Headlines
Nigeria: Buhari Approves Consensus for APC Convention, Citing Emergence of Previous Chairmen
By Derrick Bangura.
President Muhammadu Buhari met with governors elected on the platform of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Tuesday and approved recommendations for a consensus option at the party’s newly proposed national convention on March 26.
Buhari met with APC governors for roughly 15 minutes at the Status House in Abuja, where they addressed the party’s current state and concerns over its national convention. From Chief Bisi Akande to John Odigie-Oyegun to Adams Oshiomhole, all former APC chairmen emerged by consensus, he said.
However, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, the governor of Kaduna State, disputed claims that the 22 APC governors and the Deputy Governor of Anambra State were bitterly divided over the date of the national convention, claiming that they just disagreed. El-Rufai, speaking to reporters following the APC governors’ meeting with Buhari, highlighted that the governors had differed on the time of the national convention, with some believing that there were still many issues to be settled. He said, however, that they were now all on the same page.
El-Rufai said that the APC had adopted a formula that was endorsed by the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership at its convention. According to the concept, APC’s northern and southern members would be able to switch posts with those held by the previous National Working Committee (NWC).
According to a copy of the zoning formula obtained by THISDAY late yesterday night, the APC had decided to have its national chairman come from the north-central region, while the position of National Secretary would be given to the south-west.
Despite recent setbacks, Plateau State Governor and Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, Simon Lalong, allayed fears that the ruling party will implode following Buhari’s tenure. After the incumbent president, Lalong anticipated the APC would be stronger.
El-Rufai, who was fielding queries from State House correspondents, said the governors disagreed about the convention’s date because “some governors felt we should put the convention off till we fix all of the congress issues in some states.”
“As you may be aware, these issues are even being challenged in several states. As a result, some governors believe we should wait until all of these issues are handled. And this isn’t due to any self-interest or agenda. It’s merely a reasonable suggestion to avoid us violating any laws or putting our party structures of elected candidates in danger.
“Yes, there were differences in opinions about timing. Some of us are saying the constitution allows us to have convention even if three or four states have issues that are unresolved, while others are saying no, let us finish all the reconciliations and we do this convention. After all, there is no time limit for the convention as long as we do it before the time for the primaries.
“So, that was the difference. This is what the media has called divided governors. In a democratic setting, there is no way you can have 22 governors plus the deputy governor of Anambra State agreeing on any issue.
“We can have differences. But after our meeting of last night, to deliberate on the proposal by the national caretaker committee, and our briefing with Mr. President today, we are all on the same page.”
The Kaduna State governor also disclosed that APC had agreed on a zoning formula that would swap offices previously held between North and South.
By the arrangement, all offices that were occupied by northerners in the last NWC will go to the South, and vice versa, in the coming dispensation.
El-Rufai affirmed that agreement had been reached on zoning.
He stated, “We have agreed on a zoning formula for all the six geo-political zones. Essentially, northern zone will have the positions the south has had in the last NWC, and vice versa.
“It is a very simple, equitable, and fair formula. We will now go back and consult at the zonal level and look at the positions that are available and the process of the convention preparation we started in earnest. So, by the grace of God, on the 26th of March, we would have done our national convention.”
Speaking also after their meeting with Buhari, Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, revealed that Buhari was in favour of consensus in selecting candidates for party offices.
Bagudu said, “On consensus, Mr. President reminded us that we have produced a number of national chairmen by consensus: Baba Akande emerged as the pioneer chairman of the party by consensus; His Excellency, John Oyegun emerged by consensus; His Excellency, Adams Oshiomhole emerged by consensus.
“So, he is a believer in consensus as one of the options for producing leadership, and he urged us to explore consensus, so that we can generate a list. While recognising that many people who have indicated interest are equally competent, but knowing that just one person will occupy the office, consensus is part of our constitution, and he urged us to work towards consensus.
“And the governors, I have said earlier, have also been working to ensure that as part of equitable arrangement, zoning and consensus are incorporated. We have done that at the lower levels, and even at the national level; it’s almost certain that we will achieve it.
“Then, the date of the convention, the caretaker committee briefed us yesterday on their meeting and the proposed March 26, 2022. And today, the governors informed Mr. President that we have heard the briefing from the caretaker committee and we are supportive of their position.”
Bagudu explained that even though the planned zonal congresses of APC were not provided for in its constitution, the law was also not against the process.
According to him, “On proposed zonal congresses not in the constitution, I think there has been so much debate. Yesterday (Monday), there was a statement to the effect that even the letter that has gone out was withdrawn.
“So, zonal congresses are not explicitly stated in the constitution, particularly, how you do zonal congresses. And we have in the past done them with national convention, but nothing again in the constitution stops them from being done outside the national convention. But the final form will be decided, given the input we have provided.”
