Like the proverbial cat with nine lives, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee has survived several arrows from opposition elements for 19 months at the party’s national secretariat also known as the Buhari House in Abuja.
The committee was inaugurated in June 2020 sequel to the dissolution of the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC) to within six months, organise the party’s elective national convention, but its timeline was later extended twice.
Its inauguration gave a huge relief and hope, to party members after a period of intense crisis and acrimony. Pundits say the party under Oshiomhole was gradually going into extinction as it was neck-deep in crisis.
The committee, on assumption of office, commenced the process of reconciliation nationwide and recently set up a national reconciliation committee headed by a former Governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
The APC has, within the period, harvested PDP bigwigs, including Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State, David Umahi (Ebonyi), Bello Matawalle (Zamfara), former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; former national chairman of the PDP, Chief Barnabas Gemade; senators and other chieftains of the party.
Our correspondent reports that the APC had not renewed its membership register since the initial registration exercise of 2014 despite the surge in its membership. Sequel to this, the caretaker committee, had during a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at Aso Villa in Abuja, got his nod to embark on nationwide membership registration and revalidation exercise which ended on March 31, 2021.
The Buni-led committee had pushed for the establishment of a tripartite committee to be saddled with the responsibility of enhancing communication and relationship between the executive, legislature and the ruling APC, with a view to ensuring smooth and effective service delivery to Nigerians.
President Buhari appointed Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as the chairman of the tripartite committee. The president had said an amicable resolution of conflicts in the party through regular consultations would create more understanding.
The Buni-led committee had also led the party to victory in the Ondo State governorship election, organised ward, local government and state congresses within the period and constituted the party’s constitution amendment committee to bring sanity and discipline among card-carrying members.
The contentious issues
Despite the milestones recorded by the interim committee, pundits say it has to contend with the crises raging in over 12 state chapters of the party before the February 26, 2022, national convention.
Tongues are also wagging that the committee is yet to reach any decision on the much-touted zoning formula ahead of the convention and the 2023 general polls.
However, it is left to be seen whether the Buni committee would tackle all the challenges before February 26, and organise a crisis-free national convention or hit the rocks.
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