APC back to life – Buhari

…Congratulates caretaker c’ttee on job well done

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday in Abuja said the All Progressives Congress (APC) had been revived, energised and repositioned for its national convention and future elections.

He stated this while commending the national caretaker/extraordinary convention planning committee (CECPC) led by the Yobe state governor, Malam Mai Mala Buni.

Speaking at the APC CECPC meeting at the State House, the president said the fortunes of the party had been brightened by the re-organisation and reconciliation of members across the party, adding that “with the work done by the committee the party has bounced back to life.”

“I have listened with great interest the remarkable job you have done so far. We are all witnesses to the crisis that engulfed the party leading to litigations and presented a picture of selfishness and division,” he said.

President Buhari said the party structure was disturbed by the conflicts that preceded and followed various elections, noting that the secretariat had been witnessing a beehive of peaceful activities after the reconciliation.

He told members of the Committee that they would continue to enjoy the support of all party stalwarts and members to complete their assignment with the actualisation of the convention and leave an “indelible footprint.”

“We want to leave behind a legacy of transparency and fairness, which the party needs to survive.”

In his remarks, the chairman of the CECPC said the Committee approached the duty with commitment and dedication to rescue the party from imminent collapse.

Buni said all issues and members were given a fair hearing, and an open door policy was created to accommodate all those that were aggrieved, leading to the withdrawal of cases in court and peaceful settlements.

“We are currently witnessing high powered decamping to our party, including governors from the PDP. The party is now more peaceful, orderly and accommodating than what we met on the ground. Although there was initial fear, the mobilisation and sensitisation was able to allay the fears of members,” he said.

He said the registration and revalidation of members across the country recorded more than 40 million members, and an appeal committee was also set up to hear all matters related to the process so that no member gets disenfranchised.

He said a Contact and Strategy Team had been set up in every state to come up with an acceptable template that would ensure transparency, credibility and acceptability of the internal electoral processes.

The CECPC chairman told the president and other party members that 14 party members had indicated their interest to run for the Anambra state elections, assuring that the primary elections would be free, fair and transparent.

He said huge legal fees were inherited, and the Committee had worked with members to settle all the outstanding, after scaling them down, adding that payment for the APC National Secretariat had been completed.

“The party members have agreed to name the secretariat, Muhammadu Buhari House.”

While thanking the president for his support and insight, Buni said a national conference for the youth was organised recently as part of the bottom-up approach to strengthening the party and ensuring relevance of all stakeholders.

Some members of the APC who attended the meeting were: Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; chairman of Nigerian Governors’ Forum and Ekiti state governor, Kayode Fayemi; chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum, and the Kebbi state governor, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, as well as the chairman of Northern Governors Forum and Plateau state governor, Simon Lalong.

Others were the governor of Kaduna state, Nasir el-Rufa’i, governor of Osun state, Adegboyega Oyetola, and the governor of Niger state, Abubakar Sani Bello.