The All Progressives Congress in Diaspora Network (APC-DiNET) has called on the ruling party to cancel its proposed February 26th national convention date.
According to a statement signed by Dr. Makama Omeri, the Coordinator, APC-DiNET, United Kingdom, the move would be in the best interest of the party and nation.
Omeri said failure to consider another date for the convention could ultimately hamper the party’s chances at next year’s general elections and truncate the nation’s democracy.
The Diaspora group also cited the Electoral Act Amendment Bill as a lingering issue that could affect the convention.
Following the amendment of the mode of primaries, Omeri noted that the process between the transmission to the Presidency and assent could take more than the six weeks slated for the APC convention.
The APC-DiNET also lamented unresolved congresses in many states of the federation as well as other unresolved disputes.
Under the prevailing circumstances, Omeri said it is “absolutely mindless, insensitive and counterproductive to hastily fix APC national convention date in six weeks from today”.
The APC-DiNET, therefore, called for a revisit and extension of the national convention date of February 26,2022 to allow space and time to fraternally resolve pending crises issues
Read full statement below:
The APC In Diaspora Network (APC-DiNET) heartily felicitates with all the leaders and members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), home and abroad in the New Year! May the New Year splash endless blessings on us and Nigeria.
We also fully identify and support the very genuine commitment of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee’s (CECPC), leadership, led by the Yobe State Governor, His Excellency, Alhaji Mai Mala Buni to reposition, strengthen, deepen internal democracy within the Party and the reconciliatory initiatives within our great Party ahead of 2023 general elections. Sir, you are a worthy leader, with a wisdom only akin to King Solomon.
APC- DiNET is more excited at the efforts of the Buni -led CECPC to enthrone credible leaderships for APC at lower levels. But we are also convinced that this can only be done after the proper internal assignment of sanitisation of the APC is completed in order to lay a template that will vigorously pursue, sustain and entrench the consolidation of democracy in Nigeria, as we unstoppably coast to landslide electoral victories in 2023 at all levels.
Therefore, APC- DiNET finds it incongruent with subsisting realities, the impromptu decision of CECPC to suddenly fix the APC national convention date on February 26, 2022, to crown the process of electing new set of leaders for our great Party which started last year. The CECPC’s adoption of the timetable for the APC national convention at its 19th regular meeting this week, held in Abuja has raised fresh pertinent issues pregnable with implosive signals, if the national leadership of the Party fails to reconsider a reversal or ignore them for convenience .
And topmost on the sensitive issues is the uncertainties and controversies which have engulfed the clause of ” Direct or Indirect Party Primary Elections” as contemplated by the National Assembly ( NASS) in the Electoral Act 2021 (as amended). It created a cold war between the executive and the legislature. We dare say, these issues have not been finally resolved; but unfortunately, the APC national convention depends on its template.
However, within the week, NASS took a bold step to clear the impasse on the Bill by expunging the “Direct Primaries ” clause from the Electoral Act 2021 (as amended). It’s expected that the Bill will again be forwarded to the Presidency, together with the other knotty clauses for Presidential assent. We feel, the time- lag of six weeks slated for APC national convention is extremely limited for the Bill to journey to the Presidency and back to NASS to invoke its veto powers, (if necessary) to pass the Bill into law for the ruling APC to contemplate a national convention, which is dependant on it.
Also, an insight into the concluded APC State Congresses nationwide indicate a troubling hangover of unresolved issues in many states of the federation. Some of these pending cases are premised on claims of inconclusive Party Primaries or wrong adoption of zoning or use of consensus principle. These have thrown up multiple legal issues to the legitimacy of the exercises in such states. Other lingering cases also dwell on unresolved disputes or intra-party rivalries in some of the states, which have also graduated into litigations and resultant court injunctions!
APC- DiNET belives, under the prevailing circumstances, its absolutely mindless, insensitive and counterproductive to hurriedly fix APC national convention date in six weeks from today. More so, without amicably and conclusively resolving these internal Party crises. Indeed, proceeding with the February 26, 2022 date for APC national convention with these serious issues is ill-timed, thoughtless on the part of CECPC and a recipe for an unimaginable magnitude of crises which have the potential to sprout more disaffection, enmity and bad – blood within the ranks of our great Party. This is not a good omen for our Party and reason the national convention date should be revisited before we fall prey into the membership drive and harvesting fields of the opposition elements!
APC-DiNET is not only keen on the progress of our great Party back home under President Muhammadu Buhari, GCON and Gov. Buni; but it also monitors the Party’s reformative transformations under CECPC’s leadership. Its doing a wonderful job, which should not be truncated now for whatever urgency. It is incumbent on all of us to dodge, avoid and support the APC to skip the traps of yesterday, which slammed a CECPC on our laps. We are consciously heading on this path again and and therr is every need to be cautious!
We are not unmindful of the apparent vestiges of PDP in our midst, which are discreetly playing the cards of spoilers in the fold. Again, there are certain APC topshots who are elements of the opposition. These clan of Party members loathe or are against reconciliations or efforts to reposition APC, and so, desperate to deploy the 2014 new- PDP- G5 strategy, which beefed up membership and national clout for the APC at that time. And their target is the pending APC national convention exercise and if, we fail to handle it wisely, they shall use it to cause mass implosion within the Party, whilst they harvest our disenchanted bigwigs and members gleefully. Let’s act with circumspection and should not consciously give our opponents a smoothened ground to ride roughshod on us in the 2023 general elections!
That the CECPC through its Secretary is now debunking earlier media reports that it zoned APC’s national offices, six weeks to convention date intimates of a serious and delicate problem on our hands. APC’s national leadership must be careful, or alert, least, they donate our great Party and Nigeria’s leadership to the opposition vampires for devouring. Therefore, APC-DiNET immediately calls for a revisit and extension of APC’s national convention date of February 26,2022 to allow space and time to fraternally resolve pending crises issues! Thank you.