.. SAYS NO REGRET IN OUTRAGEOUS COST OF NOMINATION FORMS
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu, on Friday dispelled speculations that the party has agreed on zoning the presidency to the South, stating that no decision has been reached of the zoning.
He said that the party has not zone to any region to produce its presidential candidate for the 2023 election.
Adamu stressed that the APC was yet to decide and cannot for now say it is this zone or not.
“I am today privileged to be the Chairman of the party. The party is greater than me. The party has not made a decision and I cannot preempt what the party decision will be.” He stated.
Speaking on the possibility of APC going into crisis for lack of zoning, he said, “thank you very much. On the issue of your fears, God will not allow that to happen to us, we will come out by the grace of God at the appropriate time, the candidate at the convention the party will choose.
“I do not want to speculate but my duty as Chairman, is to listen to party men, party leaders, stakeholders, to see what is going to be the best when the time comes. And I’ve always found it easier and more nobel, to get to the bridge before I jump to cross it. We are not yet there.”
The party had earlier swapped its national offices between North and South, leading to the emergence of Adamu from the North Central as the National Chairman.
Ahead of the convention, Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State said the party is yet to zone the presidential ticket, but added that swapping of national offices was an indication of where its presidential candidate would come from.
Meanwhile, in spite of the attacks on the ruling party concerning the cost of their nomination and Expression of Interest forms, Adamu said the party has no regret on the outrageous nomination fees.
Abdullahi Adamu, disclosed this while answering questions from newsmen after he led party leaders to present the Governorship candidate of the party for the June 18, election in Ekiti Stste, Biodun Oyebanji, to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Adamu’s delegation included the National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State and chairman of the campaign committee for the Ekiti election.
According to Adamu, the cost of the form was a strategy to discourage parties that have no chance of winning election to sponsor individuals to play the role of spoilers.
He disclosed that the cost also had to be exorbitant because of the need to raise sufficient funds to successfully prosecute coming elections.
“On the issue of cost of forms. Yeah, we’ve been listening with rapt attention to the hues and cries, from our lovers, and from our adversaries. We have no regrets whatsoever. We did some homework. We know what it takes to go through primaries, go through presidential campaign, go through election of the President, we all know what it takes.
“We also do know that there are citizens who are qualified to contest but who are not serious contenders, who will just want to take anything cheap by the roadside, and assert what they call their rights and create problems for our party.
“We are also aware that some parties that have no chances whatsoever to win presidential election in Nigeria, would sponsor people into parties with prospect for winning election, to create problems for us to divert our attention or whatever party is involved in that.
“Over and above that. Yes, we are the ruling party. Yes, we need to set examples in what we do. But I ask you, I don’t know which part of the country you come from. If God forbid, your traditional ruler dies today, contestants will go for more than N100 million, it is no news.
“When I contested for the Senate, what I paid was just a token, N5 million, N10 million including expression of interest. When my colleagues wanted to be chairman of the party in the days of Adams Oshiomhole and the like, they paid a token of N500,000. Today, for me, just as an example, to contest the national chairman of our party I had to pay 20 million to contest.
“And even the enormity of work that has to be done, and this work will be done with money. And we don’t want to continue going and begging particularly in an election year like this. So I want to see that we’re able to mobilize sufficient funds to support our efforts to win election,” He said
