See Strategies APC Chieftains Are Using To Woo The Party’s First-term Governors To Swell Their Ranks For President’s Second-term Bid

Punch reported that chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, who are pushing for a second term ticket for President Muhammadu Buhari, have mapped out strategies to woo the party’s first-term governors to swell their ranks.
So far, at least six of the party’s serving 24 governors have openly declared support for the President to seek the party’s ticket for re-election in 2019.

These are Kano Sate Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, Solomon Lalong of Plateau State; Yahaya Bello of Kogi State; Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State; Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State as well as Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
A top-ranking member of the APC, who spoke on condition of anonymity so as “not to ruffle feathers”, told SUNDAY PUNCH on Saturday that party members, who considered themselves “core Buharists”, did not foresee any threat to his candidacy at least from “anywhere in northern Nigeria.”
He explained that as members of a political party, no matter which aspirant a person or group of persons supported, it was incumbent on such people to respect others who had other preferences.
The source said,

“It is for the same reason why no one could talk about sanctions for the Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan, when some mischiefmakers leaked a video of her endorsing former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the needless controversy which followed.
“With all these noise being made by some people and the misleading headlines you see these days, tell me one person, within or outside the APC in Nigeria today, who can defeat President Buhari if he decides to run in 2019? Name one!”

According to him, the APC is determined not to repeat the mistakes made by the former ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party, by taking party members for granted.
He added,

“When you hear some of our party members saying no automatic ticket, they are referring to history. How far did candidate Buhari go when he was given an automatic ticket by the defunct CPC?
“Remember that at the height of the PDP’s impunity in 2015, only one presidential form was printed and it was only for the then President Goodluck Jonathan. We have learnt from history.”

The source explained that as part of strategies to get more of the party’s powerful governors on board, the President had started consulting the states’ helmsmen on appointments into the headship of federal agencies.
He also made reference to the tone and language used by the President in his address to party men and women at the just concluded National Caucus and National Executive Council meeting of the party.
The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, had, in an interview with one of our correspondents, explained that the party remained focused on delivering on the mandate given to it by the Nigerian people and would not be distracted.
He also noted that despite insinuations from certain quarters that the party was in turmoil, the peaceful atmosphere under which the last caucus and NEC meetings were held was evidence that the party was on course.

“Nobody slapped anybody; in fact nobody raised his voice against another. We came out of these meetings laughing,” he said.

The APC’s first term governors, who will most likely seek re-election in 2019, are Jibrilla Bindow (Adamawa); Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi); Samuel Ortom (Benue); Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa), Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna), Umar Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano); Aminu Masari (Katsina); Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi); Yahaya Bello (Kogi); Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos); Abubakar Bello (Niger); Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo); Simon Lalong (Plateau) and Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto).