THE crisis of leadership in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, took a turn for the worse, yesterday, following the purported disbandment of the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, CECPC, by one of the support groups in the party, the Progressive Youth Movement, PYM.
Consequently, the movement named its leader, Prince Mustapha Audu as Chairman of the new CECPC with a mandate to conduct the party’s national convention on February 26, 20222.
The youths also named Senate President Ahmad Lawan and House of Representatives Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila into the new CECPC as representatives of the National Assembly.
However, Governor Buni immediately fired back, asking for the arrest of Audi and his co-travellers for treasonable felony.
Mustapha is the son of a former governor of Kogi state and late chieftain of the party, Prince Abubakar Audu.
Since it came into power in 2015, the APC has always broken into factions ahead of general elections.
In July 2018, less than a year to the 2019 general election, a group led by the former Secretary of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, Buba Galadima, broke away from the party to form what was then known as the Reformed APC.
Penultimate week, some North-West APC youths vowed to take over the party, and announce date for the national convention, this week.
At a news conference in Abuja, Prince Mustapha Audu said his group is out to rescue the party from imminent collapse.
“Today we are here to inaugurate the PYM – CECPC. These young men and women of noble repute have been carefully selected and mandated by all the well-meaning young stakeholders of our great party, the APC, to plan and execute our convention before the end of February 2022,” he said.
Audu, who also inaugurated reconciliatory and advisory committees to interface with aggrieved stakeholders and resolve all issues, added that his group would use all available legal means to chase the Buni committee out of the “Buhari House” national secretariat of the party.
He said: “We are aware of the plethora of issues within the party. Our party has had a history of shying away from true reconciliation and in many cases inflicting chastisement on members that should have been rewarded for their effort towards building the APC.
“We will also be setting up a reconciliatory committee to help reconcile aggrieved members within the party.
“It is clear that in the last couple of years the party has been on a regressive course and it is necessary for all well-meaning party members to roll up our sleeves and do the needful to ensure that we correct the mistakes that have been made, to ensure victory in 2023 for all stakeholders.
“I would advise all party members to look inwards and understand the need to do things differently so that we can ensure we win back the trust of the Nigerian people as we move closer to the election year.
“Let us join hands and strengthen our internal democracy in our dear party the APC and show Nigerians that we have what it takes and we deserve their votes in 2023. Without further ado, I would like to read out the list of our Caretaker Committee members to be inaugurated today.”
Other committee members inaugurated include: Vice Chair North, Tukur Tukur Buratai; Vice Chair South, Busayo Akinnadeju; South West Representative, Hon. Omowunmi Ogungbaibi; South East Representative, Barr Nonso Nwaebili; South South Representative, Prince Godswill Edward; North Central Representative, Dr Ibrahim Abdul; North East Representative, Hon. Ibrahim A Waziri; North West Representative, Bello Bala Shagari; Senate Representative, Senator Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan; for House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; and Physically Challenged, Sajo Xcarfini.