APC crisis lingers, cancels national convention indefinitely

The much talked about National Convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) might not hold as scheduled according to indications which emerged on Monday at the party secretariat in Abuja.

The convention which was to originally hold on April 29, 2017 was reliably gathered to be put off as the committee put in place by the APC national chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, to review the party’s constitution abandoned the job.

The party, after been criticised for not holding national convention as stipulated in its constitution, declared in a statement that it will hold a national “None Elective” convention not later than April this year.

It was also gathered that one of the APC governors from the North-west states who was at the last meeting held with NWC a month ago told the National Chairman that “His (Oyegun) leadership of 20 NWC members cannot fix convention date for 97 National Executive Committee (NEC).

Oyegun had told newsmen at the interactive meeting with governors that the said national convention “is not an elective convention”.

Earlier, a statement issued by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, to announce the convention, said the decision was an outcome of the National Working Committee (NWC).

“The vacancies to be filled occurred principally from political appointments, deaths and resignations. The Congress to fill the vacancies would be followed closely by another Congress to nominate delegates into the mid-term non-elective Convention of the party.

“The Congresses will be followed by the National Caucus meeting, and finalised with the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party, which will consider and set the dates for the National Convention which is expected to hold not later than April, 2017”.

According to Article 25 (A) (i) of the APC constitution, the National Convention of the party shall be held once in Two (2) years at a date, venue and time to be recommended by the National Working Committee and approved by the National Executive Committee subject to the giving of the statutory notices to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and at least fourteen (14) days’ notice given to members eligible to attend.

Also, the constitution provides that the National Executive Committee may summon an emergency National Convention at any time provided at least seven (7) days’ notice of the meeting shall be given to all members eligible to attend.

Some senior APC members who interacted with selected newsmen on Monday disclosed that state governors and presidency had resolved not to fund the party until the tenure expiration of the current NWC members.

One of the sources told our correspondent that “the Kano State Governor Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, recently spoke the mind of the APC governors when he said they cannot use the state monies to fund the party, though some members are calling for the sack of the current NWC members”.

Recall that the governor when asked why APC is not properly funded said: “Yes. It is still part of the change mantra. People were used to getting cheap money, some people struggled to be part of the APC officials in order to make money but Buhari here, is not like that; so if the party has programme on the ground; the government has no problem to see how the party can be funded but let me tell you the issue of taking government money to fund the party does not arise now”.