With only three days to constitutionally allowed deadline, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has eventually notified INEC of its intention to hold its national convention.
In accordance with Section 85 (1) of the Electoral Act (2010) as amended, all political parties in the country are mandated to give the commission at least 21 days notice before holding a convention.
After much reluctance, given the backdrop of crises ravaging its state chapters, a letter surfaced on Thursday indicating that the ruling party has informed the electoral body of the coming convention.
In the letter dated February 2, 2022, the APC officially informed the INEC about its decision to conduct its February 26 National Convention.
“This is to inform the Commission that our great Party has scheduled to hold its National Convention on Saturday, 26th 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,” the party said in the notice jointly signed by the interim National Chairman of the party and Secretary, Mala Buni and John Akpanuodehe.
The party’s eventual move is in defiance of some of its party members and group, calling for an extension of the event, due to some unresolved underlying issues.
The Coalition of APC Women Groups, at a press conference on Wednesday, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to postpone the convention indefinitely.
They argued that holding the convention as slated will be like ”building a superstructure on unstable soil.”
“Your Excellency, currently the party has a faction in 14 states, which is because the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) under His Excellency, Mai Malam Buni has done a good job in reconciling factions in other states and reorganisation the party.
“The party is yet to recover from the attendant losses from elections that were ordinarily guaranteed in Rivers and Zamfara States during the 2019 General Elections.
“Instead of learning the hard lessons contained in those avoidable experiences, the State Governors and the colluding party leaders are rather adamant on repeating the show of shame on a national scale by fixing a date for the National Convention without first resolving the damaging issues on ground,” the coalition led by Cecilia Ikechukwu, said.
With reference to the party losses in Rivers and Zamfara States, the coalition hinted of possible legal battles if the convention should hold as planned.
It also called for the dissolution of the Abdullahi Adamu-led National Reconciliatory Committee and the setting up a new committee as the former “serially failed in its mandate.”
“That Mr. President unites the APC stakeholders and lead them to counter the influence the cabals that want to destroy the party from within at all costs.
”It is our firm belief that these steps, if urgently taken, can pull the APC from the brink, although the window for saving the party is fast closing. Please Mr. President, save the APC from implosion,” the statement stated.
Also, the Deputy Senate Whip and former Abia State governor, Orji Kalu, last week, canvassed the postponement of the convention.
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