From Fred Itua, Abuja

Governors, federal lawmakers and other critical stakeholders have commenced intense lobby for the membership of consensus committee ahead of the presidential primaries of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

This as the National Working Committee (NWC) awaits the position of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on zoning to enable it constitute its own committee on zoning.

Last week, National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, told party members and stakeholders that the APC was yet to take a position on zoning but did not rule it out.

He had said: “I am today privileged to be the Chairman of the party. The party is greater than me. The party has not made a decision and I cannot preempt what the party’s decision will be.”

Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State had, just before the party’s national convention, revealed that the swapping of national offices was an indication of where its presidential candidate would come from.

The ruling party swapped its national offices between North and South. The office was hitherto occupied by South South.

According to party sources, the APC, in line with previous arrangements, would constitute a committee, likely to be headed by a governor or a federal lawmaker. He said the committee would submit its report to the NWC, which now wields the powers of the National Executive Committee (NEC), after which a position on zoning would he taken.

Already, governors and some senators are lobbying to be appointed chairman of members of the committee.

The source said Adamu and his ranking NWC members, who are former lawmakers, may settle for a serving National Assembly member. The source, however, declined to reveal when the committee would be constituted.

The APC, like the PDP, is expected to conduct its presidential primaries at the end of the month, before the deadline issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

On the tactic employed by the APC, the source said: “The major threat to APC’s victory is the PDP. The party is fully aware and doesn’t want to take chances. That’s why it is foot-dragging.

“If the PDP zones its presidential ticket to the South, the APC may throw its doors open and covertly support a Northern candidate to emerge.

“But if the PDP leaves open, the APC will do same. The problem is that, if the PDP doesn’t work in line with the body language of President Muhammadu Buhari, he may overrule them. Buhari wants the presidential ticket zoned to the South.”

Giving credence to claims made by the source, former Leader of the Senate and Director-General of Rotimi Amaechi Presidential Campaign Organisation, Mohammed Ali Ndume, said there was an agreement in 2015 that power will be ceded to the South after North’s eight years.

Ndume said: “It will be unfair, an injustice and almost a betrayal of trust and a gentleman man agreement if the presidency isn’t zoned to the North.

“We had an agreement, though not written in 2015 that the North should produce the President. That was why all the presidential aspirants were from the North: Atiku, Nda Isaiah, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Muhammadu Buhari, all contested.

“Only Rochas Okorocha just participated because he already had the governorship ticket in his pocket. He just participated for the sake of it because Buhari even won in Imo State. That was why no aspirants contested from South West, South South and South East.

“I believe in justice. I am not against anybody from the North contesting. t is their constitutional right.”

Former minister of national planning and current Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Professor Abubakar Suleiman, told Daily Sun zoning was in order.

He said only three regions were yet to produce a president since 1999 and should, therefore, be considered by the ruling apc and the opposition PDP.

He listed North East, North Central and North East.

“In the interest of fairness, these three zones should be considered,” he said.