*some APC members reject plans, says Boss, Babachir, Idi are political fathers to APC in the state
By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON
The call by the leaders and critical stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Central Senatorial District of Adamawa State for power shift to the zone through Central Zone Advocacy Initiative (CZAI) is seen as agitation in sharp variance with the principles of true internal democracy.
Some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have described the meeting to be nothing more than mere name-calling of some top Adamawa political heavyweights to gain undue attention.
They said this in rejection of CZAI’s plans to lobby for power shift to the central zone as it might result to bringing an unpopular candidate that will not be bankable and gain total acceptance for victory in 2023.
Barrister Shagnah Pwamaddi is one of the APC committed members who said the names of the serving Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Barrister Boss Mustapha, and the erstwhile SGF, Engr Babachir David Lawal whose political tentacles spread across Nigeria should not be used as a committee to lobby for central zone to produce a governor.
According to him, both Mustapha and Babachir are political fathers to all the three Senatorial districts using their names as absentees of a meeting of such magnitude is not good for the party and they reduced them to local politicians than the national leaders of their worth.
Pwamaddi who was the immediate past legal adviser of Adamawa APC in an interview with newsmen said that rather, there should be a call on the three zones of the state to present credible, qualified, sellable, electable, and resourceful candidates from any of the 21 LGA’S in the state to favourably contest for the governorship of the state in a free, fair and transparent primaries of the party coming up in months.
He believes that CZAI is using the names of notable party men to gain credibility, asserting that who would they lobby and where will they go to lobby, when the party is one and after bringing out a good candidate that can wrestle power from PDP in 2023.
“Does it mean APC should support anyone from the central zone who is not fit, capable, and sellable to win an election? CZAI should holistically look at party interest of all the three zones with a true sense of internal democracy, how a good candidate will emerge is my concern. Let him or her come from anywhere in the state for all I care,” Shannah said.
He continued to say that there is no gainsaying that the Central Zone being the Land Lord of the seat of Government that has played host to Leadership, regime after regime, Governor after Governors all of whom without bias have developed the Central Zone more than any part of the state in the last 42 years since Gongola State will insist on power shift to the Zone as an alternative to the best democratic option of voting the most popular candidate through a democratic means.
“There is no doubt the Central Zone like the North and the South has all it takes to rule Adamawa State, in a democratic clime like ours, power is not just given or ceded but power is derived from the populace with whom the sovereignty lies.
” The mandate of governing Adamawa State lies with the populace from the 21 LGA’S and whoever desires to govern the state should directly go round and seek for the mandate from the people. It is important to note that Babachir, Boss, Idi Hong, and others are all fathers of Adamawa State and as respected elder statesmen their mission is to produce the most popular candidate that will unseat PDP at the Dougeire Government House come March 2023.” He said
Ahmed Lawan in his own opinion, said polls among the majority of the APC members from the Northern, Central, and Southern Senatorial Districts is not in any way emphatic about producing a candidate based on regional or sectional desires and demands, but the party is concerned about the emergence of a popular candidate from any zone of the state that can confidently wrestle power from the governing PDP in the State.
“We call on all critical stakeholders and members of the APC from the 21 LGA’S to work assiduously towards producing a Governorship candidate without recourse to zone, religion, section, or ethnic leaning,” Lawan said
He drew the attention of APC Stakeholders from the central zone to think twice about the fact that the position of SGF was twice in the center who other zones are comfortable with because is all about Adamawa APC and the interest is for all people.
He said lobbying for the zone for the gubernatorial seat will not work because it negates the principles of internal Democracy and doesn’t suggest they are good politicians for the sake of APC and any party Man.
“Many would want to ask why Boss and Babachir were not at the meeting if truly they were selected as committee members to lobby for a seat of power? I think they should be part of anything good. For me they don’t lobby for power, power is sought for through an encompassing democratic means.
“So they cannot be the landlords and at the same time tenants. They have all the federal appointments, the Minister, SGF, aides and power brokers at the villa yet want to produce a Governor again? There is no justice for the other zones for God’s sake,” Lawan said.
