A number of stalwarts of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are jostling for the national chairmanship position of the party. One of them is Senator Sani Musa, a serving member of the National Assembly, representing Niger East. He has expressed the optimism that he is capable of leading the ruling party to some enviable heights, if given the opportunity.
Attention is currently being directed to the National Convention of the APC, the event where the new executive members of the party are expected to emerge.
The race for the composition of the new national working committee (NWC) of the party has begun. After many postponements, a tentative period of February next year has been announced. But no date has been fixed yet, leaving room for variegated conjectures and permutations.
Although there is no date at the moment, aspirants are for the various positions, particularly those aspiring for the chairmanship position, are living no stone unturned as they have continued in their consultations across the country.
A number of them have since printed flyers which have also been distributed; some have had an interface with the media, while a number of the aspirants have also openly expressed fears that fair play may not be the hallmark of the selection process.
Some have also gone ahead to insinuate that the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led APC Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee may have some anointed candidate somewhere and as a result may not likely be “apolitical” in the selection process, but the Niger East-born Senator Musa strongly believes that Buni and his lieutenants will not play a hanky-panky as men of proven integrity.
To allay the fears of his supporters, he said: “I believe we are ready and we are going to have a hitch-free convention that other parties will even emulate. So far, I believe that all the indications for the conduct of the National convention of our party are positive. As you’re aware, the Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum and Governor of Kebbi State, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu had earlier disclosed after his meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House that the convention will hold in February 2022. This is enough time for the states that are yet to hold their congresses at the state level to do so. The APC reconciliation committee is also working round the clock going from state to state to find solutions to all grievances either before or after the congress. So, I am optimistic that we are on the right course, and the convention will be a success come February 2022.”
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While recently reassuring his Niger East constituents, who were apprehensive that his ambition to become the APC national chairman may rob them of the robust representation he has been giving them; his contributions to nation building, and as a result urged him to discountenance the pressure to continue with his aspiration, Musa said: “The desire to be for everyone is one of the cardinal reasons that sees me aspiring for the head of the All Progressives Congress.”
According to him, “Before I was elected a Senator, I had worked in the public and private sector. I have been a leader in the APC since 2014 and served as a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) from 2019 to date. If you look at the antecedents, you will notice the consistency. As a serving Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, representing the good people of Niger East Senatorial District and Chairman Committee on Senate Services. I have served my people well as a first term Senator, and it has been an amazing experience.”
It is his belief that, “My interest in the chairmanship of our great party, the APC is another call to national service just like my current position as a Senator of the Federal Republic.”
As if to drive the message home, he tried to paint a larger picture by going into the nitty-gritty of what the people stand to gain by virtue of his position as the APC chairman, if he wins.
“You must bear in mind that as a Chairman of the APC, I can leverage on my experience here in the Senate to push the manifesto of the party to the National Assembly more efficiently. It will also give me vantage position to deliver reconciliatory leadership which the party needs now to navigate out of its present challenges. And my leadership of the party will reinforce our commitment to keep the towering legacy and leadership of our amiable President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, who has given our party an ideology and presence in the international community, his democratic ideals and work within the sub-region and Africa, fight against corruption and his efforts at providing security. Hence, the need to have a leader that will continue to give full support and attention to such progressive efforts. There’s going to be a continuation and all of my efforts will be directed to support the deepening of democracy in Nigeria. It is necessary sacrifice I must make to build our party in particular and the nation in general.”
The senator is not oblivious of the fight ahead of him with the amalgam of equally formidable aspirants, some of whom had been touted as “anointed candidates”. He said his support base is both formidable and overwhelming given the increasing number of those signing up for his aspiration on a daily basis.
He sees himself as the popular choice.
“Across the leadership of the party at the state level, down to the grassroots and back to the Federal level, those who are sincere will tell you I am the candidate to beat. Even my opponents know in the recesses of their hearts that I am a better candidate based on my pedigree, my contribution to the party and my sincere commitment to ensure the stability and success of the party.”
He is also convinced that the delegates to the APC national convention will be looking for the qualities of a good leader to influence their choice.
Senator Musa told BusinessDay that every well-meaning member of the party desires the best for the party and eagerly want the best hand for the job.
“When you’re able to develop strong leadership attributes, you’re positioned to inspire your entire organisation, team or country. Right from the inception of our campaign, we have always been reaching out to party leaders and members at every level. I will surely triumph even in a highly contested election,” he said.
On specific reforms he would want to embark upon if he wins, the senator said: “If given the opportunity to lead the party, I will completely re-engineer the internal structures and workings of the party. I will be adaptive to participatory and affiliative work style that will usher visionary and pacesetting leadership for the party. My reform agenda for the party is expressed in what I call the three Rs for success, that is, Reconciliation, Reorganisation and Redirection.
“We need to immediately reconcile aggrieved members of the party on a sustainable basis. We need to reorganise the party in such a manner that it is able to effectively mobilise all segments of the country from youths to women groups for elections. And thirdly, we must redirect our efforts towards winning elections and nation building and not wrangling. We’ll run an inclusive leadership that is devoid of the habitual grain of the entrenched political culture of dynastic politics, sectionalism, favouritism, money politics, parasitism on the public pay roll, cronyism and patronage. We’ll run a party that will preserve the legacy of our founding fathers to build a strong country that is more tolerant, more prosperous and fairer by giving every member of the party equal opportunity.”
Speaking on the gale of crises in the ruling party and the chances of the convention running into troubled waters as a result, Senator Musa expressed the optimism that once he emerges as the chairman of the APC, his reform agenda will address most of the challenges and reposition the party for the better, and that the internal wrangling will not affect the convention.
According to him, “Disputes are indispensable in democracy because democracy allows for different shades of opinions. This, in itself, is not a disadvantage because it allows people to learn from such disputes and even matters that end up in courts afford the judiciary the opportunity to expound and develop the law regarding issues in dispute which serve as precedents for the future. So, I don’t see how disputes will affect the convention.”
