WHY SENATOR UMAR TANKO AL-MAKURA REMAIN THE BEST AND TRUSTED PERSON TO LEAD APC:

Al-makura is the leader APC needs at the moment, with available data showing that he is an outstanding personality who has the capacity to properly lead the party.”

Sen Tanko Al-makura was well known as an efficient result-driven governor during his tenure and he is an exceptional man who deserves recognition and respect. He recorded huge successes as a governor in the areas of capital and human developments through good governance.

Giving insights into the process leading to the merger of the legacy parties that gave rise to the formation of the APC, President Muhammadu Buhari, reminiscing in a foreword to a book, “Power of Possibility and Politics of Change in Nigeria” written by the immediate past Director-General of Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Comrade Salihu Mohammed Lukman, who said all the four parties came to the “painful realisation” that none of them could defeat PDP as separate entities, hence the need for them to merge.

Throwing more light on the matter,, the president was quoted as saying: “At one point, we in the four former opposition parties, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), came to the painful realisation that there was no way we could defeat the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as separate entities without coming together as a united force.

“So, having agreed to come together, we decided to set up committees to look into how we can best merge to form a formidable opposition party. After that each of the four parties developed the terms of reference for the committees on the modalities of the negotiations for the merger.

“We, however, made it clear that none of the committees has the power to take any final decision on the merger. Their work was mainly to discuss with their party members and report the outcome of the discussion to the leadership of their parties”

Subsequently, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), registered the APC on July 31, 2013 as announced by the then secretary to the commission, Abdullahi Kaugama.

Indeed, for Al-makura, this merger which his former party, the CPC entered into, remains evergreen because it presents to him equal footing as a founding member of the APC. Certainly, Al-Makura was integral to all the meetings and decisions that were taken, towards the formation of the APC. He is indeed, an apostle of the policy and philosophy thrust of the APC, whose words, actions and body language, constitutes the cement binding the ruling party into a formidable political party, not the usual alliance solely for the purpose of power.
As far as the APC is concerned, Senator Al-makura has paid his dues. From providing the platform for the CPC to join the negotiations, being the only governor from the party, Al-makura has continued to serve the party diligently and with unalloyed loyalty..

It suffice to say that, in deference to this selfless commitment to the party, the APC has always found Al-makura worthy of undertaking certain national assignments. .

In fact, barely one week after the APC was registered, Al-makura agreed to host the maiden meeting of the APC Governors Forum in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital. This was against the backdrop of expectations from stakeholders who have resolved that the ideals of the merger must be realized by state governments on the platform of the new party, to convince Nigerians that the party has their interests at heart.
Speaking to journalists on the agenda of the meeting, then governor Al-makura, posited that the registration of the APC marked the beginning of challenges.
“We did not go into this historic merger just because we want to win an election. It is not just for the fun of it, or even changing the PDP as a government.

There is something more fundamental about the mere change we are seeking. We must have a different system from what we are trying to change to justify the essence of this merger. Already we have made history by having the very first ideal merger in this country. What happened since independence have been alliances and accords which brought about the amalgamation of various interests together, for the purpose of winning votes. And that is why such accords frittered as soon as elections were over.”

He said for the APC, a fundamental issue is to try and sensitize and enlighten the people about the party’s philosophies, values and ideologies.
Al-Makura said the agenda of the meeting is only one.

“We have only one agenda; moving the country forward in a more acceptable, democratically and constitutional manner. We are going to further fine tune it into a forum where we as governors of APC will be sitting to share views, ideas, exchange ideas so that by our actions, programmes and activities, our disposition as governors, we will be identical; we are going to discuss how we will further the implementation of social justice.”

Then again, in May, 2018 precisely, Al-makura was appointed by the APC to chair the party’s five-member primary election committee to elect the APC flag bearer for the 2018 Ekiti governorship election, after the party declaried that it has no preferential candidate.
Then National Organizing Secretary of the party, Senator Osita Izunaso, who stood in for the national chairman of the party, charged the committee to be fair to all contestants in the Ekiti State guber election.

“If we conduct a transparent primary, any aspirant that wins will surely become the next governor of Ekiti state… The party has no preferred candidate, there is no such thing in our lexicon. It does not exist. All aspirants are equal until after the election” Izunaso stated.
In his response, then governor Al-makura, as the Chairman of the Primary Election Committee thanked the party for considering members of the committee worthy to carry out the critical and important assignment at that point in time.

“As far as we are concerned, we consider this assignment as a family affair which has to be done in strict conformity with our party’s guidelines and the constitution. I wish to assure the National Working Committee that by the special Grace of God, we as members of the Ekiti governorship primary will do justice to this exercise.

