Sharing Formula Tears Buhari/Tinubu New Party Apart

Disagreement over what would be the sharing formula for the newly formed All Progressive Congress (APC) has stalled its registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Sunday Mirror gathered that both the leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and leader of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), General Muhammadu Buhari, have failed to agree on which geopolitical zone should produce the protem National Chairman.

Information gathered has further revealed that at least seven governors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may defect to the APC in a matter of months if the crisis rocking the ruling party is not amicably settled as the APC governors are intensifying their efforts to woo them.

The PDP governors who are believed to be in cross over talks include Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Aliyu Babangida (Niger), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Aliyu Wamako (Sokoto) and Saidu Dakingari (Kebbi).

It is also believed that Abdullfatah Ahmed (Kwara) could join the camp. It was gathered that several meetings between the APC governors and the seven PDP governors who are popularly known as Pro-Amaechi Governors were held last week in Lagos and Abuja but nothing concrete has come out of it.

The romance between these governors, Sunday Mirror learnt is believed to be causing delay in the application for registration of the party as the zoning formula as well as the modalities for the formation of interim party structure which is already causing disagreement between the leadership of APC may have to be further altered to contain the interest of the newest possible partners the PDP faction.

According to a source, the Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, and Lagos state Governor, Babatunde Fashola, have continued to provide enabling environment for the actualisation of the relationship between the PDP governors and the opposition camp.

“The governors have been meeting over a possible cross-over if the PDP leadership makes it impossible for them to oversee their states peacefully.

“Though, nothing has come out of the meetings, I can tell you that even Amaechi group may have no choice if their party continues to persecute them. “In the last week, the governors have meet several times and some of the governors including that of Jigawa and Niger states have encouraged the meet ings and have pledged their absolute loyalty in whatever the outcome so long as democracy is seen to be strengthened,” a source told Sunday Mirror.

Meanwhile, in a bid to tidy up its strategies for the registration of APC, top leaders of the opposition coalition met in Abuja recently with the resolve to move on without resolving the sharing of party positions while also giving approval for the filing of the application not as a body but on party basis until the final determination of the leadership structure.

The meeting which was held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja had in attendance both Tinubu and Buhari as well as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, as well as APC governors and national chairmen of the three merging parties.

It was learnt that during the negotiation by the merger committees, the parties submitted separate proposals with each holding tacitly to interest areas.

For instance, a proposal that sought to have the ACN produce the interim chairman for APC, while the CPC and the ANPP fill the National Secretary and Deputy National chairmanship slots respectively became very contentious with the ANPP protesting the arrangement.

However, owing to the inability of the joint merger committees to agree on modalities for the formation of interim party structure, the leadership of the parties was called in to use their influence to sort the matter out.

The meeting was expected to put paid to the brewing rancour and approve an interim party structure which would form the basis for seeking registration with the INEC.