—To Decide On Zoning Of Party Offices
Barring any last minute changes the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors would be meeting today in Abuja to fine tune all the contentious issues surrounding the National Convention of the ruling party earlier slated for February.
Top on the agenda of the Governors‘ meeting according to a credible source within the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) who does not want his name in print would be the zoning of party offices and a date for the Convention.
There is being a speculation that the National Chairmanship position has been zone to the North Central while the South East got the position of the National Secretary.
The zoning of other party positions would be determined at the Governor’s meeting on Sunday.
There are strong indications that a new date for the much talked about National Convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will be announced next Tuesday by the party’s Caretaker and Extra Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC)
The CECPC had earlier announced during a visit of three Governors of the party, including the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Abubakar Atuku Bagudu of Kebbi state, Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa state and the CECPC chairman, Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe state to President Muhammadu Buhari late 2021 that the convention would take place in February 2022
But with little or no preparation in place for the convention till this this moment, reports emerged early this week that the committee may have shifted the convention to June, a report which has been roundly denied by the committee
Denying the report through a statement he signed Tuesday in Abuja, Secretary of the Caretaker and Extra Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), senator John Akpanudedehe, decribed the report as a “sponsored fake news on APC activities that are simply bent on causing confusion and fomenting crisis through misinformation.”
“As a focus-driven, process-oriented political party, the APC Caretaker Committee under the leadership of Governor Mai Mala Buni will not be distracted by self-serving antics of these sponsors of fake news. The APC Caretaker Committee is already embarking on nationwide consultations with Party stakeholders to prepare the ground for a rancour-free National Convention. To this end, the sub-committee on budgeting and other substructures will be set up in due course.
The Party notes and appreciates the continued support of well-meaning members and leaders as the APC Caretaker Committee undertakes the immediate task of addressing contestations within the Party, litigations, fallouts of recently-conducted Congresses and generally reposition the Party ahead of the National Convention.” The statement stated
This is coming even as some concerned stakeholders of the party have threatened to invoke Article 25 of the APC constitution to organize the party’s planned convention, if the CECPC fails to conduct it in February as it earlier announced
On the possibility of a new date to be announced Tuesday, a source close to the CECPC confirmed to this reporter that the Buni led committee has resolved to conduct the National convention in no distant time
The source who informed that the committee has acknowledged the concern of the party’s numerous stakeholder about the delay in conducting the convention, noted however that the February date has been ruled as it will no longer be feasible
The APC source informed further that Governor Mai Mala Buni and his CECPC members would meet with the convention’s Budget and Finance sub – committee, immediately after its inauguration of Tuesday, adding that it is at that meeting that a new date would be agreed for the convention
“One obvious thing is that the committee has seen the urgent need for the National Convention to hold. It is also obvious that the February date will no longer be feasible, but it must be definitely held before June. So it cannot be delayed further because as I speak with you now, the CECPC has fixed a meeting for Tuesday with the convention Budget and Finance sub – committee, which will also be inaugurated same day”
The APC source, who would not want to be mentioned blamed the delay on intrigues and interest from both the CECPC members who either have their eyes on returning to the elected National Working Committee (NWC) or using the committee to influence their winning poarty tickets ahead of their 2023 ambitions, as well as outside influence from many other stakeholders who also have interest in different elective seats in 2023
In their threat to invoke the party’s Article 25, the stakeholders countered the position of the CECPC that it cannot hold convention without conducting congresses in all states. The committee argued that with Anambra state congresses yet to conducted it would mean leaving stakeholders from the state out should it go ahead with the planned National Convention
But the stakeholders that spoke differently cited article 25 (iii) of the party that states that the party needs only 1/3 of its members for the National Convention to hold.
States like Anambra and Zamfara were yet to conduct their congresses, while states like Lagos, Ogun, Abia, Rivers, Delta, Kano, Bauchi, Enugu, Akwa Ibom and more are said to have factional executives.
It is on these bases that some party members are canvassing for the postponement of the Convention pending when the party would reconcile aggrieved members.
