The Crystal Ball is becoming clearer as APC places itself strategically to retain the presidency post-2023, the possible choices to steer the leadership of the party are gradually evolving as party stakeholders position themselves to take ample advantage of the ongoing national congress to stamp their leadership roles.
All eyes probably seem fixated on the National Chairmanship position of the party and from the look of things it is going to be a tough battle between major gladiators.
Faced with a historically diverse set of choices, many party members have expressed a pragmatic desire for a National Chairman who would have the best chances of retaining the presidency in 2023 and giving the party a nationwide stake in the 36 states across the Federation.
Already major APC henchmen have thrown their hats in the ring in preparation for an epic battle. As at the last check, the following Political juggernauts in APC have all shown interest in the National Chairmanship position which seems to have been unofficially zoned to the North.
Former governors Ali Modu Sherriff, Abdulaziz Yari, Tanko Al-makura, George Akume, Senator Kashim Ibrahim Shettima are squarely in the race. Intriguing enough there is a new formidable contestant who seems certain to upstage these heavily known personalities.
Alhaji Saliu Mustapha the Turaki of Ilorin seems to be the anointed bride if feelers reaching our news desk is affirmative.
Moderate members of the APC have a duty to consider Alhaji Saliu Mustapha. He has a clear path to beating these former governors. According to them, the party needs new and creative ideas and therefore should do away with the old recycled faces in other to retain the trust of the electorates.
Who Is Saliu Mustapha? What is his secret weapon against all these ex-Governors? We’ve got it all covered:
He was the Deputy National Chairman of the then Congress for Progressive Change, one of the defunct political parties that merged to give birth to form the present A.P.C Party.
Mustapha was born on September 25, 1972 in Ilorin, Kwara state.
Mustapha has had a robust political career that has spanned over 2 decades, he was the first National Publicity Secretary of the Progressive Action Congress (PAC) and he later joined the ANPP in 2007 where he worked assiduously for the presidential ambition of Muhammadu Buhari. In 2009 he teamed up with Buhari to form the Congress for Progressive Change and became the Deputy National Chairman of the party. He held this position until the party merged and formed the All Progressives Congress (APC) and he was the one that signed the final agreement that culminated in the formation of the APC on behalf of the CPC.
Voter Base:
Mustapha’s popularity is widespread among a variety of different voting groups. Some of his biggest supporters come from the youth bloc, progressives and women wing of the APC.
Odds For Saliu Mustapha To Be The APC National Chairman:
Even though Saliu Mustapha’s quest to be the Kwara State Governor in 2019 did not sail through even after being endorsed by the people of the State he still played a major role as a bonafide stakeholder in the party by being the highest financial contributor for the success of the APC in the 2019 elections.
Saliu Mustapha remains a favourite to emerge the party’s national chairman because of his loyalty to the party and his tenacity to take the party to greater heights.
Key issues:
Rebuilding the party ideologically and creating a platform with unlimited creativity.
Growing Concern of Power Shift:
Currently, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) bloc in APC is angling to produce the next national chairman. They argue that after both the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) have had their slots, it was their lot to produce the next national chairman.
Secret weapon:
Comfortability. Like an old pair of jeans, Saliu Mustapha is known for his reliability and teamwork. unthreatening quantity, that could be the ticket to victory.
Saliu Mustapha has a core group of supporters who have stuck with him through thick and thin. They despaired when he lost in 2018, and have been planning his political revival ever since. Now their time has come.
Saliu Mustapha’s Running Policies:
Mustapha is positioning the APC on the ideology it was founded upon by the founding fathers.
In his words ” “The ideas that drove the founding fathers to establish the APC were not new to me and that my membership of the party was not by accident.
Being a member of the APC has to do with ideological conviction and that I have always been a member of political parties not seen as ‘conservative.’”
Odds For Mustapha Emerging as APC National Chairman:
His well-articulated vision for the progress of the APC has a significant impact on the odds of his emerging the APC National Chairman, his representation of the youths is well received by the majority of party members and has aided his ranking by the oddsmakers.
Osigwe Omo-Ikirodah writes in from Abuja.
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