New Telegraph gathered yesterday that the race for the position has been narrowed down to three candidates from whom the President-elect and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will pick a successor to the incumbent, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim. Among the trio is National Chairman of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and onetime governor of old Abia State, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu.
Also being considered for the position are a former governor of Anambra State, Senator Chris Ngige, who lost his reelection bid on March 28 and Mr. Uche Nwosu, who is being sponsored by his father-in-law, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State. Although, the party is not adopting the concept of zoning in the sharing of the offices, it was learnt that the South-East is favoured for the job.
It was learnt that the failure of the APC in the South-East to produce a returning member of the Senate and House of Representatives denied the zone the opportunity to produce either the Senate president or the Speaker of the House of Representatives. A senior member of the party confided in New Telegraph that the technical disqualification of the South-East from producing the head of the either chamber of the National Assembly informed conceding the SGF slot to the South-East.
Multiple sources in the APC said Onu was favoured to clinch the coveted office, being the choice of the party leadership, having contributed to the fusion of the legacy parties. “Onu is steadfast and has contributed to the growth of the APC.He was the ANPP national chairman when the parties fused to become APC,” a source said. Buhari and the National Leader of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu, have bought into the Onu’s candidacy.
According to one of the sources, Buhari respects Onu and Tinubu. His associates are also comfortable with Onu’s candidacy. Those pushing for Onu said it was only fair for him to emerge the SGF as the two of the legacy parties of the APC – Congress for Progressive Congress (CPC) and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) – have produced the president and vice-president while the ANPP occupied no influential office for now.
“You know there were three legacy parties that fused to become APC. Already, the CPC produced General Muhammadu Buhari as President-elect while the defunct ACN has produced the Vice- President-elect in Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.
So, only the ANPP has been left out of sharing of sensitive offices. That is why we are supporting Onu for the office,” a member of the APC Board of Trustees (BoT) told New Telegraph. Onu, 63, graduated with First Class Honours degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Lagos in 1976. In 1980, he obtained his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of California, UC Berkeley, California, USA.
He was pioneer Head, Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Port Harcourt and Acting Dean, Faculty of Engineering in 1985. Ngige, a former governor of Anambra State, is also pushing for the office. The senator would have had the opportunity of vying for the Senate presidency if he had won his re-election on March 28.
The failure of the medical doctor-turned politician to be re-elected and ensure that the APC made impact in the general elections in Anambra State has been his major undoing.
Those kicking against the choice of Ngige are saying that the former governor did not add value to the emergence of APC presidency. His traducers are saying he “can’t be trusted with such office.” Okorocha, who has assumed the leadership of the APC in the South- East, is also pushing for the candidacy of his sonin- law.
Nwosu holds dual office in the Imo State Government. He is the Deputy Chief of Staff (Administration) and the Commissioner for Lands and Urban Planning. He is a graduate of Urban and Regional Planning. Nwosu, 39, graduated from the Imo State University in 2000 with a degree in Estate Surveying.
He has worked all his life with Okorocha as a personal aide. In 2012, Nwosu married Okorocha’s eldest daughter, Uloma. Party leaders and stakeholders are not buying into Okorocha’s candidacy.
“The office is not a family business. He can’t impose his son-in-law on the party. What experience has Nwosu got to be made SGF? I can tell you that Okorocha’s choice for the SGF can’t fly,” a source said.
The names of APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers and the incumbent Secretary to the Borno State Government (SSG), Ambassador Ahmed Jidda, had initially featured as possible choices of the President- elect.
At a point, Dr. Hakeem Baba Ahmed, a retired Permanent Secretary and former Secretary of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), joined the race for the coveted seat.
New Telegraph learnt that Odigie-Oyegun’s bid was shot down by some powerful forces in the party on account of age. Oyegun is 75 while the President-elect is 72. “We will be sending a wrong signal out of running a gerontocracy. Buhari is 72 and you want to pick an SGF who is 75.
The office of SGF is demanding and needs a young man. Some of us have drawn the attention of the party leadership to this age issue. Don’t forget that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) made issue out of Buhari’s age in the course of electioneering,” a source told New Telegraph.
The candidature of Amaechi, who served as Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, was dropped because of “his controversial and temperamental nature whereas the office of the SGF demands a high level of maturity and levelheadedness.”
Jidda was dropped as the North-East is expected to produce the leadership of either the Senate or the House of Representatives. In the outgoing government of President Goodluck Jonathan, the South- East has occupied the SGF office for four years.
Meanwhile, senior lawyers from the South- West are scrambling for the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice.
A source told New Telegraph that the South-West is likely to fill the ministerial slot. Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), is one of those being tipped for the job. Former President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) is also being mentioned as a likely candidate, if he gets ministerial nomination.
Akeredolu was the APC standard bearer in the Ondo governorship election in 2012. His law partner, Chief Akin Olujinmi, was also former AGF. Another likely candidate, Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), is being backed by Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi. Akintola is likely to be the state’s ministerial nominee.
Human rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), is also said to be interested in the office. He hopes to be nominated for the Ekiti State slot. It was learnt that Osinbajo would make input into the choice of the AGF.
-New Telegraph