APC side-steps crisis, set for convention

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has shown serious signs of going ahead with February 26, 2022, the date for the National Convention of the party, despite internal wrangling and negative permutations.

The party’s Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), headed by Governor Mai-Mala Buni of Yobe State, showed the readiness by notifying the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the convention, which is the basis for the permutations that the exercise may not hold as scheduled.

The ruling party in a letter dated Wednesday, February 2, addressed to the INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, and signed by the CECPC chairman and Governor Buni and secretary, John Akpanudoedehe, invited the Commission to monitor the convention.

The letter, received by INEC on Thursday, February 3, and sighted by BusinessDay, read: “This is to inform the Commission that our great Party has scheduled to hold its National Convention on Saturday, 26th February 2022.

“This serves as a formal notification pursuant to the provisions of Section 85 of the Electoral Act (2010) as amended. Kindly arrange for your officials to monitor the exercise accordingly.”

With this letter, APC has fulfilled the requirement of Section 85 of the Electoral Act (2010), which makes it mandatory for any political party planning to conduct congress, primary or convention to give the Commission 21 days notice.

The development may have saved the party credibility loss, which some members had feared would be a lot of the broom association if it postponed again the convention.

Ben Nwoye, former secretary/APC state chairmen forum, had alleged some subterranean moves by some individuals to achieve certain ulterior motives.

In an interview monitored on Channels TV on Thursday, Nwoye said it would be in the interest of the party that the convention was held as scheduled.

Although he acknowledged the fact that there were internal wrangling that needed to be sorted out and other issues including some members that had either left the party or were about to, who needed to be reconciled, the former chairman of the Enugu State chapter of the party said there was no perfect situation to have a convention.

“There must be issues in a political party. They will continue to exist. The situation was even worse in 2018 than what we have now. At that time, there were about 26 states with parallel structures after the 2018 congresses. We went ahead to re-elect President Buhari. What we have now is child’s play. What we have now is some people trying to encourage sit-tight, and that may bring implosion,” Nwoye said.

Sounding a note of warning to the leadership of the party, he suggested that the Abdullahi Adamu-led reconciliation committee can still continue with its assignment while the party goes for the convention to avoid loss of credibility.

“We cannot sit down and say until all issues are settled before we can hold a convention. If APC fails to conduct the convention as already fixed, the party will lose credibility,” he said.

Recall that the party’s ward, local and state congresses in some states bred rancour, and the party leadership is yet to calm the frayed nerves.

Adamu Garba, a chieftain of the APC, who also featured at the interview session, said it would not cost the party anything to wait a little longer to allow the Adamu’s committee to bring everyone on board.

“We have a divided party right now. Those from the ACN, CPC, ANPP, the New PDP, and APGA that formed the APC are now pushing back because the administration of President Buhari is coming to an end. They are looking at what to get for themselves. What we are trying to avoid is an implosion. We want to give room for stability before we go to the convention. We do not want to go into the 2023 election a divided party,” Garba said.

A party member, who spoke with BusinessDay on condition of anonymity, had urged the APC leadership to go ahead with the convention since it was able to inaugurate the States’ Executive Councils (EXCOs) that emerged from the controversial congresses.

“I do not see any sense in the argument that why the National Convention would not hold is because the Abdullahi Adamu-led committee is still busy with its reconciliation drive. The committee has visited some states and has yet to visit many. Why wouldn’t they say, ‘until the committee concludes its task, they would not inaugurate the states’ EXCOs? So, if the internal crisis is not threatening enough to halt the inauguration of the state EXCOs, many of whom emerged from the acrimonious congresses, it should also not stop the convention after too many shifts in dates.

“For me, there could be other reasons for the delay not necessarily the internal issues, which I see as a smokescreen,” the party member said.

The Buni-led CECPC Thursday inaugurated the States’ Executive Councils at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja amid tight security.

Our correspondent had reported that the tight security at the inauguration venue was occasioned by the fear that “The inauguration may be disrupted by states where there is parallel leadership during the last year’s contentious congresses.”

Read also: Security tightens at APC headquarters as CECPC inaugurates states excos

But with the compliance of the Buni committee with the relevant section of the Electoral Act, the party appears set for the convention, nullifying all speculations to the contrary.

Section 85 of the Electoral Act (2010) provides: “(1) A registered political party shall give the Commission at least 21 days notice of any convention, congress, conference or meeting convened to elect members of its executive committees, other governing bodies or nominating candidates for any of the elective offices specified under this act.

“(2) The Commission may, with or without prior notice to the political party monitor and attend any convention, congress, conference or meeting which is convened by a political party for: (a) electing members of its executive committees or other governing bodies; (b) nominating candidates for an election at any level; and (c) approving a merger with any other registered political party.”

Another indication that the convention may hold as planned is the commencement of the implementation of the schedule of activities for the convention by the Buni-led CECPC.

The CECPC had at its 19th regular meeting on January 19 considered and adopted the timetable/schedule of activities for the National Convention; first was the receipt of the Interim Report of the National Reconciliation Committee, which was done on Monday.

This was followed by the consideration and adoption of reports of State Congresses on Wednesday and inauguration of State Executives of the party on Thursday, which is under way with the next activity being the sales of forms to all aspirants on February 14.