. This election we have been postponing was supposed to be done in the last one year.
“I came to present myself to you and solicit for your support. If we cross the bridge, we hope to work hard and produce the next president of this country,” Yari said.
Responding, the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, who stood in for the Senate president said Yari came close to occupying the Senate seat but for the court decision, he was restrained adding that such should not be allowed to repeat itself.
Omo-Agege said Yari is one of the few contestants that have formally visited them in the Senate adding that haven been in the House of Representatives and supported them, they will also support him.
“APC Is at a crossroads. That is the bad news. The good news is that all the challenges will soon come to pass. You are a major stakeholder. You’ve serve as a governor and you know the problems of the party. In the next few days, continue to tour that part of peace.
“All we seek here at the National Assembly is a strong APC that will win the next election. There are so much conspiracies outside here. The PDP is praying to win the 2023 General Election, we are also praying and we pray God should not answer their prayers.
“You are a leader that can speak truth to power. You are a leader that fit that bill. We wish you success on the 26 of this month, ” Omo-Agege said.