APC Convention: Govs asked to prune aspirants list, groups warns against saboteurs

The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Convention Committee has  asked governors under the party to meet with aspirants from their states in order to explore the possibility of a consensus.

 

Chairman of the convention and governor of Jigawa state, Abubakar Badaru, told the newsmen shortly after a closed door meeting of the governors on Wednesday night that where a consensus could not be reached, the aspirants would have to go for election at the national convention on Saturday.

 

“What we asked is that the governors should meet with the aspirants to see if we can reduce the number of people contesting the elections by consensus.

 

“This is agreed in our party, but no list has been developed yet; it is not a list, it is just to reduce the number of people contesting.

 

“For example, there are positions that we have eight persons contesting, while some positions are unopposed and there are some positions that we have four or five persons contesting.

 

“There are also positions where we have two persons contesting; so we will discuss with those that have two persons contesting to see if we can have some agreement for one to come unopposed,“ he said.

 

Badaru affirmed that the party would come out stronger from the convention, adding that the governors were given the necessary support to make it successful and rancor free.

 

On aspirants disqualified from the race, he said: “I cannot say off hand, but it is somewhere around 15 or 16, I am not sure, because I do not have the total data.

 

“But some have been screened out of the contest and most of them are for the position of youth leader, they were screened out because of age limitation.”

 

He, however said that the APC Screening Appeal Committee was looking at petitions received against the current members of the party`s National Working Committee seeking re-election.

 

According to him, the report will be submitted to the general committee to look at and adopt before the national convention.

 

Group warns APC leaders against ‘saboteurs’

 

The Chuba Okadigbo Rainbow Organization (CORO) has warned the leaders of the party against allowing the people described as saboteurs, adding that such people were determined to hijack the party.

 

Leader of the group, Chief Melville Ebo, in a statement in Abuja, alleged that some politicians from the South-east who are claiming to be the loyalists of late Dr. Chuba Okadigbo were already parading candidates for the APC convention in the name of the group.

 

He disclosed that the only candidate for the impending APC convention who was in the Chuba Campaign Organisation was Hon. Chidi Nwogu. Hon. Nwogu is currently running for the position of National Organizing Secretary of APC.

 

Ebo further said that the Okadigbo group would soon disown those who he said were using the name of the late Senate President to obtain favour and government patronage.

 

He insisted that most of those people actually worked against Okadigbo and Buhari in 2003 when the duo ran for the Vice President and President respectively. “Their attitude is disrespectful of Dr Okadigbo and democracy”, he said.

 

He added that former members of the Chuba Okadigbo Group who were in the House of Representatives were already supporting Nwogu for the National Organizing Secretary position.

 

Ebo further disclosed that the Group would lead a delegation to President Buhari and APC leaders to protest against those who, he said were trying to “capture party positions with Okadigbo’s name.”

 

He further stated that members of his Group had resolved to work with President Buhari in the 2019 Presidential election as they did in the past. He expressed the view that Okadigbo would have still worked with Buhari if he were alive.

 

Ebo insisted that it would be counter-productive to allow Buhari’s enemies take over the commanding positions in APC, especially in the South-East, since it is very clear that the President would stand election again. “For us, the President would not need to look over his shoulders once Chuba Okadigbo’s men are there”, he added.

 

He noted that a man like Nwogu who belongs to the Okadigbo “Political family” would never betray President Buhari since he knows that Okadigbo and Buhari once shared a common vision.

 

South-east endorsement of Izunazo, others null and void – Aspirant

 

Ahead of Saturday’s National Convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), one of the aspirants for the position of National Organising Secretary Barr Emma Ibediro, has said that the purported endorsement of the outgoing national officers from the region will not be affective, describing it as premature.

 

Recall that the South-east caucus of the party had endorsed Sen. Osita Izunazo and two others for re-election at the convention.

 

Speaking with newsmen at the APC national secretariat in Abuja, Barr Ibediro said if the outgoing National Organising Secretary had done well in office, there won’t any point for him to contest.

 

“It is very obvious. For me to be running for this position, you don’t expect me to tell you that the current occupant of the seat has done very well.

 

“If he has done very well, there is no point for me to run. I will simply say that I will endorse him to continue. I know that there are certain things that we can do better than what he has done.”

 

Ibediro, also said the party had derailed because personal interests had been allowed to override the party guidelines.

 

According to him, the conduct of parallel congresses in over 24 states was an indication that the current occupant of the position of national organizing secretary had failed.

 

“By the time you bring in personal attachment, you are bound to get it wrong. APC as a party at state and national level has guidelines for the conduct of any exercise within the party. If you follow the guidelines, you won’t need to make a lot of explanations and mistakes.

 

“There are crises in over 24 states not just in Imo State. It is not normal and good for the image of our party that has stayed in power for more than three years. The occupant of that seat has not done too well because he has allowed personal interest to care of his judgment.”

 

Ibediro added that he has “the experience that is required to run for the office and take care of a lot of things that have gone wrong in the last four years.”

 

“I have experience in party administration. I’m the pioneer state secretary of the party in Imo State. I think our party and this government needs a serious rejigging. A lot of things have gone wrong as we have crises in a number of states because of activities of certain individuals.

 

“If I am elected, I will introduce programmes to forestall the problems we have in states. I will rebrand and repackage our party. As I speak today, APC as a party has no data base. This is something that is expected of an office like that. It is something you can do to mobilise members of the party at the grassroots. If the grassroots understand what you are doing, followership becomes easier.”

 

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