Asked if the APC governors were divided, Bagudu retorted, “Are governors divided? Not at all! The 22 governors of the APC are united. We are in total support of Mr. President; we are appreciative of his leadership. We commend him for his leadership.
“We are appreciative of the sacrifice of the national caretaker, and extraordinary convention planning committee. And we thank them for the successes recorded under them. Our party, like I said, is greater and stronger, with more members by the day.”
On his part, Lalong maintained that the ruling party would not collapse after Buhari’s exit, saying, “I think that from the progress report read by our chairman, and from several assumptions, and also several reports that we are seeing what tremendous efforts the federal government is doing. We are already going around commissioning projects here and there in all the various states.
“There is no doubt, although, you are not specific as to which reason will make us not to come back again, but as far as we are concerned, based on assessment, and based on what the federal government is doing, there is every hope that this party, this government will move beyond our president and that is what he has been saying, that by the grace of God, this government will move beyond his tenure.”
Nineteen of the 22 APC governors were in attendance at the meeting held at the Council Chambers, which also had in attendance Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha; and Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari.
The governors in attendance were those of Yobe, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Jigawa, Cross River, Kaduna, Lagos, Borno, Niger, Gombe, Osun, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Kwara, Kano, Imo, Kogi, Ogun, Plateau and Anambra’s deputy governor.
Zoning Formula
According to the zoning formula obtained yesterday by THISDAY, APC has zoned its chairmanship position to North-central, which implies that the presidential ticket of the party might go to the south, in addition to the office of the National Secretary, which has been given to the South-west in specific.
Other positions zoned to the North-central are National Vice Chairman (NC), Deputy National Secretary, Deputy National Legal Adviser, Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Zonal Secretary, Zonal Youth Leader, Zonal Organising Secretary, Zonal Women Leader and Zonal Special (Persons with Disability- PWD) Leader.
APC zoned the following positions to the South-south: National Vice Chairman (SS), National Publicity Secretary, National Women Leader, Deputy National Treasurer, Deputy National Welfare Secretary, Zonal Secretary, Zonal Youth Leader, Zonal Organising Secretary, Zonal Women Leader, and Zonal Special (Persons with Disability- PWD) Leader
The offices zoned to the South-west are National Secretary, National Vice Chairman (South-West), National Youth Leader, Deputy National Auditor, Zonal Secretary, Zonal Youth Leader, Zonal Organising Secretary, Zonal Women Leader, Zonal Special (Persons with Disability- PWD) Leader.
For the North-west, the positions given are National Vice Chairman (NW), National Legal Adviser, National Organising Secretary, National Financial Secretary, Deputy National Youth Leader, Zonal Secretary, Zonal Youth Leader, Zonal Organising Secretary, zonal Women Leader, and Zonal Special (Persons with Disability – PWD) Leader, among others.
The party zoned the position of the Deputy National Chairman (S) to the South-east, with other offices like National Treasurer, National Welfare Secretary, Deputy National Organising Secretary, Zonal Secretary, Zonal Youth Leader, Zonal Organising Secretary, Zonal Women Leader, and Zonal Special (Persons with Disability- PWD) Leader.
North-east would produce Deputy National Chairman (N), National Auditor, National Vice Chairman (NW), Deputy National Financial Secretary, Deputy National Women Leader, Zonal Secretary, Zonal Youth Leader, among others.
Interestingly, the zoning plan has tactically knocked out a former governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari; former Governor of Bauchi State, Isa Yuguda; former Governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff; and Sunny Monidafe.
The chairmanship aspirants favoured by the method are the senator representing Niger East, Mohammed Musa; Mallam Saliu Mustapha; and former governors of Nasarawa State, Tanko Al-Makura and Abdudulahi Adamu.
Buni Threatens to Resign
But while APC may have succeeded in dousing the raging issues over its national convention, a new problem seems to be developing.
An insider told THISDAY last night that the chairman of the caretaker committee and Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, had threatened to resign his position, citing accusations of inefficiency from many APC governors accused.
The source said regarding Buni, “While some of the governors were ready to grab his resignation, others cautioned that accepting his resignation would draw the party back. And on the basis of that, the governors encouraged him to continue until the national convention is held.”
However, while the governors and the president agreed to swap offices between North and South, THISDAY gathered that the leaders of the party specifically agreed that the national chairman should go to the North-central.
According to the source, while the party’s leaders agreed on consensus option in electing the national officers, the governors agreed that the president should be given the privilege to pick the national chairman.
Thus, ahead of the national convention on March 26, the meeting yesterday also agreed to hold national caucus meeting to resolve all pending issues.
