By OLUKOREDE YISHAU
The second month of this year begins tomorrow. For the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), it is a month in which major decisions critical to its future have to be taken by the Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Committee, which President Muhammadu Buhari has urged to deliver a party for the people, writes OLUKOREDE YISHAU.
It was a child of necessity. That is the best way to describe the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC). The APC was being torn apart by internal squabbles when the committee was given the responsibility to take charge of its affairs.
Speaking about the state of the party before the committee came in, President Muhammadu Buhari said: “There are also other associated disputes as to the legitimacy or otherwise of holders of certain national offices of the party. The party is also contending with judicial claims and counter-claims, orders and counter-orders and indeed, judgments and counter-judgments that are predominantly at cross-purposes.
“Confronted with these issues, it is obvious that the fortunes of the party are currently in jeopardy, administration of our party is becoming impossible and there is consequently an urgent need for intervention to immediately arrest further drifts and internal wrangling which may lead to total disintegration.
“What we see clearly emerging, is that we are beginning to self-destruct. This, my dear party members, is not just regrettable but utterly gut-wrenching.” –
About a year and one month to the next general election, the committee faces the herculean task of midwifing a new National Executive Council (NEC) to pilot its affairs. What makes this task especially daunting is Buhari’s call on the committee to ensure that the control of the party is in the hands of the members and not kingmakers.
In a recent NTA interview, Buhari said: “There is no kingmaker from Abuja. No constituency is being dictated to. All constituencies are supposed to produce their leadership in our party. What other parties are doing is their own business, but we want to make sure that our party members understand that they are respected. It is from polling unit, to ward to local government, to state and after Abuja. So, those who want to be elected at any level, let them work for it. Nobody is going to appoint anybody.”
The committee, in a statement signed by its Secretary, James Akpanudoedehe, said: “The APC Caretaker Committee is already embarking on nationwide consultations with party stakeholders to prepare the ground for a rancour-free National Convention. To this end, the sub-committee on budgeting and other substructures will be set up in due course.
“Finally, the party notes and appreciates the continued support of well-meaning members and leaders as the APC Caretaker Committee undertakes the immediate task of addressing contestations within the party, litigations, fallouts of recently-conducted Congresses and generally reposition the Party ahead of the National Convention,” the statement read.
The CECPC faulted the claim that it did not want to conduct the national convention, which is slated for February 26. Akpanudoedehe assured party faithful of a world-class convention, adding that the committee would not allow aggrieved people ‘’to stampede it into destroying the party or taking wrong steps.”
The Big decisions
Before the February 26 date, the bulk of February will be spent by the party taking vital decisions critical to its survival. From the sale of nomination forms to many other issues, such as deciding on zoning and consensus candidacy, February promises to be a busy month for the CECPC. According to the timetable unveiled by the CECPC, the committee will receive the interim report of the National Reconciliation Committee today and it will consider and adopt reports of state congresses on February 2. The inauguration of the state executives will take place on February 3. The sale of forms to aspirants for national offices will start on February 14 at the party National Secretariat while submission of completed forms will take place on or before February 19. The publication of sub-committees will be done on February 19 and the screening of aspirants is slated for between February 20 and 22. The Screening Appeal Committee will hear and resolve complaints on February 23 and the accreditation of statutory and elected delegates to the National Convention will take place between February 24 and 25, 2022 before the National Convention on February 26. The hearing of complaints arising from the National Convention will be conducted on February 28, 2022.
The Governors
The 22 APC governors are expectedly interested in the party’s national convention. Rising from a meeting recently, they resolved to go ahead with the national convention of the party next month. About 20 of the governors were at the meeting held at the Kebbi state Governor’s Lodge in the Asokoro District of Abuja.
In attendance at the meeting were Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Abubakar Sani Bello (Niger), Mohammed Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Bello Matawalle (Zamfara) and Dave Umahi (Ebonyi).
Others are Gboyega Oyetola (Osun), Babajide Sanwoolu (Lagos), Simon Bako Lalong (Plateau), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Hope Uzodinma (Imo), Ben Ayade (Cross River), Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq (Kwara), Babagana Zulum (Borno), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (Kano), Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi) and Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti).
