Convention, says party Secretary .The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has disclosed that the rising insecurity in the country may pose a major challenge to the party’s proposed National Convention in June.
The APC Caretaker and Extra Convention Planning Committee, which was inaugurated in June 2020 with a first six months mandate to organize a National convention that would elect new members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) was later granted another six months extention, which would end in June 12021.
But there has been speculations that the committee is currently lobbying for another six months extention to enable it complete the numerous projects at hand.
National Secretary of the committee, John AkpanUdoedehe, who spoke to journalists after its emergency meeting at the party’s Secretariat on Monday maintained that the committee would not derail from its mandate, adding that the major security challenge in the country has affected a lot programs of the party.
Udeudeghe however noted that the party has not ruled out holding its Convention in June, even as he noted that it can only be upon the agreement and decision of it leaders.
“The meeting was an emergency one item agenda meeting to ratifying the APC FCT Area Council primaries but we had to stem down the item because of the additional information we needed. We have said that if you are to disqualify anybody, the Caretaker Committee must see clearly why it should be so.We are also mindful of the deadline from INEC and have given them time with which to supply us the documents we requested from them.
“We are aware that party members are desiring to hear from the Caretaker Committee. I can tell you that we are looking into so many things and I can tell you that we have to consult extensively before we will do anything. We have major stakeholders like Mr President, Vice President, Governors among others. We have to consult so that when we are coming out there will be no dissenting voice. We are still at the level of concensus.
“We have lots of problems in the country, not only the national Congress of the party. We have serious security issues like the agitations going on the zones.We are very conscious of Nigeria as a country not only the Congresses. We are mindful that our party must be strong. We just welcome the governor of Cross River State and assuming it is Congress, how would we have accommodated him. Be rest assured that the overall interest is paramount to us. We have taken lots of things into consideration to ensure that the party is peaceful and united.
On the just concluded party registration and revalidation exercise, the APC scribe said, “I can inform you authoritatively that registration has ended and we are collating from the committee and over 21 states have submitted. Part of the delay us that some of them are trying to tidy up the report before submitting to the committee.
” I want to assure that there will be no crisis in our party in June. Convention can be done in June and congresses can start and end in June but it all depends on what the leaders of this party agreed upon. This committee is honest and we have never lied to Nigerians. We can always fight and resolve at family level.”
