Strong indications emerged yesterday that the emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) slated for December 8, 2020, would extend the timeline allotted to the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee.
The party’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, in a statement on Sunday night said the party had slated December 8, 2020, for an emergency virtual NEC meeting to be coordinated from the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
A credible source at the party’s national secretariat, however, told our correspondent in confidence that “It is an emergency meeting aimed at extending the timeline for the caretaker committee.”
“It will be three months or six months extension. To me, that is not a big deal,” he added.
Another source hinted to our correspondent that NEC would also discuss and reach decisions on pending cases in court against the party and how the party could be more united in the buildup to the 2023 elections.
Yobe State Governor and Chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee, Mai Mala Buni, confirmed the development on Monday, in a statement.
He said the committee has the nod of President Muhammadu Buhari and other critical stakeholders of the party to commence a fresh membership registration and revalidation on December 12, 2020, and round off the exercise on January 9, 2021.
“Having consulted stakeholders, including His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, the APC membership registration and revalidation is scheduled to hold from Saturday, December 12, 2020, to Saturday, January 9, 2021,” he said.
Daily Trust reports that the committee was sworn-in in June 2020, and given a timeline of six months within which to organise a national convention for a new crop of the National Working Committee (NWC) to emerge following the dissolution of the Adams Oshiomhole-led NWC in June 2020 over alleged abuse of office.
While the caretaker’s timeline elapses on December 25, 2020, it has not rolled out a programme of activities for the convention, despite intense pressure from party members and groups.
