APC: Beyond An Extra-ordinary Convention Via: LEADERSHIP Last Thursday’s extra -ordinary national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC ) in Abuja led to the amendment of the party’s constitution to allow for the use of indirect election to elect its candidates among others. BAYO OLADEJI was at the venue and reports on how the proceedings went Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, was at home with the leadership and followership of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) which held two great events; the presidential declaration of Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano on Tuesday and the Extra-ordinary National Convention both at the Old Parade Ground, Abuja 24 hours interval. The convention that was attended by 5,287 delegates which included all its chieftains and select delegates from every ward, local and state chapters of the party and the National Working Committee was held primarily to amend the constitution of the party to be in conformity with the Electoral Act. The chairman of the convention and Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari said the convention was called for the purpose of amending the constitution of the party so as to accommodate more people. He expressed the hope that the party will eventually reach its promised land. A major highlight of the convention was the amendments of the party’s constitution to provide among others for the use of indirect primaries in the election of candidates for the 2015 general elections. Former national secretary of the defunct Action Congress of Nigerian (ACN) Lawan Shuaibu from Kaura Namoda local government area of Zamfara State moved the motion for the amendments while a member of the House of Representatives, from Ikorodu, Lagos State, Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa seconded the motion before the delegates affirmed their approval through voice vote. The national legal adviser of the Party, Dr. Muiz Banire had earlier read out the sections of the constitution being amended which include article 13(2iv), articles 30(I), 15(a), 9.5, articles 8, 13(2a), 13.3(ii), 9.4c, 9.5(xx), 5.3(v) and 13.4. After moving the motion for the amendment and its secondment, national organising secretary of the party, Chief Osita Izunaso called for a voice vote to adopt the amendment The most vital amendment was Article 20 which now has a new paragraph (e) which specifically states that the party could use indirect primary to elect any of its candidates. It had been a hard nut for the NEC and the National Working Committee (NCW) when members were divided over the use of direct primary which makes every member a voter in any of its primaries. Those who are loyal to General Muhammadu Buhari wanted the Direct Primary while the Atiku camp preferred the Indirect Primary on technical ground. Some of the highlights of the amendments are: Article 15A which would now state that all officers would be accountable to their chairmen at each level-ward, local government , state and at the national levels. Article 9.5 iii now makes it an offence for any APC member to take any appointment from the ruling party aside from the party and whoever does so would lose the membership of the party. Another feature of the amendment says that the National Headquarters of the party remains Abuja. The tenure for the National Working Committee is now four years and Article 13:2b will reflect this new development. Article 13 will now have a section which mandates the NEC to set up a caretaker committee whenever it is desirable in any of its branches of the party. Section 31 of the constitution that states that the Board of Trustees shall be the final authority as to the interpretation of any aspect of this constitution and its ruling shall be final is to be deleted from the constitution. One of the high points of the convention was the welcoming of the defected Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal into the party by the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, and other members of the NEC. Oyegun made a show of his presence by inviting Tambuwal up to the podium where he handed him the flag of the APC and its symbol, the broom, to the admiration of the crowd. He showered encomiums on him, describing him as the articulate bridge-builder who was able to link up with both members of the APC and the PDP in the National Assembly in the task that led to his emergence as the number four citizen. In his brief remark, Tambuwal who was accompanied by some of his kitchen cabinet like the Minority Leader and the Minority Whip, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila and Hon Samson Osagie, said, “By the grace of God, come May 2015, we shall sweep away PDP. APC by the grace of God shall deliver this country, from the evils perpetrated by a group of cabals”. Speaking further, he said, “And in appreciation of your warm hand of fellowship, I hereby rededicate myself to the task of building and growing our party, and helping our party achieve its mission of lifting Nigeria to glorious heights and restoring hope to the citizens of our great country. In this regard, I hereby call on all other like-minded Nigerians to join this movement to deliver on the promise of a new Nigeria. We will engage our party men and women and indeed all Nigerians to fight insecurity and corruption and all the vices that have tended to impoverish our people,” he said. “The APC is the party where the progressive ideals of good governance to which I subscribe are wholeheartedly embraced and applied for the betterment of Nigeria. I have embraced the APC platform as a veritable instrument for genuine change and enduring national development. We must constantly remind ourselves that Nigerians yearn for true change and APC represents the hope for this change, and a promise of a brighter tomorrow. “The work may appear tedious and the road ahead may appear long and hard, but our party is amply endowed with all the key ingredients of success. We need unity and solidarity in our ranks in order to face the challenges ahead. In the weeks ahead, we will engage party men and women and Nigerians on the future direction of our nation and means of rescuing her from the malaise of youth unemployment, insecurity, institutionalised corruption, poverty, socio-economic decline and infrastructural decay. “May Almighty God guide our deliberations at this Special Convention, guide our path, bless our great party, the All Progressives Congress. And may He bless and protect the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said APC National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun said Nigeria is going through a trying time and all hands must be on deck to put her back on the path of development and greatness. He made this remark while addressing delegates to the Special Convention of the party where some vital amendments of the party’s constitution were made to make it conform with the Electoral Act. Said he, “Let me say unequivocally that these are very trying times for our