Again, APC Crisis Takes Fresh Turn as Aspirants Ask Buhari to Stop Party's Convention
- An appeal has been made to President Muhammadu Buhari to prevent the APC national convention from taking place on Saturday, March 26
- The appeal was made by some aspirants within the ruling APC on Tuesday, March 1, following allegations that governors are bent on putting pressure on the caretaker committee to do their bidding
- According to the aspirants, the APC national convention must be stopped as matter of urgency to avoid mishaps
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Some aspirants gunning for different key positions within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to stop the party's national convention slated to take place on Saturday, March 26.
The call to the president on the matter was made by the Forum Of All Progressive Congress (APC) Aspirants For National Convention on Tuesday, March 1.
In a letter addressed to President Buhari, the forum insisted that going on with the convention will lead to an internal crisis in the party.
Source: Twitter
Recall that the Caretaker and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the APC had fixed March 26 for the party's national convention.
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The committee had also in a letter informed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of its plan to reschedule the party's convention from February 26 to March 26.
Need to reschedule APC national convention
However, the aspirants in the letter jointly signed by the forum's president and secretary, Tolulope Ashafa, and Usman Adamu, said the convention should be stopped as a matter of urgency.
The duo said Nigerians are elated that the president has finally signed the amended Electoral Act because there have been no other developments that united Nigerians across the political, ethnic, and sectarian spectrum.
The forum added that after taking time to analyze the assertion, it is tragic, to say the least, unless the APC takes urgent measures to right the wrongs that have become mainstream in the party in recent months there would be more crisis in the future.
The letter reads in part:
"Your Excellency, the prediction that the Electoral Act 2022 will cause the demise of the APC is anchored not on the content of this piece of legislation but the unholy manipulations going on in the party.
"Before you assented to the law, these underhand dealings by some over-ambitious leaders of the party would have gone unnoticed, unreported, and possibly without consequence.
"However, the Electoral Act has changed this dynamic, and our great party must now abide by the latest version of the electoral law it mid-wifed."
Governors interfering in the affairs of the caretaker committee
Also alleging that governors under the Progressives Governors' Forum have put much pressure on the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), the group said the committee is most likely to do anything they (the governors) desire.
The letter added:
"Your Excellency, the APC Aspirants’ Forum is constrained to inform Mr President through this platform of the dangers inherent in the plan by the PGF, which is a small cartel of overambitious state governors, to bring the APC national convention forward.
"If they succeed in holding the convention on an earlier date than originally planned and fail to give INEC the required 30-Day notice."
The letter also warned that the APC has just three months to hold the national convention and conduct primaries to submit the list of candidates to INEC.
It said that the party cannot hold two national conventions within 90 days as such would be a waste of resources and dissipation of energy.
It added:
"The raging crises and contentions in the party, which have been significantly managed by the CECPC, would flare up again such that APC would turn against itself in the 2023 general elections.
"This is another outcome the opposition is basing its hope upon as it expects to absorb those that would be angered to defect from the APC."
APC convention: Buhari rejects governors’ request to dump preferred national chairman
Plans by APC governors to get Abdulahi Adamu dropped as the consensus candidate for the national chairmanship position met a brick wall.
This is as President Muhammadu Buhari refused to change his mind on his preference for the former Nasarawa state governor.
The governors had tried to convince the Nigerian leader in a meeting shortly before he departed for Kenya.
APC crisis: Pressure continues to mount as PGF chairman says no change in convention date
Legit.ng previously reported that despite the pressure put on its activities by the recently released election timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), APC said it will stick with the March 26 date.
The chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), Atiku Bagudu gave this assurance after a meeting of the forum with President Buhari.
He also debunked reports of division among APC governors. Bagudu said the governors met with the president to congratulate him for signing the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2022 and as well on the victory of the APC in some of the by-elections conducted over the weekend.
Source: Legit.ng
