Buhari approves February, 2022 for APC national convention

Barring last minute changes, there are indications that the All Progressive Congress APC have finally settled for February 2022 for the party’s national convention, with President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval.

Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi state disclosed this on Monday, after leading APC Governors to meet with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Bagudu while speaking with Stats House Journalists after the meeting, said the February date was earlier agreed to at the Progressive Governors Forum meeting, on Sunday and was approved by the President on Monday.

He disclosed that the progressive governors’ forum, discussed the issue of national convention of the party and mandated its leadership to come and discuss with the President, as party leader, to give the inputs of the governors’ so that the party and the President will consider in agreeing a date for the national convention.

“And yesterday, part of the inputs we got was that we still have four states, which are in the process of completing their Congresses; Anambra, understandably, because of the election, Zamfara and two others that because of logistic challenges are yet to complete, and then Christmas is around the corner, and then early January will be very busy with Ekiti”.

“So, the governors, based on all that, made an input that we think the party and the President might graciously consider February and the President is favourably disposed to it. We have made the input of the governors known. It was favourably considered by Mr. President”

The Chairman, Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee and Yobe State Governor, Mala Buni, while also speaking, assured that the party will be more United at the end of his assignments.

Buni also denied insinuations that his committee had planned to perpetually extend their tenure.

“Like the PGF chairman said, they have suggested to the party and Mr. President has concurred so we are going ahead to plan for the convention in February.

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“Am I a jobless person, who is always trying to extend his tenure? To do what? I have my primary responsibility as a governor to go back to my state and carry out my primary responsibility. What I’m here to do is adhoc, and of course, to reposition the party, and that is exactly what we’re able to achieve.

The Yobe Governor also revealed that all the APC Governors are on the same page on the convention

“Of course, we have to consult widely and part of the reasons why even the governors met yesterday, 20 of the 22 governors attended. So, it is in consultation to that effect. So, it is a well consulted, well thought out plan.

Well, we’ll let you know, you know, we have to work on a timetable. So, which of course has to be, we have to communicate to everyone. We have to also communicate it to our various state chapters for them to be ready for the convention.

Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, while also speaking on their visit to the President, assured that the National Assembly has gone far with the 2022 budget adding that it will be passed before the National Assembly proceeds on the Christmas break.

He also assured that President Buhari will sign the recently passed Electoral Amendment Act, despite the dissenting views from some Governors of the All Progressive Congress

“We expect that he will sign, but how he does that is his calling. And I think we should allow him to just follow the processes he is used to, but the expectation of members of the National Assembly is that the bill will be signed.

“I believe that the National Assembly members are major stakeholders, governors of APC are also major stakeholders. And in fact, the presidency is a major stakeholder, in fact, as the biggest stakeholder because it runs the administration, and our party must always try to bring everybody together.

“So when we have any section of a party disagreeing with something we should be engaging that’s why we are politicians, we must have that kind of a platform where we discuss the issues, let’s understand each other, and then we make whatever it is that will make this disagreement minimized. Or maybe were possible, eliminated completely.
“So I don’t think it is right to say that governors have disagreed. Maybe some governor’s might have said they don’t like it this way. But that’s normal. So it’s for us to engage and engage and engage.
But I believe that whatever we do in the National Assembly, especially this ninth National Assembly, we think deep, we think wide, we consult very broadly before we take any position.
“So I believe that whatever we send to the executive arm of government, Mr. President for his assent, these are things that are well thought out. And I believe that the expectation of members of the National Assembly will be that this bill is signed. But this is then again, not my own calling, for Mr. President to take his decision.