country. The times become even more challenging as the 2015 elections approach. Therefore, we all owe it a duty to our country, a duty to ourselves and a duty to the generations of Nigerians yet unborn to put our country first, and put it back on the path of development and the path of greatness. “Let me encapsulate what I have said in a quote by Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States: ‘This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in, unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in.” He also noted the division of the populace along ethnic and religious divides, a problem he trace to the doorstep of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP). “Today, our people are more divided along ethnic and religious lines than at any other time in her history. Just because they want to win elections at all cost, they have pitched Christians against Muslims, southerners against northerners, and one ethnic group against the other. “In particular, the use of religion to divide our people portends great danger. No nation has ever developed using religion as a divisive or campaign tool. And ours will not be different. The problems we face, be it insecurity, corruption, poverty, lack of infrastructure or economic growth without development, will not be solved by a religionist but by patriotic and competent leadership”. According to him, “What our long-suffering people want to know is who will provide them with security, improved welfare, uninterrupted power supply, jobs, modern health care, world class education and modern infrastructure, just to name a few”. Speaking on the menace of the security challenges occasioned by the outlawed Boko Haram sect, Oyegun scored the ruling party zero. “In the area of security and welfare of the citizenry, the main reason for the existence of any government, the scorecard of the PDP-controlled federal government is zero. More Nigerians have died needlessly between 1999 and now than at any other time in the country’s history, minus during the unfortunate civil war of 1967 to 1970. By President Jonathan’s own admission, over 12,000 people have been killed by Boko Haram alone! Yet the government has no clue as to how to end the killings, not minding that the sponsors of terrorists called Boko Haram are known to the President and he is known to them.” Having nailed the ruling party for the corruption in the country aid citing the alleged organized stealing of our crude oil, he said, “There is also impunity, unprecedented impunity, which has in turn fuelled unparalleled lawlessness. Now, they simply deploy security personnel to lock up the courts just to prevent justice from being served. They organize to beat up judges just to have their way. Litigants and lawyers are fair game in their misplaced strategy to pervert the course of justice. To them, the doctrine of the separation of powers is a mere fancy. They don’t give a damn. In their perverted reasoning, might is right!” Comparing the PDP poor performance in economy, the APC chairman said, “Now, our party, the APC, truly cares, we care about our citizens. We care about our youths. We care about our elderly. We are ready to restore hope to our traumatized people. We are programmed to return Nigeria to the path of growth and development, create jobs, modernize infrastructure and make life more abundant for our people”. Oyegun also invited four of the five presidential aspirants of the party to the podium. They are former Head of state, General Muhammadu Buhari; the founder, LEADERSHIP Group, Sam Nda-Isaiah; Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, and Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano. He regretted that former vice president, Atiku Abubakar was unavoidably absent as he is away abroad. According to Oyegun, one of them would become the president come May 29, 2015. He then asked each of them to give short remarks before the amendment of the constitution. In his remark, General Buhari recalled the coming together of the legacy parties and paid tributes to their leaders for the sacrifice that made APC a reality. He commended the courage and wisdom of Tambuwal for adjourning the House sitting till December after announcing his defection to the party. Okorocha urged the leaders and members of the party to stop singing the song of religious and tribal sentiments or making agitation that the presidential candidate of the party should come from a particular part of the country. Nda-Isaiah reminded Nigerians of the security challenges in the country and how to end it “If you are afraid of going to the church to worship because you are afraid you could be killed; if you are afraid of going to the mosque to pray because you are afraid you could be killed; if you are afraid of sending your children to school or afraid your daughter could be kidnapped, vote out PDP next year,” he said Kwankwaso appreciated those who attended his presidential declaration in Abuja the previous day. He said the code of conduct read earlier by the chairman which warns the presidential aspirants against using fowl language, asking them to work with whoever emerges as the candidate is what all the aspirants have adopted. The convention was hitch free despite the rain that almost abrupt the programme midway, except the delegates from Abia State who were throwing chairs, pebbles and stones against one another over who were lawfully representing the state and whom to support. At the convention were Governors Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Adams Oshiomhole (Edo), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Magatakarda Wamakko (Sokoto), Yari (Zamfara), Kashim Shettima(Borno)and Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano). Some former governors at the convention were Senator Bukola Saraki, Senator Danjuma Goje, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima, Chief Timipriye Silva, Senator George Akume, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Prince Abubakar Audu, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, Chief Segun Oni (deputy national chairman). Other chieftains were former ANPP chairman Chief Ogbonnaya Onu, Mr. Audu Ogbeh, Prince Tony Momoh, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Senator Chris Ngige, Alhaji Musa Gwadabe, Gambo Magaji, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, former deputy governor of Jigawa State Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, Alhaji Murtala Aliyu, former minister Salisu Nakande, former deputy governor of Borno State Adamu Dibal, Senator Joseph Waku, Gen. Mohammed Aboki, Prince Malik Afegbua, Senator F.S. Okpozo, and Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye. Others are: former minister Nasir El-Rufai, APC national publicity secretary Lai Mohammed, Senator Olorunnibe Mamora, Alh. Kawu Baraje, house minority leader Femi Gbajabiamila and house committee on finance chairman Abdulmumin Jibril.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 23:27:43 +0000
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