APC National Chairmanship: Ebri Tipped As Oyegun’s Successor

As the search for the next chairman of the All Progressives Congress continues, Clement Ebri, former Cross River State governor, has been tipped to replace outgoing John Odigie-Oyegun.

Ebri, who has been in active politics for more than 28-years, is a chieftain of the APC in Cross River state.

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The candidature of the national chairmanship position has been zoned to the south-south.

The new chairman will emerge when the party holds its national election this June.

The development comes on the heels of President Muhammadu Buhari’s annulment of the decision by the NEC, at its last meeting in Abuja, to extend its tenure till June 2019.

Speaking at the APC NEC meeting last week, Buhari said that the decision was against the provisions of APC’s constitution and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

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According to the president, members of the NEC who are interested in contesting elective and public offices are expected to resign first before participating in the process in order to create a level playing field.

As learnt by THE WHISTLER, Ebri is being considered by critical stakeholders of the party, because he fits the bill as a candidature that will serve as a rallying point for the vast majority of the party leaders and members.

He was governor of Cross River state on the platform of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) from 1992 to 1993.

Ebri, who joined the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA) and became the national chairman from 2008 to 2009, also served as chieftain in the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Meanwhile, it is being gathered that Ebri may face stiff competition from former governor of Edo state, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who is being pressured to throw his hat in the ring.

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However, his candidature, as feared, could be imperiled on two flanks.

The first, is the fact that he is from the same state with the incumbent, Odigie-Oyegun and an attempt to seek the office may be interpreted as a manifestation of treachery that had underlined relationship between them.

Also, according to a source, many in the APC see the former Edo governor as stubborn, independent-minded and temperamental in nature, a trait that could pitch him against the establishment.

What would determine who gets the nod will be a combination of his political antecedents and the final say of President Buhari who, as learnt, wants to install his own national chairman that will give him complete loyalty.

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