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It's believed that the South-East zone of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has its eyes set on the positions of Senate President and Secretary to the Government of the Federation if the presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, wins the 2023 general elections.
This development was revealed by a top chieftain of the party in the South-East.
The source, who craved anonymity, disclosed that a delegation has been scheduled to present the demands to Tinubu when he returned to the country from his France trip, The Punch reports.
“If the South-West has the presidency while both the North-West and North-East are still negotiating for running mate, it is only fair to allow the South-East take the senate presidency and SGF,” he said.
However, the Deputy National Chairman (South) and former South-East chairman of the party, Emmanuel Enekwu, denied having knowledge of any agitation for senate presidency or SGF from his region.
He said, “I have no knowledge of such demands. The APC has not started allocating offices to any region or persons. Our interest is how to win elections because you can’t share offices without winning elections.
“We have a presidential candidate that demands that all hands must be on deck. Nobody enjoys any booty or loot before the war. That can only happen after the hostility ends.
But, according to The Punch, Enekwu couldn't rule out such a move after he was reminded that sources have confirmed negotiations were ongoing by top APC chieftains from the South-East region.
The South-East APC chairman, Dr Ijeomah Arodiogbu, also said, “I cannot say I am unaware the zone desires some inclusiveness in the incoming administration. However, I have not been consulted on the exact position they are looking at. I believe that the incoming president will be fair enough to consider the zone for some arrangements but we have not asked for the specific positions.”
Arodiogbu also confirmed that the presidential flag-bearer had recently met with the zonal caucus of the party.
He added, “That was shortly after the primary. He met with the South-East caucus, ably led by Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State. He (Tinubu) consulted with us and pleaded for our support at the 2023 general elections.
“We assured him that he will receive our maximum support in our zone. We had a very robust conversation with him. But we didn’t go as far as asking for any specific positions. I believe he knows the right thing to do.”
Tinubu is currently in France where he's believed to be having further consultations before deciding on his choice of running mate ahead of the 2023 election.