The Caretaker leadership of Nigeria’s governing party, the All Progressives Congress, APC said it is committed to conducting a National Convention in 2022.
In a new year message signed by the Secretary of the APC Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, the party also reiterated its commitment to free and fair elections.
“As a political party and in line with the progressive ideals APC fiercely defends, our commitment to free, fair and credible elections is unwavering. In all elections, valid votes must count and the popular will of the electorate must prevail.
“APC assures all party members and indeed Nigerians that the CECPC is poised and ready to meet up with the tasks ahead in 2022, particularly the conduct of a rancour-free APC National Convention.
“The CECPC will surely bequeath a progressive party and structure that will continue to install and entrench APC governments at all levels to put Nigeria in its deserved rank in the comity of nations. The Party will continue to proactively and constructively engage critical stakeholders on issues that affect Nigerians,” the statement read.
It would be recalled that the APC has set February 2022 to conduct its long overdue due National Convention where new leaders will be elected to manage the party.
The Caretaker Committee which was constituted in June 2020 by the APC’s National Executive Committee was tasked with reconciling aggrieved members and conducting a National Convention.
The statement also highlighted the achievements of the 13 member committee in 2021.
“In fulfillment of the NEC mandate, CECPC in 2021 respectively and successfully conducted ward, local government, and state congresses to elect substantial party executives. On 20th December, 2021, at its 18th regular meeting, it deliberated on the planned National Convention and resolved to set up sub-committees on budgeting and other relevant substructures for the National Convention. All is now set for the conduct of a rancour-free National Convention.
“Following CECPC’s conduct of a nationwide membership registration, revalidation and register update exercise, APC is now unarguably the most populous political party in Nigeria with a membership base of over 40 million registered members.
“The caretaker committee has established a truly unified, strong, repositioned and progressive political unit that has gone on to win a number of critical elections across the country.
“Under the leadership of Governor Mai Mala Buni, the CECPC has created a member-centered party structure — one that guarantees the full participation of all members in decision making and Party activities.
“It has won into the APC fold three serving state Governors and scores of parliamentarians from other political parties. It has successfully reviewed the APC Constitution.
“It has scrutinised and paid for the inherited debts with respect to the services to the party in the past administration. It has ended and resolved inherited litigations and court cases instituted by many aggrieved members against the party for various reasons by reaching out to the aggrieved members who have consequently responded to the CECPC reconciliation.
“It has entrenched stronger internal democracy in the party as demonstrated in the transparent candidate nomination processes and congresses.
“It has purchased the building housing the APC National Secretariat which was previously leased, and has been subsequently named as Buhari House, giving APC a permanent abode in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
“It has established a National Reconciliation Committee under the leadership of Sen. Abdulahi Adamu to reach out to aggrieved members, in the current dispensation, with the view to resolving areas of misunderstanding and proactively preventing a crisis. The committee has received various memoranda and has recorded a good number of resolutions that have improved the Party’s cohesion subsequently.
“Since the coming of CECPC, it has been engaging and entrenching in the party processes, previously marginalised groups such as the youths, women, and persons with disabilities and hereby enriching the democratic experience of the party,” the statement read.
Suzan O.
