APC primaries begin in July as Buni-led Caretaker Committee gets another extension

Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the primaries of the ruling All Progressives Party (APC) will begin on July 24, this year,
According to a statement signed by the national secretary of the party yesterday, John James Akpanudoedehe, the party primaries will start with ward congresses on July 24, 2021 followed by local government congresses on August 14, 2021 and State Congresses on September 18, 2021.

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Also yesterday, the tenure of the Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the APC was extended.
LEADERSHIP Weekend reports that this is the second time the committee’s tenure has been extended.

The committee was constituted on June 25, 2020 following the removal of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as national chairman of the party by a court.
The committee had a six-month tenure and a mandate to reconcile aggrieved party members and convene a national convention to usher in a new National Working Committee (NWC) of the party but it got a six-month tenure elongated last December.

The extension followed the approval of the review of CECPC timelines and timetable of the party’s congresses by President Muhammadu Buhari.
In the statement by Akpanudoedehe, the president granted the approval after a detailed consideration of the Progress Report, the schedule of outstanding activities with regards to congresses, the national convention and the forthcoming Ananmbra governorship election.

This development followed the presentation of a summary of the Committee’s progress report by Buni, who is also the governor of Yobe State, to the President at the State House, Abuja.

At its last meeting, the National Executive Committee (NEC) conferred on the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) the power of the National Convention Committee which is in line with powers provided in Article 13.3 of the party’s constitution.

The national chairman had the president’s approval to review the timeline available to the CECPC.

Buni, during the presentation of the report, was accompanied by other CECPC members, including Governor Isiaka Oyetola (Osun), Governor Abubakar Sani Bello (Niger), Senator Ken Nnamani, Senator Abubakar Yusuf, Hon. Akinyemi Olaide, Mrs. Stella Oketete, Dr. James Lulu, Chief David Lyon, Abba Ali, Prof. Tahir Mamman, Barr. Ismail Ahmed and Akpanudoedehe.

Consequently, by the approved CECPC decision, the tenure of the caretaker committees at each level, from Ward, Local Government, State and National, will end immediately elections are held at their respective levels and its officers immediately take oath of office, terminating with the national convention.

APC Revived, Repositioned For 2023 Elections – PMB

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been revived, energized and repositioned for its national convention and future elections, even as he commended the National Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) led by Yobe State governor, Malam Mai Mala Buni.

Speaking at the APC CECPC meeting at the State House, Abuja, the president, in a statement by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, stated that the fortunes of the party had been brightened by the re-organisation and reconciliation of members across the party, saying “with the work done by the committee the party has bounced back to life.’’

“I have listened with great interest to the remarkable job you have done so far,’’ he said. “We are all witnesses to the crisis that engulfed the party leading to litigations and presented a picture of selfishness and division.’’

President Buhari said the party structure was disturbed by the conflicts that preceded and followed various elections, noting that the secretariat had been witnessing a beehive of peaceful activities after the reconciliation.

The president told members of the committee that they will continue to enjoy the support of all party stalwarts and members to complete their assignment with the actualisation of the convention and then leave an “indelible footprint’’.

“We want to leave behind a legacy of transparency and fairness, which the party needs to survive,’’ he added.

In his remarks, the chairman of the CECPC, Governor Buni, said the committee approached the duty with commitment and dedication to rescue the party from imminent collapse.

The Yobe State Governor noted that all issues and members were given a fair hearing, and an open door policy was created to accommodate all those that were aggrieved, leading to withdrawal of cases in court and peaceful settlements.

“We are currently witnessing high-powered decamping to our party, including governors from the PDP.

“The party is now more peaceful, orderly and accommodating than what we met on the ground. Although there was initial fear, the mobilisation and sensitisation was able to allay the fears of members,’’ Buni said.

The Yobe State governor said the registration and revalidation of members across the country recorded more than 40 million members, and an appeal committee was also set up to hear all matters related to the process so that no member gets disenfranchised.

“We have observed that youth and women constitute a huge population of the voting group. We had a youth and women committee, and also people with disability,’’ he added.

He said a Contact and Strategy Team had been set up in every state to come up with an acceptable template that would ensure transparency, credibility and acceptability of the internal electoral processes.

Buni also said the committee had instituted a process to review the party’s constitution and look into loopholes that usually fan conflict and litigations among members, with more than 500 memoranda already received.

The CECPC chairman told the president and other party members that 14 party members had indicated their interest to contest the Anambra State elections, assuring that the primary elections will be free, fair and transparent.

The Yobe State governor said huge legal fees were inherited, adding that the committee had worked with members to settle all the outstanding issues after scaling them down, noting that payment for the APC national secretariat had been completed.