APC North East Zonal Consultative Meeting: Damage Control, Unity, and Presidential Ambitions

Strategic Insights -

The Sunday, 15th June, consultative meeting of the North East Zonal consultative meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Gombe state capital, Gombe, was chaired and convened by Yobe state Governor Mai Mala Buni. The meeting, which momentarily rose in temper, had a crème de la crème of the party in attendance, including national and state legislators, leaders, and elders. Vice President Kashim Shettima, Sen. Ali Ndume, and Hon. Mukhtar Betar were unavoidably absent, but sent their apologies. Governor Buni set the agenda, commending the national leadership for creating a platform at the zonal level to take stock and analyze the party's achievements and challenges. He eulogized politicians from the North East bloc for their role in Nigerian politics, highlighting the party's commitment to promoting good governance, service delivery, and building unity.

Key Takeaways:

  • Governor Mai Mala Buni was the chief convener and host of the meeting, which had a large turnout of national and state legislators, leaders, and elders from the North East zone.
  • The meeting was perturbed momentarily by a disruption, but Governor Buni's intervention and damage control measures calmed the nerves and ensured the meeting continued.
  • Governor Buni praised the national leadership for creating a platform at the zonal level, highlighting the party's commitment to promoting good governance, service delivery, and building unity.
  • The governor commended the National Chairman for the continuity in building the party's fortunes, including recent defections, and expressed optimism that APC would continue to be Nigeria's darling political party.
  • Buni lauded the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration's reforms and called for the zone to support and cooperate with the federal government and security agencies to tackle security challenges in the North East.
  • The governor advised the zone to focus on promoting the values that unite them, addressing wranglings, giving party supporters a sense of belonging, and improving the reward system.
  • Analysts posit that Governor Buni's quality leadership and experience as Chairman of the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee helped resolve life-threatening differences in the party, winning three serving governors and millions of supporters from the PDP.

Statistics:

  • At least 500 top personalities attended the meeting from Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe states.
  • The party has had a significant number of defections into the APC in recent times, with millions of supporters and top personalities joining the party.

Sources:

  • [National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC)]
  • [Yobe State Government]
  • [Gombe State Government]
  • [President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Office]
  • [Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Communication]