APC Stakeholders Blame Buni For Anambra Defeat, Demand Dissolution Of Caretaker Committee

Some Concerned APC Stakeholders on Thursday blamed Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State for the party’s defeat and “shameful outcome” at the just concluded Anambra Governorship Election.

The election was won by Mr Charles Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA.

APC and its candidate, Mr Andy Uba came third in the election behind the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Mr Valentine Ozigbo.

Irked by that performance and other allegations, the group demanded the immediate resignation of the Buni-led Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee, during a press conference in Abuja.

The Spokesman for the group, Ayo Olalowo, saying the committee had been unable to resolve the party’s internal crisis.

Olalowo said, “The Concerned APC Stakeholders is calling for the immediate resignation of the Buni-led Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee for their glaring failures in managing the affairs of the party; failure of which the Committee should be immediately dissolved and a new committee whose task will be to immediately conduct the National Convention of the party be constituted.

“The Caretaker Committee has conducted what is arguably the worst ward, local government and State congresses since the formation of the party in 2013. These congresses, rather than putting the party on a strong footing, have created further divisions and disenchantment among its members.

“Only days ago, stakeholders of the party from Bauchi State protested at the party’s headquarters as a result of the fallout of the congresses. In the same vein, the attempt by the leadership to reconcile stakeholders from Oyo State hit a brick wall right inside the party headquarters.”

According to the spokesman, similar circumstances are also being witnessed in Osun and some other states.

He stated that the reason for the problems was because the processes were built on very shaky foundations and the outcome was designed to favour certain selected individuals in the party.

He noted that the Caretaker Committee was a stop-gap solution to the problems the party was grappling with, but that it had “become obvious to all discerning party men and women that the CECPC cannot fix the problems it met on ground.

“If anything, the Caretaker Committee has created even more problems for the party than it was meant to resolve.

“For a start, the Caretaker Committee which was constituted primarily to stabilize the party and organize the congresses and convention of the party went about functioning as if it was the National Working Committee, and as a result carrying out responsibilities it has no mandate for.

“Apart from embarking on a needless party membership revalidation/registration that didn’t come with anything new, the Caretaker Committee went about constituting endless committees to carry out the very responsibilities it was assigned to do.

“This is clearly indicative of the incompetence of the committee, and the fact it has even subsist for this long is a greater testimony to its failure. If the committee’s many ’round-about’ activities were effective, it would have since fulfilled its mandate and given the party a new leadership.”