The Chairman of the Forum and Kebbi State Governor, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, said the forum passed a vote on confidence on Buni, Abubakar Sani Bello and Gboyega Oyetola, the two other governors in the CECPC.
Reconciliation
One major item on the timetable released by the CECPC involves reconciling aggrieved party members as a way of ensuring cohesion and unity of purpose. This move is in line with President Buhari’s call for an end to disunity and lack of agreement.
Buhari said: “We have a timeframe we have to work because the four-year tenure is constitutional. It cannot be interfered with by anybody. So, if the APC can’t agree, then, the opposition will naturally take over. What did the PDP do? They said the opposition could not come together, but when ACN, ANPP, CPC, APGA came together before PDP realised it, they were off. They are still off. They can see it.
“My position is simple. I think I succeeded in trying to get my position understood in the sense that I said, we start from bottom upwards; from polling units to wards, to local governments, to states and then, to Abuja. So, the party, because I’m concerned about my party, the party, in all constituencies, they will know their leaders, coming up. Therefore, when they come to Abuja, they are likely to work together.”
The National Reconciliation Committee is headed by Senator Adamu Abdullahi, a senator and former Nasarawa State governor. Buni said the “caretaker committee found it expedient to constitute the National Reconciliation Committee to reconcile emerging misunderstandings and differences which might arise from the outcome of the congresses.” Buni urged the Senator Adamu Committee to “conduct appropriate engagement between identified groups in each state where there are disputes with a view to bringing about genuine reconciliation and establishing lasting peace and unity in the party; consult with party Leaders and concerned members as the committee deems necessary with a view to achieving peace therein.”
The committee, Buni said, is to “critically examine areas of conflict on the just concluded Ward and Local Government Congress and advance solutions in the circumstance.”
The members of the committee are former House of Representatives Speaker Hon. Yakubu Dogara; third Republic governor of Jigawa State Saad Birnin Kudu; former Enugu Governor Sullivan Chime; former Benue Governor and Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs George Akume; former Deputy Governor of Lagos State Oluranti Adebule; Chief of Staff to the Kebbi State Governor Suleiman Argungu; former Deputy Governor of Oyo State Moses Adeyemo Alake; Commissioner for Health in Cross River State Beta Edu.
In states such as Gombe, Ogun, Ekiti, Kwara and so on, there are voices of dissent threatening the party’s chances.
Gombe State Governor Inuwa Yahaya and Senator Danjuma Goje, a former governor of the state, are being reconciled. Yahaya and Goje were torn apart by the congresses of the party.
In Kwara, a group believed to be led by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, is working against Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq. When Adamu led members of the committee to the state, he said: “We are in Ilorin today to listen to complaints and grumblings that were expressed through the petitions received by us, and we felt a sense of duty as a committee to listen to those who are complaining, the issues they have, and see how best we can find a way out. Some of these (complaints) may be imaginary. Some of them may just be perceptions. But we don’t want to pre-empt what they mean until we listen to them.
“The essence is to avail the petitioners what is called a fair hearing. By the time we hear them, we will be able to place some judgements. The government is our government. And anything that will rock the stability of the ship of state we will take every precaution to ensure that we discourage that.
“We want to assure Your Excellency and the leadership of APC in the state that we will not accept anything that is planted to discredit the administration of the state. We will try our best to reconcile all the reconcilable.”
The governor said reconciliation would unify the party and promised to work for it.
“We are indeed very grateful to have a very powerful delegation in Kwara State. And the unique thing about your team is how you dedicate your time to build the party and build the nation,” he said, commending the committee members and their commitment to peace.
“It is not an easy task for all of you because in every state you go to you would have friends and associates in any of the divides of the party, and some would have assumed that you are not looking after their interest but we know that you will bring your experiences to bear on this.
“On our part, we will work with you in a way that will build a strong party going to the convention, party primaries, and the general elections in 2023. It is our effort to ensure that the President’s legacy is sustained by the party winning all the elections at all levels,” Abdulrazaq said.
