Mustapha: Why Should the Next APC National Chairman Come From North Central?

Saliu Mustapha, a candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC) national championship, said over the weekend that the country’s north-central geopolitical zone is best qualified to produce the party’s next National Chairman.

Mustapha spoke to a group of journalists in Lagos, where he also stated that if given the opportunity to become the party’s next national chairman, he would ensure that the practice of imposing candidates during elections is abolished, as it is one of the main causes of election rigging.

“The APC as a political party was formed by a coalition of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) led by former Lagos State governor Bola Tinubu, the Congress of Progressives Change (CPC) led by President Muhammadu Buhari, and the New Peoples Democratic Party (NPDP), a faction of the PDP led by defecting governors of Sokoto State, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal,” Mustapha said. Bukola Saraki, Chibuike Amaechi, and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP)

“So far, President Buhari of the CPC has held the presidency, while Prof. Yemi Osinbajo of the ACN has served as Vice President and Speaker of the House of Representatives. “With Ahmad Lawan, the ANPP produced the Senate President,” he said.

He went on to say that the North-central zone deserves to produce the APC national chairman because it determines the outcome of all presidential elections in the country.

“Though there is no official zoning of the party’s offices for the national convention in the run-up to the 2023 election, we are certain that it will be zoned to the North-central zone,” Mustapha says.

Mustapha stated that it will be up to the CPC stakeholders to decide who will be the next national chairman of the party.

He stated that the North-central zone has paid close attention to be noticed, keeping in mind the zone’s role in the zone’s political history in determining the central party.

Mustapha expressed his ambitions by saying that “all that is big in the APC has endorsed him,” and that he will work to ensure that the party promotes equity.

He also stated that if elected as the party’s chairman, he would work to bring the various factions together.

Mustapha, who previously served as the CPC’s deputy national chairman, believes he has what it takes to take the party to the next level.

“I have been endorsed by every well-meaning stakeholder,” he said, “and that is why I am motivated in this race.”

“As CPC’s former deputy national chairman, I oversaw the merger. In Kwara APC, no one is older than me. They were all at the party when I arrived.

“I’ve kept my neutrality, and I’m hoping that being elected chairman of the party will be my first legal step toward reuniting the party’s factions.” All hands must be on deck.

“Having played a key role in the merger, I decided to run for the position of APC national chairman because I believe we don’t have the best.”

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“I’ve accumulated enough experience and goodwill. I want to see a party that is based on fairness, equity, and justice, not one that is based on oppression.”

He insisted that he was never intimidated in the race, which is dominated by former governors and senators, and that ideology should be the primary consideration when selecting an APC chairman.

“I’m not intimidated by titles; I bow to superior argument,” he says. It is ideas that are in charge. “I’m excited to work with all of these fellow aspirants, who I believe are key stakeholders,” he said.

“Our problems aren’t the ones that will split the party. People are begging to join us because we have been able to manage our challenges.”

He promised to end the practice of imposing candidates during elections, claiming that “this is the main reason for rigging because a candidate who is not popular has been imposed.”