By EMMANUEL MOGBEDE

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has formally inaugurated 18 sub- committees to handle various activities at its presidential primary election special convention slated for June 6 to 8.

Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, the party’s National Chairman inaugurated the committees behind closed doors at its national secretariat on Sunday in Abuja.

The committees and their members are:

Finance and Logistics – Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State.
Accreditation and Decoration – Prince Dapo Abiodun, Governor of Ogun.
Security and Compliance – Rotimi Akeredolu, Governor of Ondo State.

Co-Chair: Gen. Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau (Rtd.), former Minister of Interior.

Election Planning – Abubakar Bagudu, Governor of Kebbi

Co-Chair: Hope Uzodinma, Governor of Imo.

Transportation –Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, Governor of Kano State

Deputy: Dr Ramatu Aliyu, Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory.

Accommodation – Babagana Zulum, Governor of Borno

Co-Chair: Gboyega Oyetola, Governor of Osun.

Media and Publicity- Abdullahi Sule, Governor of Nasarawa State
Medicals – Dr. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment

Co-Chair: Prof. Isaac Adewole, former Minister of Health

Legal: Abubakar Malami SAN, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
Venue and Site Servicing: Bello Matawalle, Governor of Zamfara

Co-Chair: Mohammed Bello, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

Election Appeal – Mai Mala Buni, Governor of Yobe State.
Hospitality and Welfare – Simon Lalong, Governor of Plateau.

Co-Chair: Hajiya Sadiya Farouq, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

Protocols – Aminu Masari, Governor of Katsina State.
Digital Communications – AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Governor of Kwara.
Pre-Convention and Management/ Rapporteur – Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Governor of Kaduna State.

Co-Chair: Dame Pauline Tallen, Minister of Women Affairs.

Presidential Screening Appeal – Abubakar Bello, Governor of Niger State.

Co-Chair: Ahmed Wase, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Accreditation of Diplomats – Ovie Omo-Agege, Deputy President of the Senate.

Co-Chair: Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Gov. Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe is to chair the party’s Budget Committee while the Minister of Finance, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, will serve as the Committee Co-chair.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that though the APC presidential primary election is slated for June 6 to 8, delegates will vote for their preferred aspirants on June 7.

Meanwhile, delegates have started arriving Abuja ahead of the exercise as the party’s national secretariat, located on Blantyre Street in Wuse 2, has become a beehive of activities.

Finishing touches are also being put together at the Eagle Square, venue of the convention, as decorations are currently ongoing, both at the presidential stage and the various bleachers.

Works on the podium are also ongoing at the time of this report.

Investigation by NAN revealed that most hotels in Abuja had been fully booked ahead of time, while security operatives were seen around the Eagle Square keeping surveillance.

No fewer than 2,340 delegates from the 774 Local Government Areas in the country and Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are expected to cast their votes to elect the APC’s 2023 presidential candidate.

Though, 23 presidential aspirants bought the party’s presidential Expression of Interest and Nomination forms to contest the presidency, 13 were cleared by the John Odigie-Oyegun presidential screening committee.

President Muhammadu Buhari, at a dinner with the party’s presidential aspirants on Saturday, backed the rotation of power to the Southern part of the country in 2023.

This limited the numbers of aspirants that would be contesting the party’s 2023 presidential ticket at the primary to those from the South.

NAN also reports that 11 governors from the North had in a statement on Saturday, announced their decision to support power shift to the South after the end of the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The governors, while urging presidential aspirants from the northern part to step down from the 2023 presidential race, said, ”the decision to support power shift to the South is in the best interest of the country”.

As political permutations and calculations continued ahead of the primary election, it is expected that the number of the party’s presidential aspirants would be further brought down. (NAN)

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