Ahead of the conduct of party primaries to pick candidates for National Assembly elections, there is a brewing crisis between two power blocs in the All Progressives Congress (APC) – the party national caucus in the National Assembly and the forum of the APC governors, the Progressives Governors Forum.
Multiple sources revealed that the leadership of the Senate in sympathy with their aggrieved colleagues at the receiving end of power game in their respective states reached out to the Presidency to save their political career already threatened by second-term governors, with eyes on the Senate tickets, reports Nigerian Tribune.
Meanwhile, the Senate leadership met with President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday.
The lawmakers are jolted that the governors grabbing tickets from the serving lawmakers is a breach of the deal to guarantee return ticket to the lawmakers.
Recall that the national chairman of the party, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has consistently maintained that there would be no automatic ticket for any lawmaker seeking a fresh ticket.
According to the revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general election released by the APC National Working Committee, primaries to pick candidates for the House of Representatives and Senate seats will hold on May 15 and 18, respectively while the governorship will hold on May 21.
Investigation revealed that aside the senator representing Ogun East, Gbenga Daniel, who has been left politically stranded by his home state governor, Dapo Abiodun, who secured the backing of the stakeholders in the state as a consensus candidate before the primary, similar scenario will play out in Kwara, Ondo and some other states.
In Kwara State, Senator representing Kwara Central, Saliu Mustapha, is also fighting the political battle of his life with Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.
Party sources revealed that aside his vow to frustrate Senator Mustapha’s bid for governorship ticket, Governor Abdulrazaq is also planning to pick the ticket for the Kwara Central, which Senator Mustapha currently represents.
In Ondo State, sources at the National Assembly revealed that there is a cold war between Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and certain lawmakers from the state and the governor had vowed to deny them return tickets to the federal parliament.
On Thursday, President Tinubu had a closed-door meeting with governors in a move to mend fences ahead of the party primary.
Governors in attendance included Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF), Hope Uzodimma (Imo); his Kwara State counterpart and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq; Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya and Professor Babagana Zulum (Borno).
Others were Benue state governor, Hyacinth Alia (Benue), Ekiti State and Enugu States governors, Biodun Oyebanji among others.
