The ruling All Progressives Congress, on Saturday, held its national convention after postponing the exercise about four times since 2020.
However, some members of the APC are currently lamenting the outcome of the convention with former members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) clinching top positions.
The result of the convention was earlier announced on Sunday as Abdullahi Adamu, a former governor of Nasarawa State emerged as the new national chairman of the Party.
SaharaReporters observed that Adamu, alongside some others who clinched key positions in the party’s new National Working Committee, had decamped from the PDP to the APC.
For the records, Adamu served as governor of Nasarawa State for eight years between 1999 and 2007 as a candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party.
While in the PDP, Adamu was the first Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF). After his tenure, he got elected to the Senate in 2007 to represent Nasarawa West still on PDP’s ticket.
However, in January 2014, Adamu decamped to the APC despite being a founding member of the PDP in 1998.
Also, former Deputy Governor of Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore decamped to the APC in February 2021.
Omisore became the deputy governor on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) between 1999 and 2003.
He later defected to the PDP where he served as a senator between 2003 and 2011.
He joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP) under which he contested the 2018 Osun governorship election on the platform, from where he crossed to the APC.
Checks by SaharaReporters revealed other members of the newly constituted NWC who were former members of the PDP. This includes Barr Festus Fuanter (Plateau State) who was appointed as the deputy national secretary.
The new vice-chairman (North Central) of the APC, Muazu Bawa Rjau had also decamped from the PDP to the ruling party.
Others are Mustapha Salihu, national vice-chairman (North -East); Barr Ahmed El-Marzuk, national legal adviser; Uguru Matthew Ofoka, national treasurer; Senator Abubakar Maikafi, national auditor; Betta Edu, national women leader; Barr F.N. Nwosu, national welfare secretary, and Nze Chidi Duru, deputy national organizing secretary.
Victor Giadom emerged as the National Vice Chairman, South-South. Before following the Minister of Transportation to the APC, Giadom served as Commissioner for Works under Governor Amaechi in Rivers State between 2011 and 2015.
SaharaReporters on Saturday, March 19 reported that several bigwigs in the ruling All Progressives Congress party were worried as it appeared that all its key national positions were being left for politicians and leaders who had defected from the PDP.
SaharaReporters has reported that there was confusion among the APC top shots as former PDP heavyweights were set to occupy key positions in the ruling party.
Following Saturday’s national convention of the party in Abuja, PDP defectors are now in firm control of the ruling party which could lead to its being ousted from power in 2023, as the APC cabal had feared.
SaharaReporters earlier today reported that top sources in the party listed names being considered for some key positions ahead of the March 26 National Convention.
Speaking with SaharaReporters about a week before the convention, one of the top sources said the APC cabals were worried about how former PDP leaders had infiltrated the ranks of the ruling party.
He had said, “How APC National Convention is turning out is that the party is considering Adamu Abdullahi for chairman. But there are worries that former PDP people will control our party.
“The Adamu Abdullahi is from PDP. There is also Victor Gaidom, who is to represent the South-South. Also, Yakubu Dogara is PDP. The Omisore being considered for National Secretary is PDP; even Kenneth Nnamani to contest from the South-East is also PDP.
"This is the reason why they want to drop Omisore and replace him with Ife Oyedele, who was with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC)."
“Also, Senator Ali Ndume who is Amaechi’s cheerleader is from the PDP. There are already plans to stop Omisore. The ruling party is worried that it cannot have too many former PDP defectors as leaders of the APC,” another source hinted.
Recently, David Umahi and Ben Ayade – governors of Ebonyi and Cross River states – had joined the APC, although they and their states had traditionally been PDP.
So also, Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State who joined the APC last year was with the PDP and won his election on the platform.
Bird Of A Feather –Activists
Meanwhile, before the announcement of the final list, human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore had also predicted that members of the PDP now manage the APC.
Sowore had tweeted, “#APCConvention @OfficialAPCNg is the convening of some of the most corrupt, incompetent, wicked, unjust and dishonest men and women politicians the world has ever known! And just so that you understand what we’ve been saying, @OfficialPDPNig will now manage @OfficialAPCNg."
Similarly, human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong mocked the APC and the anti-corruption fight of the Muhammadu Buhari-led government on Sunday.
He said there is no difference between the APC and the PDP, which the ruling party and Buhari’s government have repeatedly accused of being corrupt and destroying Nigeria during its 16-year rule.
In a series of tweets, Effiong said, “Have you seen that most of the names on the APC ‘Unity List’ are long time and some founding members of PDP? From the new National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, to Deputy National Chairman, Ken Nnamani, to National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore, they are largely from the PDP bloodline.
“Some of them have been accused of corruption at one point or the other. Tomorrow, they will say that the APC is different from PDP or that the PDP is different from the APC.
“The joke is on their gullible supporters who are living in denial of the obvious fact that these two parties have nothing good to offer Nigeria.
“Members of the APC are talking about 16 years of PDP misrule, while their brothers in PDP are talking about 7 years of APC misrule. Doesn’t that show that both parties are decadent?
“They are busy measuring their failures while we make silly excuses for them. What we should be talking about is the 23 years of PDP/APC misrule and how to put an end to their joint misrule.
“I have said it before and it bears repeating, choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea is not, and should not be the destiny of Nigeria. We will continue to suffer until we rise above partisan, ethnic and religious sentiments and vote credible people into power.
“As long as we keep voting thieves and our enemies under different guises and make excuses for our terrible political choices, our misery as a people will not end. #WeCantContinueLikeThis
“It has been pointed out that Emmanuel Enukwu was chosen to replace Ken Nnamani as Deputy National Chairman (South). But unsurprisingly, he is also a long-standing PDP member who only joined the APC in 2017.”
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