National Chairman’s call for ‘Owambe Convention’ means APC will pick Yoruba presidential candidate, Gbajabiamila jokes
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, says there are indications already that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will pick its presidential candidate from the South West.
APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu had in his opening remarks at the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, said the party should prepare for an ‘Owambe Convention’.
In his speech, Gbajabiamila joked that using the Yoruba word ‘owambe’ meant that the chairman was sending a message that the party’s presidential flagbearer would be from the South West.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu are the presidential aspirants from the South West.
Gbajibiamila had earlier praised President Muhammadu Buhari for steering the ship of the party to success with his “calm disposition” over the years.
“Mr. President one cannot talk about the success of our party without talking about your success and the governor of Kebbi has captured everything that I could have said and maybe even more regarding how you have steered the ship of our great party. Let me just say that your calm disposition is one for many of us to emulate.
“Mr. Chairman let me pick from your address, you said the party right now should be doing an ‘owambe’, we have so many people who are contesting under our party from the South South, South East and the South West, but that statement of yours that we should be doing an ‘owambe’ is not lost to me because ‘owambe’ is a South West word and the import is very clear as to the direction of the party,” Gbajabiamila said.
He also appealed to the party to give his colleagues in the House of Representatives a level playing ground during the primaries.
“There is only one other important remark I would like to make. Our is a very great party, but the first word in our motto is justice. And we should not just pay lip service to that word in our motto. Justice and equity is what will get us through. I speak in terms of my members of the House of Representatives. I am glad that the chairman of the APC governors’ forum has touched on it. There are indications of many members trying to drift to one party or the other, the reason is very simple, they are very happy in APC, they love the party, they love the principles of the party.
”But like I have always said, survival and self-preservation is the first instinct of any human being. In terms of primaries, please let our members, I am not asking for favours, but let our members have fair share in the primaries. It is too important for this party. I will be knocking on doors of many governors,” he added.
