APC chairman: Yari goes against zoning, picks nomination form

• As Adamu, Almakura, Mustapha, Musa pick forms

By Joshua Omoloye, Abuja

Former governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari has picked nomination form to contest the National Chairmanship position of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Yari from the northwest zone defied the zoning arrangement of the party which gave nod to the North Central to produce the next chairman.

The Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) zoned all positions to be contested at the March 26 national convention among the six geopolitical zones in the country.

When asked if his boss was not swimming against the tide, a close aide of the former governor said Yari has the right under the law as a bonafide member of APC to contest the National Chairmanship position, The Trumpet gathered.

“There is no law that forbids His Excellency, Abdulaziz Yari from contesting the position, nor did our party’s constitution say so.

“He has consulted widely across the six geopolitical zones and got good assurances of support. Why would he now back out due to any zoning?”

Leading aspirants in the chairmanship race, former governors of Nasarawa State and serving senators; Abdullahi Adamu and Tanko Al- makura who are from the preferred North Central zone have paid N20 million each for the chairmanship nomination form.

Two other aspirants from the North Central that have picked nomination forms are Niger State senator, Sani Musa, and Malam Saliu Mustapha from Kwara State.

Other interested aspirants are expected to make their official ambitions known before Friday, March 18 for the collection of forms.

National Youth Leader and spokesperson of the CECPC, Comrade Ismael Mustapha had on Tuesday told journalists that sale of nomination forms, which was expected to have started on Monday, March 14, will close on Friday, March 18th, 2022.

The party fixed prices are attached to nomination forms for each of the national positions to be contested on March 26, 2022.

He said “the Caretaker Committee gave me the mandate to say, sales of forms have begun for all the offices, both zonal and national. And like I said on Friday, zonal Congresses will be held on the same day as the national convention, 26th March 2022.

“There will be no separate zonal Congress, apart from the national convention. All would happen on the same day. Of course, we expect stakeholders at every zone to meet and decide on certain things. Zoning had already gone out; you already have the list of the zoning arrangements.

“The forms for the position of the National Chairman has been agreed by the party to be sold at 20 million naira, The forms for the position of the National Secretary is agreed to be sold at the price of 10 million naira while forms for the position of the Deputy National Chairman (South and North) would be sold at the same 10 million naira.

“Other NWC positions will be sold at N5m and forms for non National Working Committee, (NWC) members will sell for N1m.

“Other positions at the zonal level except for the National Vice Chairman, which is also a member of NWC would be sold at 500,000 naira.

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“Of course, that goes with the constitutional provision of women and people with physical challenges would be 50% of the prescribed fees.

“Like I said, sales of forms have already begun. The full timetable will be released by the Office of the Director of Organisation and the zoning arrangement again, so that everybody will be cleared.”