Four APC Presidential Aspirants Want Convention Shifted to Abuja or Edo state.

Indications emerged yesterday that disagreements  is brewing in the camps of the four of the five presidential aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the plan by the party leadership to shift the venue of its national convention.

Consequently, the four aspirant shave petitioned the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, demanding that the venue of the party’s national convention be shifted from Lagos to Abuja.

The four aspirants, including former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; Kano State Governor, Alhaji, Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso; Leadership Publisher, Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah and Imo State Governor, Chief Rochas  Okorocha, are also seeking the cancelation of the delegates’ list from 37 Local Council Development Authorities  (LCDAs) of Lagos State which formed part of the list of delegates for the national convention.

The argument by the four aspirants was that the LCDAs were not recognised by the constitution and that they were not in the know how the said delegates emerged.

The petition, handed to Oyegun, was also copied to all members of the party’s National Working Committee(NWC).

A source in the party, however,  said its leadership had scheduled a meeting for Monday to address the issues raised in the petition.

It was learnt that the letter, signed by the four aspirants was handed over to the national chairman at his official residence in  Asokoro, Abuja last Saturday, while the NWC members were also copied.

The aspirants were concerned that the delegates list from Lagos included members from the 37 non-constitutionally recognised development areas of the state areas whereas only 20  local governments are recognised from Lagos state in the 1999 Constitution.

One of the party’s chieftains who is close to one of the aspirants also said monday that the presidential aspirants, except General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) have rejected the delegates list from Lagos State.

He stated that the presidential aspirants alleged that someone might have sat somewhere to draw up the list.
Besides, a source said yesterday that some of the aspirants are contemplating  a court case if the party insists on using the list from the 37 unrecognised local councils.

Said a source: “One of the steps being contemplated is the possibility of filing a court case if the NWC fails to act quickly on the matter.”

The aspirants are insisting that rather than take the convention to Lagos, the event should hold in Eagle Square, Abuja after the convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) .

A source in the know further said: “The aspirants are insisting that the convention can hold after that of the PDP and that they are ready  to wait until the venue in Abuja is free. In the alternative, they also suggested that the venue can be shifted to Benin City, Edo State to avid any further acrimony.”