APC Ignores Pending Court Case, Insists February Convention Must Go Ahead

The National Convention of the All Progressives Congress, APC, billed to hold in February will hold as scheduled, the party said on Monday.

The Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the party dismissed fears of a possible postponement of the February Convention, saying it would soon set up relevant sub-committees in that regard.

This is despite a pending case seeking the dissolution of the CECPC.

Mr Okosisi Emeka Ngwu, had filed a suit at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Jabi, challenging Buni’s Committee.

Ngwu is seeking an order to set aside all actions and decisions taken by the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the party.

Apart from that, the reconciliation Committee has failed to do its job as those contesting the state congresses are belligerent and are not ready to shift grounds.

States such as Kano, Rivers, Cross River, Edo, Abia, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti either have parallel states’ chairmen or have failed to conduct their state congresses with more than a dozen states without legal state executives.

But sounding bullish after a marathon meeting that held at the party’s headquarters, the National Secretary of the CECPC, Mr John James Akpanudoedehe, declared there was no turning back.

Akpanudoedehe said, “the meeting congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on the implementation of several pro-people policies that have positively impacted the lives of many Nigerians and subsequently passed a vote of confidence in the administration

“The Party will engage critical stakeholders on issues that affect Nigerians,” he said.

The crisis has forced some highly placed members to write the committee to postpone the convention.

A senator on the platform of the party, Mr Orji Kalu, wrote last week saying the date was not feasible, and urged the party to consider another date.

Also, the Director General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) of the APC, Mr Salihu Moh. Lukman, had last week written the National Chairman, Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee CECPC of the party, Gov. Mai Mala Buni on the need to revive all organs of the party ahead of its February 2022 national convention.

He said before the convention holds, the CECPC must first take steps to deliver on its mandate of conducting the national convention, saying any further delay in discharging this responsibility is as good as consciously working to strengthen political opposition to APC.

But Akpanudoedehe said nothing concerning postponement was discussed as the party “deliberated on the planned National Convention and resolved to setup sub-committees on budgeting and other relevant structures for the National Convention.”