“We will ensure free and fair election, conformity and adherence to all the guidelines so that by the time the exercise is over, the party will become stronger and more cohesive. This will be the beginning of the assurance of our great party to reclaim the mandate in Ekiti state” he stated.

As promised, Al-makura successfully carried out the assignment and APC went ahead to win the guber election in Ekiti State.

Also, and ahead of the 2019 general election, the party still found Al-makura worthy to lead the Post Primary Reconciliation Committee of the APC for the Northeast states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe.
This was in the attempt to resolve conflicts that erupted during the party primaries.

Al-makura, who was in Bauchi to address the cases that erupted from Bauchi and Gombe states respectively, said the committee was in the state with a view to addressing and resolving all emergent issues after the party primaries and also to actualise effective reconciliation of all aggrieved parties.
While assuring all aggrieved aspirants of fair hearing and justice, he said the intention was to engage and interact with them with a view to promoting amicable resolution and better understanding within the APC family.
“I want to assure you that me and my colleagues we will discharge our duties with high sense of responsibility, without fear or favour, we will be just and fair by giving everyone of you a fair hearing, at the end of the day we will articulate all the views and positions put before us and make necessary recommendations to the progress of our great party,” he stated.

Al-makura said the reconciliation process was dear and important to the party because the party need the full support of its members in the north east to effectively execute its plan to retain political power in 2019.

“The party and President Muhammadu Buhari holds you, in Bauchi State, and the North east zone in very high esteem. We rely on your support to succeed,” Al-makura was then quoted as saying.
Being a former governor and now senator, Al-makura has continued to wax stronger as a true apostle and ambassador of the APC. He remains at the forefront of defending and projecting the ideals of the party especially on the floor of the Red Chamber, where he has continued to do the APC proud through engaging in robust debates on pressing national issues, as well as propounding bills that have impact on the lives of Nigerians.

Thus, it’s no wonder that Almakura’s name continue to feature prominently among those contesting to occupy the seat of the National Chairman of the APC. With such a towering profile, Al-makura is sure to dwarf any contender, especially that he was part and parcel of the process that gave birth to the APC.

Not only that, two of the four legacy parties namely ACN and ANPP, have alternately produced previous national chairmen of the party. John Odigwe Oyegun was the first national chairman of the APC. He held the office from July 2013 to July 2018. He was a member of the defunct ANPP. On the other hand, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who succeeded Oyegun, was from the defunct ACN. He was in office July 24, 2018 to June 16, 2020. Even the current National Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee Chairman, Mai Mala Buni, is of the ANPP extraction.

It’s generally agreed therefore, that the next national chairman of the party, should come from the defunct CPC block, especially that President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure is coming to an end come 2023.

That aside, Al-makura has the character and temperament, to knit the party together and to ensure success of the APC in 2023. He has been under intense tutelage under the founder and leader of the defunct CPC, President Muhammadu Buhari. It’s agreeable that, with Buhari out of the political sphere come 2023, Senator Al-makura will necessarily fit in as the right replacement, as far as maintaining the core values that necessitated the formation of the APC is concerned..

None among those aspiring to occupy the exalted position of the national chairman of the APC could attempt to match such towering credentials and to compete favourably with Senator Al-makura, the new APC bride..

No wonder that his recent declaration in Lafia, to gun for the position of the national chairman of the APC, reverberated through the length and breadth of the country. Al-makura indeed, has the golden key that will unlock the immense potentials of the APC to grow into the truly largest political party in Africa. .

Already, he enjoins tremendous support from across the country but particularly from his home state, where his successor and Governor of Nasarawa State, Engineer Abdullahi Sule, has continuously made case for the party to zone the position of the national chairman of the APC to the North Central geopolitical zone..

Engineer Sule has on many occasions, thrown his weight behind Al-makura emergence as the next national chairman of the party. .

Declaring his interest to seek to occupy the position of the national chairman of the APC, Senator Al-makura in Lafia recently, said his aspiration was borne out of his commitment to further project the good works of President Muhammadu Buhari..

He spoke at the grand finale of the party’s local government elections campaign rally for the Nasarawa South senatorial district, which held in Lafia..

“I feel this time is auspicious. And the venue of this grand finale is important. Today, I take the opportunity of this event to make a declaration of my aspiration to contest for the office of APC national chairman in the coming convention..

“I consider this important because this is my base. This is my local government where my ward and even the zonal headquarters is. This is where my umbilical cord that gave rise to my political aspiration is..

“I, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, wish to contest for the position of APC chairman. I am doing this to ensure cohesion, party unity, ensure that those values and attributes that came with the emergence of the legacy parties are kept alive,” he stated..

Though it is clear there are some Aspirants aspiring to occupy the position of the national chairman of the APC, but truly when the chips are down, only Senator Al-makura can fit the cap.

*Garkuwan Giza*