APC Concerned Members warns Buni led All Progressive Congress Caretaker Committee not to attempt to elongate their tenure in office beyond December and should stop the proposed membership registration.
For the sake of posterity and for the love we share for our great party (APC), we stood our ground effortlessly as group in making sure that the erstwhile APC chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole was removed as the chairman of our great party after being viewed to lack capacity to listen to opposing views within the party and listen to advise from members.
We were part of the court processes and movement leading to Comrade Oshiohmole’s sack from beginning to the end but not the total removal of the National Working Committee. Our expectation was for the most senior party member to be handed over the party leadership as stated by our constitution after the emergency NEC meeting. Even though the meeting was not properly called as all the extant rules for calling such meetings were flouted with refusal to give NEC members adequate notice of 14days.
As loyal party members, even though the composition of the Caretaker Committee was at variance with section 17 (4) of our party’s constitution which states “nobody can hold Executive Position at the same time with Party Position” The party’s National Executive Council breached this same constitution with the imposition of Mai Mala Buni led Caretaker Committee. Remember the word Caretaker is not known to our constitution.
We obeyed the resolution of the NEC meeting as directed by our leader President Muhammadu Buhari after they made the two-resolutions public, which is to reconcile party members in various states of the federation and conduct convention in December 2020. But we were shocked when we read it in the newspapers this thursday that the Caretaker Committee is embarking on new membership registration. The Committee is also planning the dissolution of all Wards, LGA and State Excos and conduct new congresses even though their tenures will not expire till two (2) years’ time, this is absurd.
As to the Committee claims of having finished reconciliation in Ekiti and some other states, the public should know that they have further encouraged crisis in those state chapters than solving problems inherited. A case in point is Zamfara state. Senator Kabir Marafa yesterday exposed the committee’s lies in a statement. He declared that the Buni Committee lied and that the two factions in the state are still very much alive each with its secretariat in operations, likewise in Ekiti Rivers etc.
We are forced to remind the CTC that National Executive Committee (NEC) resolution did not give them such powers to begin new registration of members because none of them were elected without party membership cards. Are Governors Buni, Oyetola,Bello and other members of CTC no longer card carrying members of the party that we now want to give them new membership cards?
All elected members under our party submitted party membership cards to INEC during nomination of candidates because our country’s constitution forbids independent candidacy, so why the rush to discard party register as we battle economic difficulty and with little money in our party’s accounts? Note that all primaries in 2019 and recent ones in Edo and Ondo were done with party register and membership cards
We are aware also that article 13 of our party’s constitution permitted the sacking of Oshiomhole and not the whole National Working Committee members. Is only the National Convention that has the only legitimate right to remove them and not NEC. We later discovered that Mr President was deliberately misled at the NEC meeting by flaunting the party’s constitution to outrightly dissolve the Oshiomhole led NWC because of some powerful interests scheming for 2023 presidency.
It is no longer a secret that some members of the CTC have been bragging about having gotten the nod of the Presidency to extend their mandate till December 2021!!!
Our Demands:
1. The Caretaker Committee should begin the process of convening the National Convention in December with immediate effect.
2. All the permanent party membership cards that were printed and submitted to the party’s National Secretariat by APC Data Center for onward distribution to our members in the Wards, LGA and States should be distributed immediately. Incase they cannot find it; they should request for it at our data center.
3. The incoming National Working Committee should handle the updating of new register if we so need to update one.
4. If our demands are not met, we will have no option than to approach the courts for interpretation of our constitution as it was done before you came onboard and we will occupy our secretariats. The party belongs to us all.
5. The most senior member of sacked Oshiohmole led NWC should be returned as Chairman because that is what our party constitution says.
6. We call on State Chairmen of the parties not to join the illegal registration because is tailored for your removal from office in the long run
The steps of Buni led Caretaker Committee has further left no one in doubt that the committee has lost foothold in the discharge of its duties as unbiased umpires and now interested in squandering the 3.9 Billion Naira left in the Party’s purse which has been depleted daily.
Lastly, we the Concerned APC members call on President Muhammadu Buhari to Call to order the Caretaker Committee before they destroy the image and the goodwill of our great party due to their selfish interests and tenure elongation plot. We will not sit back and allow this to happen to our beloved.
Signed:
OGENYI OKPOKU
2019 Gubernatorial Aspirant for Benue State
For Concerned APC Members