Stakeholders are mounting fresh pressure on the chairman of the caretaker committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Governor Mail Mala Buni of Yobe State, to resign over the crisis rocking the party.
This is even as Daily Trust gathered that the convention of the party where new National Working Committee (NWC) members would be elected has been fixed for December. There have been calls for the dissolution of the caretaker committee which was constituted in June last year following the sacking of the Adams Oshiomhole-led NWC.
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Since the successful conduct of the convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last month, there has been tension in the ruling party. The just-concluded congresses of the party have widened the crack in the ruling party.
Daily Trust reports that yesterday, concerned stakeholders of the APC asked members of the Buni-committee to throw in the towel or be dissolved.
Addressing a press conference yesterday in Abuja, the spokesman of the stakeholders, Mr Ayo Oyalowo, said the Buni committee has failed to resolve the contentious issues in the party having outlived its timeframe.
He argued that the committee was not willing to organise a national convention any time soon, after conducting what he described as the worst ward, local government and state congresses.
He said the congresses had created further divisions and disenchantment among the party members.
The stakeholders blamed the party’s defeat at the November 6 and 9, 2021 Anambra State governorship election on the failure of the Buni committee to do things right, beginning from the primary that produced Andy Uba as the party’s candidate for the election.
Oyalowo disclosed that they had written private letters to President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; APC National Leader, Ahmed Bola Tinubu; Senate President Ahmed Lawan and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila for their intervention.
But a source in the caretaker committee told one of our correspondents that the convention has been fixed for December this year. The source, who does not want to be named, however, said no date has been fixed.
“I can tell you with every sense of authority that it is going to be in December. But no date has been fixed. Arrangements are ongoing towards this. Senator Abdullahi Adamu-reconciliation committee will submit its report month-end to pave way for the convention,” he said.
Ruling out the possibility of extension for the caretaker committee, he said with the tension in the party, any further delay in the constitution of the NWC would spell doom for the party.
The SWAGA Coordinator in Ekiti State, Senator Anthony Adeniyi, SAN, said the delay in the conduct of the party’s convention was dangerous.
He told Daily Trust that it was not good enough for the party, saying election is getting nearer day by day.
“The APC need to have their convention, the PDP have had their convention; the party’s constitution is clear on the matter,” he said.
Contacted, APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, confirmed that the convention will hold next month.
“We are working towards holding our convention in December. So, we are going to have a substantive NWC in place soon,” he said.
Asked when the stakeholders or the National Executive Committee (NEC) would meet to decide on the convention date and other arrangements, he simply said, “You will know when the time comes.”
By Ismail Mudashir, Saawua Terzungwe (Abuja) & Raphael Ogbonnaiye (Ado-Ekiti)
