*Buhari to determine zoning of NWC offices – CECPC
*No, President lacks powers over zoning -Ex NWC member
* Party may adopt consensus option to elect new NWC members
By Ezeocha Nzeh
Even as the party is yet to come out of the deepened crisis that trailed last week’s inauguration of ita State chairmen, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) may yet have been engulfed in another crisis following the decision of the Caretaker and Extra Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) to give President Muhammadu Buhari to the sole mandate to determine the zoning of National Offices as the party gets set for its February 26, National Convention
The Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) had inaugurated the Chairmen under a controversial circumstances, midst tight security, as most of the factional states executives of the party mobilized to disrupt the ceremony
The CECPC having submitted a letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) informing the Commission of its National Convention slated for February 26 is yet to arrive at zoning of National Offices, even as they await a final decision on zoning from President Muhammadu Buhari, the leader of the party this week.
This was revealed by a ranking member of the Caretaker Committee at the weekend
However, in a swift reaction, a former National Working Committee (NWC) member said such action is unconstitutional.
The former NWC member who rather preferred anonymity while condemning the actions of the Caretaker Committee said, “they go.and hold meeting in the villa and come out to address press conference” the president has approved” how can the president approve? The president is not an officer of the party, he is a member of the party. He cannot approve anything. The constitution is very clear on who approves. Only organs of the party approve – the National Executive Committee (NEC) and National Convention.”
The former NWC member also noted that the inauguration of the state party Chairmen carried out by the Caretaker Committee on Thursday has opened a new vista of crisis in the party.
The CECPC member, who also spoke in the condition of anonymity said, “we are expecting to receive the zoning list from the President this week. He is the leader of the party and would decide the zoning.
“It is just the way party members are expecting the President to announce who succeeds him.
The Caretaker member stated further that “nobody zones the NWC offices except the President. The party leadership has been restructured and the President is fully in charge. Anybody who things otherwise is just waisting time. We as Caretaker Committee are not acting independently of the President.
“We know that in zoning, every geopolitical zone will have two NWC members including the National Vice Chairman, which makes it three.”
According to him, “it will be difficult for the APC to have peace with the recent inauguration. “The number of litigations that the party would witness in recent time would be high,” he said.
However, the former NWC member, who warned that states like Zamfara, Abia, Delta, Ogun, Kano, Sokoto, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Anambra, kwara, Gombe and others may implode before the general election., faulted the Caretaker Committee for not to have taken the recommendations of the National Reconciliation Committee led by the former governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, which he said contained the cancellation of some of the State congresses.
His words: “l am afraid of what becomes our party in the few months. The constitution of the party has been so bastardized, which is going to give room for all sorts of litigations.
“The Caretaker Committee only succeeded in handling the party to some individuals in the state, a situation that is unacceptable to the members. You can’t beat a child and say the child should not cry.
“Wahala dey, that’s the problem of asking the governor to run the party. The moment you allow the governors to run the party, you are in for trouble. That was how they decided the faith of ANPP , from 14 Governors to 2 Governors at the time of merger. Even in opposition PDP, there was a time the Governors took control during Amaechi , From that time PDP started going down. It is a matter of discipline , you decide to be firm and not submit to the detect of any Governor but there problem is long throat.”
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“Things have fallen apart, in APC, and the center cannot hold. Because they can’t hold the party together, the center is shaky. They are just deceiving themselves.”
Meanwhile it has been gathered that the party may opt for consensus in picking members of its next National Working Committee on February 26.
Sources close to the presidency revealed at the weekend that the CECPC is in contact with the president over the choice of a consensus candidate for all the NWC offices.
It would be recalled that the APC had used consensus in electing pits officers at the Ward, Local Government and State Congresses
