By David Lawani and Cross Udo, Abuja
The crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) deepened over the weekend following the endorsement of Senator Abdullahi Adamu as the consensus national chairmanship candidate in the forthcoming national convention by President Muhammadu Buhari.

A leaked memo, it was learnt indicated that Buhari ‘single-handedly’ dictated the composition of the next executive committee of the party.

The development has not gone down well with some stakeholders of the party, who are grumbling over the move.

The memo showed that the President had ‘signed off’ Adamu as national chairman, Senator John Akpanudoedehe (South-South) as national secretary, and Senator Ken Nnamani (South-East) as deputy national chairman (South). The president also signed off on other positions that have been pinned down to geo-political zones.

But stakeholders warned against any attempt to impose Adamu and Nnamani, as the party’s national chairman and deputy national chairman, respectively.

A few days ago, a group protested to the national secretariat of the party with placards and banners urging the President not to accept the endorsement of Adamu as a consensus candidate, being a non-foundation member.

Some members of the APC Youth Stakeholders Forum marched on the secretariat of the ruling party in Abuja, demanding the removal of the Nasarawa senator as a consensus chairmanship candidate.

One of the group’s leaders, Yunusa Yusuf, advised the party not to impose any candidate on party members, but that delegates should be allowed to choose who leads them at the national level.

According to him; “We are here to state our decision and to say that the mistakes that have been made in the past must be corrected by this convention that is scheduled for March 26, and we are saying that the party should not impose any candidate on the people.

“We commend the chairman, Convention Extraordinary and Conference Planning Committee (CECPC), Mai Mala Buni, who has managed the party to where it is now because over time, our party has suffered leadership crisis and we are now trying to see how we can say our voices so that we can ensure that is corrected.”

“We have recommended very highly that all party stakeholders should be allowed to make their input, should be allowed to say what they want, who would lead them how, when, where, and that is what we have to settle for, and that is why we are here today.

“We are more in number and we wanted this to go round the 36 states, including the FCT. Just like now that our letter has been received by the leadership of the representative of the national chairman who has given us all the necessary assurance that they are going to get back to us; that our recommendation will not be taken for granted.”

Alluding to the last APC elections which ended even between the PDC and APC, Yusuf said he knew that the President was not somebody who imposes aspirants on people.

“As far we are concerned, Mr President has not endorsed anybody until he comes out to say that. I know the President will allow the party members to express themselves because that was the process that brought him as president.

“From the electoral bill, even if you are going to endorse anybody as a consensus candidate, from now henceforth, the person must agree with every other candidate.

“One person cannot just go and endorse anybody. So, we are avoiding a case where we would shoot ourselves in the foot. Mr President has done well in signing this electoral bill. We shouldn’t go at the end of the day to be caught up with ourselves. Mr President has not endorsed, as far as we are concerned.

“Nobody should parade himself as a consensus candidate. They should wait if the party agrees and endorses a particular person. We want a popular candidate. If you know you are popular, go and contest,” he said.

Another convener, Muktar Akosile said, “The President is the President of Nigeria and nobody quoted the President as saying that he is supporting any candidate. The President believes in supremacy.”

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According to him, “Mr President also wants to bring people back to the party because people have left the party, and we don’t want to miss people after the convention. We have seen a scenario, after a convention, where people left the party to go and form a third force. We do not want that to happen.

“The best that can happen to prevent this is to have a leader that will be elected by the delegate, and if anybody wins, that means he has done his work. What we are here to say is that we want the convention to be by delegate voting, not by consensus.”

A chieftain of the party and Abayomi Oyalowo, is in his reaction to Adamu’s endorsement by the President, stressed that it will be unfortunate and beguiling to foist ‘old figures’ in power.

Oyalowo, a public affairs commentator, said, “If they knew they already had a preferred candidate, then why allow other people go through the rigors of the campaign, spending money, energy, and time to reach out to prospective supporters and voters?

“They should have just announced their preferred candidates and let us know, instead of the pretence to democracy. This is not democracy, if it is true, then it is a sham, and I don’t think this is how democracy should work.”

The governors of the party are not folding their arms. On March 3, shortly after the President signed the amendment bill of the Electoral Act into law, the governors met at the Kebbi State governors’ lodge in Asokoro district of Abuja, to further discussed some of the issues among themselves. Governor Badaru refused to field questions on happenings in the party.

Amid all these, President Buhari maintains that there is no cause for alarm, adding that the party can resolve its differences bordering on the forthcoming national convention.