The Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Thursday inaugurated 34 state chairmen of the party amidst controversies in some state chapters.
The inaugurated state chairmen emerged from the state congresses conducted October 2021 nationwide with many of the states witnessing parallel congresses.
The inauguration, however, took place amidst tight security in and around the Buhari House party secretariat located at Blantyr Street, Wuse 2, Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
With this development, the likes of Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of State for Labour and Productivity Festus Keyamo, Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed, among others have lost political structures in their home states.
Some of the states with parallel congresses included; Kwara, Osun, Delta, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Kano, Oyo, Niger, among others which were yet to be amicably resolved before the inauguration.
However, Kano and Sokoto states were conspicuously missing on the list.
The inaugurated state chairmen included: Dr. Kingsley Ononogbu (Abia), Alhaji Ibrahim Bilal (Adamawa), Mr Augustine Enefiok Ekanem (Akwa Ibom), Hon Basil Ejike (Anambra), Alhaji Babayo Aliyu Misau (Bauchi), Dr. Dennis Otiotio (Bayelsa), Mr Augustine Agada (Benue), Hon. Ali Bukar Dalori (Borno), and Mr. Alphonsus Orgar Eba Esq. (Cross River).
Others were Elder Omeni Sabotie (Delta), Hon. Stanley Okoro Emegha (Ebonyi), retired Colonel David Imuse (Edo), Barrister Omotosho Paul Ayodele (Ekiti), Chief Ogochukwu Agballah (Enugu), Mr Nitte K Amangal (Gombe), Dr Macdonald Ebere (Imo), Hon. Aminu Sani Gumel (Jigawa), Air Commodore Emmanuel Jekada (rtd) (Kaduna), Alhaji Muhammed Sani (Katsina), Alhaji Abubakar Muhammed Kana (Kebbi) and Hon. Abdullahi Bello (Kogi).
The rest were Prince Sunday Adeniran Fagbemi (Kwara), Hon. Cornelius Ojelabi (Lagos), Mr John D Mamman (Nasarawa), Hon. Haliru Zakari Jikantoro (Niger), Chief Yemi Sanusi (Ogun), Engr Ade Adetimehin (Ondo), Prince Adegboyega Famodun (Osun), Hon Isaac Omodewu (Oyo), Hon Rufus Bature (Plateau), Chief Emeka Bekee (Rivers). Hon Ibrahim Tukur El-Sudi (Taraba), Alh Muhammed A. Gadaka (Yobe), Alhaji Tukur Umar Danfulani (Zamfara) and Alh. Abdulmalik Usman (FCT).
Inaugurating the chairmen, Governor Buni, who was represented by the national secretary, John James Akpanudoedehe, congratulated the new state APC leaders.
Akpanudoedehe said: “I have been asked to issue you certificate of return as duly elected chairmen of your states.”
Speaking on behalf chairmen, chairman of the APC State Chairmen Forum, Alhaji Bukar Dalori, expressed gratitude to the Buni-led committee.
Dalori, the Borno state chairman, said Buni had led APC “with an unimpeachable commitment to move the party forward and carrying all members and leaders along.
“In the last few months, we have witnessed leadership finesse in the manner party affairs are conducted. There is no doubt that Your Excellency has brought your experience to bear in piloting the affairs of our great party.
“Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the limitations associated with it, your practical ingenuity to still mobilise people to join the party will go down memory lane as being uncharacteristically magnificent. We remember vividly how all the committees; especially the Women and Youths Mobilisation Committee led by Governor Yahaya Bello deployed the media to market our party to millions of Nigerians. APC is indeed blessed with great leaders.
“On behalf of my colleagues, we wish to pledge our unalloyed loyalty to the leadership of Your Excellency and to assure you that we are all behind you all the way as your achievements have shown your sterling qualities.
“You are a great example to all of us and in the next few weeks, we shall be learning from you, the magic that brought governors and other political bulldozers to the party.
“There was a joke among party members that when you see Governor Mai Mala Buni with an opposition leader, APC is about to witness an influx. How you do it without noise makes it even more commendable. It is in the interest of all party leaders and members to give you the deserved support. You are a blessing to our party.”
While assuring the party leadership of victory in 2023, Dalori said: “We have taken your charge in good faith and like soldiers; we shall be unrelenting in marching our party to a commanding and convincing victory in 2023.
“Let us also use this opportunity to assure members in our respective states that we shall work with every party member to ensure APC protects Nigeria from those who destroyed it in the past.”
Chairs charged on magnanimity
Congratulating the new party leaders, a frontline aspirant for the APC national chairmanship seat, Malam Saliu Mustapha, urged them to be accommodating and magnanimous in victory.
He said this in a statement issued on his behalf by his media aide, Dapo Okubanjo in Abuja Thursday.
“It is a good thing to see that the path to our National Convention on February 26 has been further brightened with the inauguration of new chairmen at state level by the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of our party.
“So while I’m congratulating the new State Executive Committees, especially the chairmen, I also believe it’s the best time to appeal to all party members to consider the group interest in line with our party’s reconciliation move and rally behind them.
“It would also be good for the new party leaders at the state to extend a hand of fellowship to all aggrieved party members,” the statement added.
Mustapha, who is the Turaki of Ilorin, also urged the new state excos to brace up for the battle ahead.
He said: “Now that the ceremony in Abuja is over, our state executive members have to now be focused on the big task ahead.
“We have elections coming up in almost exactly 12 months time, so it is high time we began to close ranks to confront the opposition and their various antics.
“I’m pledging that if elected as the party’s national chairman, I will do all that is necessary to make your jobs easier ahead of the 2023 elections.
“You won’t be left to carry the burden alone with me in the saddle and this is a promise that I will keep, especially with my experience in party administration.”
Mustapha also urged all APC members to cooperate with the new chairmen to enable them succeed.
Party writes INEC
Meanwhile, the APC caretaker committee has written a letter notifying the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of its national convention holding February 26.
There were speculations in a section of the media that national leadership was scheming to shift the date.
This was conveyed in a letter signed by Governor Buni and the Secretary, Senator Akpanudoedehe, dated 2nd February, 2022 and addressed to the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmodd Yakubu, a copy of which was seen by our correspondent Thursday.
The letter reads in part: “Follow up to our letter referenced APC/NHDQ/INEC/19/021/40 dated 11% July, 2021 on the NOTICE FOR THE CONDUCT OF NATIONAL CONVENTION.
“This is to inform the commission that our great Party has scheduled to hold its National Convention on Saturday, 26% 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. While hoping to receive your cooperation, please accept the assurances of our highest esteem.”
