The All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker /Extra-ordinary National Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) may this week release time- table for conduct of ward, local and state congresses as a prelude to the conduct of national convention late June, Sunday Tribune can authoritatively report.
A party source revealed that the Caretaker team led by the Yobe state governor, Mallam Mai Mala Buni, has been instructed by President Muhammadu Buhari to adhere strictly to the June deadline given to the team to conclude its assignment at the last December National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party.
The caretaker committee was constituted last June following the dissolution of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) led by Adams Oshiomhole. The committee, which was initially given six months to reconcile aggrieved chieftains and conduct a national convention to elect new set of national officers, had its tenure extended by another six months on December 8, 2020, as the NEC was inundated with pleas to allow it conduct the membership registration and revalidation exercise it placed before the statutory organ of the party.
Apart from the registration exercise, the Governor Buni team also constituted a Constitution Review Committee led by Professor Tahir Mamman with a mandate to review the party’s constitution.
A member of the CECPC, who spoke to Sunday Tribune in confidence, however, expressed concern that the team was under pressure to proceed with the national convention despite the membership registration exercise being overwhelmed with logistic challenge in some states. The source revealed that the exercise has been concluded successfully in only 17 states of the federation.
“We are planning to print fresh registration materials for the affected states to placate aggrieved members.
“The governors were accused of hijacking the materials in desperate moves to arm-twist their opponents, particularly in states where governors are on their first tenure. “If we don’t do that, there will be volumes of petition that even the appeal committee will be overwhelmed,” he said.
The source disclosed further that the committee was looking at December for the national convention before it got wind of the presidential directive to stick to June. The party source, however, dismissed speculation that the interim leadership would roll out zoning arrangement for party and elective offices.
“We don’t have that brief. Our own is to organise the convention after the conduct of the congresses. To decide on zoning, there must be an enlarged meeting of the stakeholders with President Muhammadu Buhari presiding to decide on zoning. “We won’t overreach our- selves by taking a position on zoning without consulting the elders in the APC,” he said. But an aide of Governor Buni, when contacted, however, denied knowledge of the plan to hold the national convention next month.
“I am not aware of that,” he told Sunday Tribune. In line with the stance of President Buhari, further investigation revealed that the CECPC is expected to meet during the week to ratify a proposed timetable and the list of members of various committees prepared by the national secretary, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, for the conduct of the congresses and the convention.