APC EXTRAORDINARY NATIONAL CONVENTION 2022
ZONING OF NATIONAL OFFICES
SOUTH-SOUTH:
(Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River,
Delta, Edo and Rivers States)
1. National Vice Chairman (SS)
2. National Publicity Secretary
3. National Women Leader
4. Deputy National Treasurer
5. Deputy National Welfare Secretary
6. Zonal Secretary
7. Zonal Youth Leader
8. Zonal Organizing Secretary
9. Zonal Women Leader
10. Zonal Special (Persons with Disability- PWD) Leader
SOUTH-WEST:
(Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun & Oyo States)
1. National Secretary
2. National Vice Chairman (South-West)
3. National Youth Leader
4. Deputy National Auditor
5. Zonal Secretary
6. Zonal Youth Leader
7. Zonal Organizing Secretary
8. Zonal Women Leader
9. Zonal Special (Persons with Disability- PWD) Leader
SOUTH-EAST:
(Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu & Imo States)
1. Deputy National Chairman (S)
2. National Vice Chairman (SE)
3. National Treasurer
4. National Welfare Secretary
5. Deputy National Organizing Secretary
6. Zonal Secretary
7. Zonal Youth Leader
8. Zonal Organizing Secretary
9. Zonal Women Leader
10. Zonal Special (Persons with Disability- PWD) Leader
NORTH-EAST:
(Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe,
Taraba and Yobe States)
1. Deputy National Chairman (N)
2. National Auditor
3. National Vice Chairman (NW)
4. Deputy National Financial Secretary
5. Deputy National Women Leader
6. Zonal Secretary
7. Zonal Youth Leader
8. Zonal Organizing Secretary
9. Zonal Women Leader
10. Zonal Special (Persons with Disability- PWD) Leader
NORTH-CENTRAL:
(Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, and Plateau States)
1. National Chairman
2. National Vice Chairman (NC)
3. Deputy National Secretary
4. Deputy National Legal Adviser
5. Deputy National Publicity Secretary
6. Zonal Secretary
7. Zonal Youth Leader
8. Zonal Organizing Secretary
9. Zonal Women Leader
10. Zonal Special (Persons with Disability- PWD) Leader
NORTH-WEST:
(Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara States)
1. National Vice Chairman (NW)
2. National Legal Adviser
3. National Organizing Secretary
4. National Financial Secretary
5. Deputy National Youth Leader
6. Zonal Secretary
7. Zonal Youth Leader
8. Zonal Organizing Secretary
9. Zonal Women Leader
10. Zonal Special (Persons with Disability – PWD) Leader
Women from diverse backgrounds across Nigeria and beyond gathered at the Art and Culture Auditorium, Abuja, for the inauguration and convention of the Noble Ladies Association. The event, led by the association’s Founder and “visionary and polished Queen Mother,” Mrs. Margaret Chigozie Mkpuma, was a colourful display of feminine elegance, empowerment, and ambition.
The highly anticipated gathering, attended by over 700 members and counting, reflected the association’s mission to help women realise their potential while shifting mindsets away from dependency and over-glamorization of the ‘white collar job.’ According to the group, progress can be better achieved through innovation and creativity. “When a woman is able to earn and blossom on her own she has no reason to look at herself as a second fiddle,” the association stated.
One of the association’s standout initiatives is its women-only investment platform, which currently offers a minimum entry of ₦100,000 with a return of ₦130,000 over 30 days—an interest rate of 30 percent. Some members invest as much as ₦1 million, enjoying the same return rate. Mrs. Mkpuma explained that the scheme focuses on women because “women bear the greater brunt of poverty” and the platform seeks “to offer equity in the absence of economic equality.”
Education is also central to the Noble Ladies’ mission, regardless of age. Their mantra, “start again from where you stopped,” encourages women to return to school or upgrade their skills at any stage in life. The association believes that financial stability is vital in protecting women from cultural practices that dispossess widows of their late husbands’ assets, while also enabling them to raise morally and socially grounded families.
Founded on the vision of enhancing women’s skills and achieving financial stability, the association rests on a value system that discourages pity and promotes purpose. “You have a purpose and you build on that purpose to achieve great potentials and emancipation,” Mrs. Mkpuma said.
A criminologist by training and entrepreneur by practice, she cautions against idleness while waiting for formal employment. “There are billions in the informal and non-formal sectors waiting to be made,” she said, rejecting the “new normal of begging” and urging people to “be more introspective to find their purpose in life and hold on to it.”
Mrs. Mkpuma’s management style keeps members actively engaged, focusing on vocational skills and training to prepare them for competitive markets. She is exploring “innovative integration of uncommon technologies” and is already in talks with international franchises to invest in Nigeria, with Noble Ladies as first beneficiaries.
The association’s core values include mutual respect, innovation, forward-thinking, equal opportunity, and financial emancipation. With plans underway to establish a secretariat in the heart of Abuja, the group aims to expand its impact.
