Following the commencement yesterday of the sale of nomination forms to presidential aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the leadership of the opposition party has started consulting with key stakeholders to get their buy-in and reach a compromise on plans for its presidential primary.

Saraki: Party will emerge stronger after convention

According to the APC timetable for the conduct of primaries for the 2015 elections, the expression of interest forms for all offices went on sale from yesterday.

We also gathered that due to the fast-approaching Adamawa governorship by-election scheduled for Saturday, the party’s leadership has planned a final rally to hold tomorrow in Yola.

All critical stakeholders from the Adamawa State chapter of the party are expected to participate in the rally.

It was learnt that part of consultations being held by the national leadership is aimed at determining how to further scale down the number of delegates that will participate in electing the party's presidential candidate during the December 2 National Convention to about 10,000.

Since the adoption of the modified direct primaries by APC's National Executive Committee (NEC), there have been divergent views from the camps of the party’s two prominent presidential aspirants – former military Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar – regarding the method for choosing the APC’s standard bearer for the 2015 presidential election.

While Buhari and his supporters have called for the adoption of consensus arrangement as stipulated in Article 20 of APC Constitution and Section 87(6) of the Electoral Act, Atiku has insisted on the efficacy of allowing contestants to face each other in a transparent presidential primary.

For the Buhari group, instead of flexing muscles via an indirect primary and causing disaffection amongst the stakeholders, it would be more pragmatic if the party brokered a consensus agreement that would give opportunity for the aspirant with the best credentials to emerge as the presidential candidate.

However, Atiku has challenged Buhari to be ready to face him in a free and fair presidential primary, adding that it is the delegates that will determine who wins the ticket through the primary.

We gathered that though the party is still proceeding with preparations for the primary, it is concerned about the divergent positions held by the two leading figures in the party.