Former Lagos State governor and leader of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is a factor in who becomes what in the party, including the Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman. But as the APC struggles to remain afloat, in the midst of the defections of its key members, emergence of its BoT leadership, is yet another hurdle as names of the trio of Abubakar Kawu Baraje, Chief Audu Ogbe and Chief Bisi Akande echo loudly in party circles.

The national house of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC)is expectedly hot at the moment. The party faces its last attempt at setting up its national leadership structure, with the expected emergence of its Board of Trustees (BoT) leaders in the next couple of days.

While the party announced the list of a 74-member BoT, including former Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Tom Ikimi, it was shocked that he dumped the party, days later, alleging among other things imposition of leaders on the party.

The reasons advanced by Ikimi were immediately countered by APC's national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegu, who lambasted him over comments that he (Oyegun) was imposed on the party. He said Ikimi was arrogating "to himself an influence he does not have both in Edo State and Nigeria as a whole".

Analysts say the recent exit of Ikimi, Senator Ali Modu Sherrif and Malam Nuhu Ribadu, former Senate Minority leader, Senator Daniel Saror among others from the APC to the ruling PDP are too important factors to ignore and have certainly placed the party on the edge, especially as the general election approaches.

But when the APC announced the constitution of its BoT on August 19, political pundits said the leaders of the party have worked out a scheme on who occupies whatever seat in the party. They believed, constitution of BoT membership was just camouflage, hence the PDP as well as other stakeholders had eyes on them, as a misstep would quite be costly for the party.

Though the BoT is largely seen as advisory, it is expected to intervene in helping the party take decisions on critical issues. Also, its influence most times determine the direction of the party by virtue of its composition. Article 12 of the APC Constitution listed the criteria of the BoT membership including all serving governors of the party as automatic members.

Among the leading contenders for the chairmanship post of the BoT are the trio of past interim national chairman of the party and former governor of Osun State, Chief Bisi Akande; former national chairman of the PDP, but now an opposition APC chieftain, Chief Audu Ogbeh and another former interim national chairman of the PDP, who also defected to the APC, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje. Others in the BoT membership include former Head of State Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and a former Abia State governor Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu.

Others are former Bayelsa State governor Chief Timipreye Sylva, former Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Bello Masari, Senate Minority Leader, Senator George Akume, his counterpart in the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, Alhaji Baba Magaji, Prince Tony Momoh, Alhaji Yusuf Garba Ali, serving governors and past governors of the party.

Although consultations are ongoing among the leaders of the party to decide which of the zones will produce the BoT chairman, but there is allegedly strong consensus in favour of either Akande or Ogbeh from South West and North Central respectively. Also, their interests had pitted prominent leaders of the geopolitical zones against each another.

The BoT was expected to meet last Thursday, but the illness of Tinubu who is outside the country for medical treatment and series of meetings to harmonise positions especially at the zonal level prevented the BoT meeting, a party leader told Weekly Trust in confidence.

An APC chieftain, Senator JKN Waku told Weekly Trust on phone that it is difficult to determine who would emerge the APC BoT chairman, as the process of enthronment is through election and the candidates vying for the seat are "not even clear to me yet".

The APC has unofficially zoned its 2015 presidential ticket to the North, with Governor Kwankwaso, Gen. Buhari and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar among others in strong contention, an indication that should the arragement be formally adopted, the North would produce the next BoT chair in line with set precedents.

But it was gathered that many party leaders prefer Akande. If this calculation works, Baraje would become the BoT Secretary, while Ogbe is to be 'elected' deputy BoT Chairman.

It was gathered that during the national convention of the party, most APC leaders preferred to sink with Tinubu who had wanted Akande returned as its substantive national chairman before the emergence of Oyegun. But many leaders from the North Central were rooting for Baraje, especially the former governor of Kwara State Senator Bukola Saraki; who is also interested in contesing the presidency. Also at the event, Senator Akume fruitlessly blew the trumpet of Chief Ogbe as the APC national chair.

A party source said those who favour Akande in the race for BoT chairmanship have pushed forward his antecedents as the interim national chairman of the party. They cited his dexterity in managing otherwise, explosive issues such as the last national convention of the party as mark of his competence.

However, a party source who pleads anonymity says much as the choice of Akande is ringing bells, but some members of the party are skeptical of his emergence, which would further dent the image of the party, generally branded as a South West/Muslim party, as Nigerians are currently being persuaded to believe. He said, with the unpreparedness of Tinubu to quit as the APC national leader, it would be unreasonable to crown another Yoruba man BoT chairman, adding that it was the same consideration that conceded the seat of Senate minority leader to Senator Akume, from Benue in North Central.

In the same vein, those backing Ogbeh and Baraje feel the opposition party ought to give them the opportunity to serve in the capacity of BoT chair to bring their vast experiences to bear on the affairs of the APC, having both served as former national chairmen of the PDP.

It was also gathered that the chances of the SouthEast producing the chairman of BoT were dashed following the refusal of its top choice candidate, the former national chairman of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, to join the race.

It is expected that the BoT would play a key role in deciding who emerges the party's presidential candidate in the 2015 election.