By Madu Onuorah
In a matter of days or weeks, the National Chairmen of the two main political parties – the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senators Adamu Abdulahi and Dr Iyorchia Ayu respectively will lose their seats.
Global Upfront Newspapers (GUN) can report from dependable sources close to the two parties that arrangements are being concluded to force the two leaders out for political convenience of the two parties.
The two political parties have been engrossed in crises since the National Conventions that produced their flag bearers and they have not been able to achieve the needed cohesion to enter the campaign due to start next month.
The APC wants their National Chairman dropped so that they can bring in a Christian and solve the lopsided all-Muslim structure in the party ahead of the campaign. With the controversial Muslim-Muslim ticket, the ruling party has totally edged out Christians in their system.
The President, the National Chairman, the Senate President, the Speaker and the 2023 Presidential candidate and his deputy are all Muslims. They are facing the challenge of approaching Christian voters with such obvious lopsidedness. As a result, GUN gathered that they want to sacrifice the National Chairman Adamu so that a Christian can be brought in.
The plan which is being designed by the Presidential candidate’s henchmen is also receiving the blessing of the powerful party’s platform, the Progressive Governors Forum who see political sense in the argument.
But other party source told GUN that it would be difficult to remove the National Chairman alone without creating a deeper crisis and that to force the entire National Working Committee (NWC) out is to invite needless protest and litigations which the party cannot afford ahead of major election in six months time.
Our source said that the Governors forum of the party is planning to use the President to persuade the National Chairman who is a serving Senator to make the sacrifice for the party and return to the Senate.
In the opposition PDP, the situation is more dicey as the National Chairman is trying to be obstinate, refusing to make any sacrifice even though his exit is a major condition for peace and harmony.
Governor Nysom Wike of Rivers State, leading six other governors from Abia, Benue, Enugu, Bayelsa, Oyo and Akwa Ibom, is placing the sack of Senator Ayu as condition for peace.
Even though Ayu is trying to resist it, GUN gathered that the critical stakeholders, the Board of Trustees (BOT), the PDP Governors Forum are disposing themselves to sacrificing Ayu for peace.
They are also looking at the possibility of drafting somebody from either South East or South West for proper balancing ahead of the campaign.
GUN learnt that Governor Wike group are routing for former Ondo state Governor Olusegun Mimiko as a replacement while Atiku group are looking at former Osun State Governor Olagunsoye Onyinlola while some group are routing for South East, either former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim or Senator Ben Obi.
But the duo face Herculean task of being tagged saboteurs against the candidacy of the Labour Party Presidential flagbear Peter Obi that is sweeping the country and the region.
Recently, two clergies, Rev Fr Ejike Mbaka of the famous Catholic Adoration Ministry in Enugu was forced to recant his opposition on Obi’s candidacy by the church authorities and even sent him on suspension.
Another clergy, Anglican Archbishop of Enugu, Emmanuel Chukwuma was forced to recant his position that he is not Obident after he faced revolt from his congregation and members of the public who engaged his phone lines permanently raining curses on him.
GUN learnt that either way, the two parties decide to go, their houses will not be the same for the self inflicted problems – APC for their Muslim-Muslim ticket and PDP for violating their constitution’s zoning arrangement.