APC inaugurates convention c’ttee today
The 68-member National Convention Committee headed by Governor Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, will be inaugurated today in Abuja at the national secretariat of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The approval for the inauguration of the convention committee was finally given after President Muhammadu Buhari returned to the country last Saturday.
The delay in the inauguration of the committee was already being perceived in some quarters as an attempt by those purportedly planning to thwart the conduct of congresses and national convention to execute such plan.
The curious wording of the 21 days’ notice given to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the congresses had put members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) in a state of dilemma, Daily Trust learnt.
The content of the letter was seen as an indication that the proponents of tenure elongation were still working to frustrate the plan to conduct elective congresses and national convention.
A NEC member, who preferred anonymity, said, “the content of the notice has shown that they were not ready to go. Why should they say that the congresses and convention are to fill vacant offices arising from effusion of time, appointment into government offices or death when their tenure will expire by June 30 this year?
“It was not in line with the decision reached at NEC on March 27. Now, they find themselves in a dilemma whether to write another letter to INEC or not. If they write another letter to INEC, they will need another three weeks’ notice. If this happens, it means ward congress will not hold on May 2 as earlier proposed.
“But some believe that they can write INEC to correct the content of the first letter to the effect that there will be full congress,” he said.
Because of this development, a source told Daily Trust over the weekend that the party leaders faced questioning over the content of the INEC notice that had a curious meaning that deviated from the resolution of the April 9 NEC meeting.
Some NEC members, it was however gathered, had resolved to resist any move to stop the conduct of congresses and national convention.
The recommendation of Governor Simon Lalong-led Technical Committee that states that “If for reasons of inability to fulfill constitutional and or legal conditions requisite for the conduct of a valid elective congress or convention, then the party may as a last resort leverage on the NEC resolution of February 27, 2018 which in our view is lawful in the circumstances.”