Akpanudoedehe: APC Yet to Decide on Zoning

Convention date needs NEC's ratification, says Lar Party’s youth movement seizes initiative, sacks Buni-led c’ttee

Preparatory to the All Progressives Congress (APC) national convention scheduled for February next year, National Secretary of the party, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, has said no decision has been reached on the zoning of various party positions.

The Secretary also clarified that its national chairmanship position has not been zoned to the North Central zone as reported in some sections of the media.

But the Media Director to Senator Ali-Modu Sheriff Campaign Organisation, Senator Victor Lar, has said despite the approval given by President Muhammadu Buhari for the party’s convention, there was still need for the party`s National Executive Committee (NEC) to meet and ratify the dates.

In a related development, a group sentimental to the APC, Progress Youth Movement (PYM), yesterday, seized the initiative and announced the sack of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the party, led by the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni.

However, Akpanudoedehe while speaking to journalists yesterday in Abuja, said the issue of zoning party positions was not part of the mandate of the Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee.

"I have the mandate to report whatever decision the CECPC takes and to the best of my knowledge, the committee has not discussed zoning. People are just flying what will favour their interest. All I know is that the caretaker committee has not discussed or reached a zoning decision."

But Lar, who insisted NEC approval was key said the President lacked the constitutional power to call for the NEC meeting of the party.

"Though, we had commended the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) for taking the initiative to meet with President Buhari on the need for the party's National Convention to be conducted.

"The decision to hold the convention in February 2022, has to be taken by the party's NEC. The president does not have the constitutional powers to call for a meeting, neither do the governors elected on the party's platform.

"It is only the party's NEC that can take such decision as regards to when its national convention will hold. The February date must therefore be ratified by the party's NEC to make it constitutional," he maintained.

On his part, addressing journalists after the inauguration of the PYM-CECPC, Chairman of the youth group, Mustapha Audu, said young men and women of repute had been carefully selected as members of the committee and mandated by all the well meaning young stakeholders of APC to plan and execute the convention before the end of February 2022.

He stressed that the committee was aware of the plethora of issues within the party, stating that the party had a history of shying away from true reconciliation and in many cases, inflicting chastisement on members that should have been rewarded for their effort towards building the APC.

To that extent, the group said it would set up a committee to help reconcile aggrieved members within the party.

"It is clear that in the last couple of years of the party has been on a regressive course and it is necessary for all well meaning party members to roll up our sleeves and do the needful to ensure that we correct the mistakes that have been made to ensure victory in 2023 for all stakeholders.

"Right now, the previous CECPC (Buni-committee) is in violation of APC constitution and the Nigerian constitution. This new CECPC has resolved that constitutional lacuna. We are no longer unprepared for the 2023 general election," he said.

Audu pointed that there were enough problems in the party, and that majority of the problems were caused by the governors of the party, noting that to fix the problems, young people must stand up and be brave to face the challenges and leaders will respond immediately the they knew things were better.

"We are going to conduct the APC national convention and we are going to reconcile the APC and we are going to do it hand-in-hand with all our party leaders. We are not here to chastise any party leader, we are here to forge a way forward. This Caretaker committee sacked the Buni-led committee. So, the previous convention planning committee has been dissolved; they have been disbanded. They no longer represent APC members."