Key issues ahead of APC’s convention
After tiptoeing endlessly, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), recently announced that it will hold its mid-term non-elective national convention not later than April 2017. Our correspondent looks at some salient issues that would shape the gathering.
The national publicity secretary of the party, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, who said the decision on the convention was one of the outcomes of the National Working Committee (NWC) meeting presided over by the party’s national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, added that the processes will commence with the congress to fill vacancies in the state party structures across the country.
The vacancies to be filled, according to him, occurred principally from political appointments, deaths and resignations, adding that that would be followed closely by another congress to nominate delegates into the mid-term non-elective convention of the party.
The congresses, he added, will be followed by the National Caucus meeting and that of the National Executive Committee (NEC), which will consider and set the dates for the congresses and national convention.
Before the date is announced, the member/secretary of the APC constitution review committee, Inuwa Abdul-Kadir, had called for memorandum from party members, who are to submit them on or before February 13, 2017.
The submission of memorandum on the need to propose an amendment to the party constitution will be followed by a public hearing to be held on Thursday, February 23, 2017 in Abuja and Monday, February 27, 2017 in Lagos.
Review of the BoT
Article 12.2, 13.2, 13.1(i, iii, iv and vi) of the APC Constitution, which highlights the membership and functions of the APC Board of Trustees (BoT) will be reviewed. This is one issue the national chairman of the ruling APC mentioned during the inauguration of the Muiz Banireled constitution review committee ahead of the party’s forthcoming mid-term non-elective national convention.
Chief Odigie-Oyegun, who said the inauguration of the committee was an important step needed to be taken before the convention scheduled to take place within the next couple of months, recalled that the last NEC meeting had agreed to review some aspects of the party constitution, particularly with respect to the name, size and structure of its BoT.
The APC boss, who described the BoT issue as “the principal trigger for the constitutional review”, added that the party expects a “trimmer and more focused” BoT in terms of objectives at the end of the exercise.
The APC NEC had, on March 24, 2016, set up a committee to review its constitution to actualize the plan to “downsize” the party’s BoT.
Daily Trust, however, learnt that the decision to downsize the BoT was necessitated by the current lager membership of the board, which is put at about 150.
Sources said the board, if not downsized, could reach 1000 in the next 10 years and become unwieldy as there are also statutory members of the BoT.
Daily Trust had exclusively reported the plan to replace the BoT with the Council of Elders, which will be established at national, zonal and state levels, a decision which put the much-anticipated election of the BoT chairman, deputy chairman and secretary on hold.
Members of the BoT had already started forming queues behind former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and a key party chieftain, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu before the decision to “downsize” the APC Board was taken.
Membership requirement and discipline
The constitution review will surely beam a searchlight on Article 9 and 21 that focus on membership registration and discipline. On January 25, 2017, Chief OdigieOyegun hinted that the issues of membership requirement and party discipline would also receive attention during the constitutional review process.
“We will also look at our membership requirement, most especially given our experiences in the last few months, and the provision for discipline within the party,” he said.
Getting substitutes NWC positions for vacant
Before the announcement to hold the convention, there were some vacant positions in the NWC. These include national welfare secretary, national vice chairman, North-East and national publicity secretary before Malam Bolaji Abdullahi was elected by the North Central zonal executive committee to fill the vacancy created by Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the incumbent minister of Information. The choice of Abdullahi is also expected to be ratified at the convention.
Besides, Engr. David Babachir Lawal has been the APC national vice chairman (North-East) before his appointment as the Secretary to the Government of Federation (SGF) by President Muhammadu Buhari. A replacement for the SGF is expected to emerge during the period leading to the convention.
The vacuum left behind by Dikko Umaru Radda since he left the APC NWC will also be filled. Radda was initially appointed by Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State as Chief of Staff before President Buhari later endorsed his appointment as the Director-General of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN).
Gombe APC to get substantive officials
Last year, the APC national leadership endorsed the composition of caretaker officers into the vacant offices for Gombe State chapter of the party.
The APC, in a release by its national secretary, Mai Mala Buni, accepted the resignation of Mr Karu Ishaya and Mr Sallau Manu Pindiga as state deputy chairman and state secretary respectively.
The party also relieved Barr. Muhammad Magaji Doho and Barr. Dauda Manu as state chairman and state legal adviser respectively.
Following the two decisions which took effect from August 31, 2016, the party’s NWC approved the choice of Hon. Lawan Shetima, as state chairman; Capt. Bala Jibrin (state deputy chairman); Alh. Sule Yakubu (state secretary) and Barr. Joseph William (legal adviser) to oversee the affairs of the party for a three-month renewable period.
Sadly, rather than resolving the party’s problem in Gombe, the caretaker is already enmeshed in crisis with one of the party’s leaders, Sen. Danjuma Goje.
Kaduna positions APC to fill vacant
The leadership crisis rocking the Kaduna State chapter of the APC will also receive the needed attention as the national vice chairman, North-West, Alhaji Inuwa AbdulKadir, recently urged Governor Nasir el-Rufai to give the necessary cooperation to the Aminu Masari-led reconciliation committee to restore peace, unity and consolidation of the party’s support in the state.
Abdul-Kadir said he had appealed to the governor to take leadership and drive a process that will harmonise, reconcile and solidify the party in the state.
He said the Kaduna State chapter was bedeviled with crisis of leadership right from the conduct of congress for the election of party executives in the state.
Vacuums, Alhaji Abdul-Kadir added, were created following the appointment of substantial number of members of the State Working Committee and other Executive members of the party into various executive positions in the state, thereby decreasing the membership of the various organs of the party in the state.