The committee’s tour of Ogun State saw it holding talks with Governor Dapo Abiodun, ex-Governor Olusegun Osoba, ex-Governor Gbenga Daniel and other stakeholders. A group led by Senator Ibikunle Amosun, the immediate past governor of the state, submitted a petition and presented its case to Adamu and the others.
“It is a practice we have adopted to always talk first to those that wrote the petition so that we can have the cracks of the issues raised.
“We met them to explain to us what was raised in their petition. We have just accomplished that and after this, we will also go to the governor’s side,” Adamu said after listening to the Amosun group.
He went on: “We are here with a mission of meeting our party members and to see the best way we can pilot the reconciliation efforts of the party
“It is the concern of our party at the national level that peace prevail in this state. And we will do everything to ensure that nothing truncates that peace.
“We owe the party a duty by ensuring that principles of fair hearing are given to all parties involved. We are not here for judgment.
“The number and composition of delegation here speaks volumes. We are here in Ogun State to listen to both the petitioners and those concerned by the petition. We are just. We want to make sure that those who are crying do not cry again.
“We have seen that you are many. The strength of any organisation is in the number of its members. We want more members. We have elections soon in Ekiti and Osun State. We still want to win there. We have 24 governors and we want to have more. So we want peace in the party.”
The governor said reconciliation would help to guard against a polarised APC in Ogun.
Abiodun said: “This committee was carefully chosen to further strengthen the party. It is important to continue to have peace and harmony among us. Though there is bound to be conflict here and there, we must continue to find a way to cooperate, and I am happy to have you with us today. We will cooperate to ensure peace in our state.”
The debacle in Osun State, where a governorship election is due soon, is between two groups led by the incumbent governor, Gboyega Oyetola, and his predecessor, Rauf Aregbesola, who is the Minister of Interior.
In Osogbo, the Osun State capital, Adamu said: “We are the committee appointed and inaugurated sometime in November last year to serve as members of the reconciliatory committee on issues that border on relationship and institutional matters.
“Our intention here is to maximise the opportunity of getting an evaluation of relevant materials after which we will go to Abuja and sit as a committee and develop what we have in the report, which we will share with the authority of the party at the national level that appointed us.”
The governor, who is a member of the CECPC, said there was no organisation without issues, adding that was important “is to find a possible way of reconciliation”.
He added: “We will give you all the support, you will have the maximum cooperation expected of us. I welcome the idea of accepting petitions and finding solutions to all contentious issues. We are peaceful people. Looking at the calibre of people that are involved in the committee, I have no doubt that reconciliation is possible.
“The Chairman of the Committee had done so well when he served as Nasarawa governor, ditto the other governors in the Committee as well as other members of the Committee.
“On our part, we are willing to give you all the necessary support to make this a success. I hope you will enjoy the hospitality of our State. By any standard, we have not disappointed the party. Within the little we have, we have justified the confidence reposed in us.”
Already Senator George Akume, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, Senator Tanko Almakura, Senator Sani Musa, Senator Danjuma Goje, Saliu Mustapha, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and Sunny Monidafe have indicated interest in leading the party. The next few months, especially the outcome of the national convention and the reconciliation moves, will tell if the party will really be what Buhari dreams of or something else.
SOME OF THE POSITIONS UP FOR GRAB
National Chairmanship •Deputy National Chairman South
Deputy National Chairman North •National Secretary
Deputy National Secretary •Vice Chairman South-West
Vice Chairman North West •Vice Chairman North Central
National Organising Secretary •Deputy National Organizing Secretary
National Treasurer •National Financial Secretary
National Welfare Secretary •Deputy National Welfare Secretary
National Publicity Secretary •Deputy National Publicity Secretary
National Legal Adviser •National Woman Leader
Deputy National Auditor •National Youth Leader
Zonal Youth Leader North Centrals Zonal Youth Leader North West
Zonal Youth Leader North East •Zonal Youth Leader South West
Zonal Woman Leader South East •Zonal Woman Leader North East
Zonal Woman Leader North West •Zonal Woman Leader South-South
Zonal Woman Leader North Central •Zonal Woman Leader South West
National Auditor •Deputy National Treasurer
Deputy National Financial Secretary •Deputy National Woman Leader
Credit: The Nation Newspaper