The event drew high-profile guests, including former Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro, and a host of VIPs, marking a significant milestone in the association’s drive for women’s empowerment.
The Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) has stepped in to resolve the dispute between the Federal Capital Territory Administration and the Abuja Technology Village (ATV), a licensed Free Trade Zone, over the potential revocation of the zone’s land title.
Dr. Olufemi Ogunyemi, the Managing Director of NEPZA, urged ATV operators and investors to withdraw the lawsuit filed against the FCT administration immediately to facilitate a roundtable negotiation.
Dr. Ogunyemi delivered the charge during a courtesy visit to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Nyesom Wike, on Thursday in Abuja.
You will recall that the ATV operators responded to the revocation notice issued by the FCT administration with a lawsuit.
Dr. Ogunyemi stated that the continued support for the growth of the Free Trade Zones Scheme would benefit the nation’s economy and the FCT’s development, emphasizing that the FCT administration recognized the scheme’s potential to accelerate industrialisation.
Dr. Ogunyemi, also the Chief Executive Officer of NEPZA, expressed his delight at the steps taken by the FCT minister to expand the economic frontier of the FCT through the proposed Abuja City Walk (ACW) project.
Dr. Ogunyemi further explained that the Authority was preparing to assess all the 63 licensed Free Trade Zones across the country with the view to vetting their functionality and contributions to the nation’s Foreign Direct Investment and export drives.
“I have come to discuss with His Excellency, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory on the importance of supporting the ATV to succeed while also promoting the development of the Abuja City Walk project. We must work together to achieve this for the good of our nation,” he said.
On his part, the FCT Minister reiterated his unflinching determination to work towards President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda by bringing FDI to the FCT.
“We must fulfil Mr. President’s promises regarding industrialization, trade, and investment. In this context, the FCT will collaborate with NEPZA to review the future of ATV, a zone that was sponsored and supported by the FCT administration,” Wike said.
Barrister Wike also said that efforts were underway to fast-track the industrialisation process of the territory with the construction of the Abuja City Walk.
The minister further said the Abuja City Walk project was planned to cover over 200 hectares in the Abuja Technology Village corridor along Airport Road.
According to him, the business ecosystem aimed to create a lively, mixed-use urban center with residential, commercial, retail, hospitality, medical, and institutional facilities.
He added that the ACW would turn out to be a high-definition and world-class project that would give this administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda true meaning in the North-Central Region of the country.
Barrister Wike also indicated his continued pursuit of land and property owners who failed to fulfil their obligations to the FCT in his determination to develop the territory.
Vehicular movement along the Yelwata axis of the Benue–Nasarawa highway was brought to a standstill on Wednesday as Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, staged a protest, demanding immediate return to their ancestral homes.
The protesters, believed to be victims of persistent attacks by suspected herdsmen, blocked both lanes of the busy highway for several hours, chanting “We want to go back home”.
The protest caused disruption, leaving hundreds of motorists and passengers stranded.
Eyewitnesses said the displaced persons, many of whom have spent years in overcrowded IDP camps, are expressing deep frustration over the government’s delay in restoring security to their communities.
“We have suffered enough. We want to return to our homes and farms,” one of the protesters told reporters at the scene.
Security personnel were reportedly deployed to monitor the situation and prevent any escalation, though tensions remained high as of press time.
Efforts to reach the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, and other relevant authorities for comment were unsuccessful.
Noble Ladies Champion Women’s Financial Independence at Grand Inauguration in Abuja
NEPZA, FCT agree to create world-class FTZ environment
Nafisa Spoke, the World Listened, And Nigeria Shined
Facebook, Instagram Temporarily Allow Posts on Ukraine War Calling for Violence Against Invading Russians or Putin’s Death
Nigeria, Other West African Countries Facing Worst Food Crisis in 10 Years, Aid Groups Say
New York Consulate installs machines for 10-year passport
-
Headlines3 years ago
Facebook, Instagram Temporarily Allow Posts on Ukraine War Calling for Violence Against Invading Russians or Putin’s Death
-
Headlines3 years ago
Nigeria, Other West African Countries Facing Worst Food Crisis in 10 Years, Aid Groups Say
-
Foreign3 years ago
New York Consulate installs machines for 10-year passport
-
News12 months agoZero Trust Architecture in a Remote World: Securing the New Normal
-
Entertainment3 years agoPhyna emerges winner of Big Brother Naija Season 7
-
Headlines1 year agoNigeria Customs modernisation project to check extortion of traders
-
Economy1 year agoWe generated N30.2 bn revenue in three months – Kano NCS Comptroller
-
Headlines1 year agoPhilippines’ Vice President Sara Duterte resigns from Cabinet
