…Extend Tenure Of Caretaker Committee For Another Six Months
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dissolved all party structures at polling unit, ward, local government, zonal, state levels.
Members of the dissolved executive are to serve as caretaker members.
The resolution was taken on Tuesday at a virtual Emergency National Executive Council Meeting of the party on Tuesday.
Other resolutions adopted at the meeting include: extension of the tenure of the Caretaker Committee led by Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni for another six months, to last till June 30, 2021, as well as the expulsion of Mr. Hilliard Etta, former Vice Chairman, South South, for not heeding the directive of the party that all legal cases be withdrawn from the courts.
The Emergency meeting also resolved to grant a waiver to those who have joined, or want to join the party.
A statement signed the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, quoted Buni as saying that almost all pending cases in courts instituted by members had been withdrawn, according to President Muhammadu Buhari’s instructions, to create “neutral ground’’ for discussions, while a time table for membership registration and revalidation exercise will be released, after initial sensitization.
Speaking at the meeting, President Buhari urged members of the party to collectively work towards the sustenance of peace, and promotion of more understanding within the party, with a view to consolidating on earlier successes and winning new members.
He remarked that the decision of the party leadership to dissolve the National Working Committee and constitute a 13-member Caretaker/Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee, June 25, 2020, was well conceived as party members now enjoyed new atmosphere of peace.
The statement quoted him as saying: “Healthy debates are now taking place and the potential for organs of the party to affirm majority positions as the decision of the party is now possible. What is required now is for all of us, as leaders of the party, to maintain discipline and ensure that this new momentum is protected, sustained and that decisions of party organs are respected by every member.
“Despite the challenge to restore peace in the party and the series of elections at hand, the fact that we have gained more members and that we are not losing members to the opposition under the present interim leadership indicates improvement for the party.
“In fact, we have begun to win back our members who left us, and other notable political leaders are being attracted to our party. In this regard, I hereby acknowledge the return of many party stalwarts and their supporters, and particularly, His Excellency, David Umahi, Governor of Ebonyi State. This confirms that we are indeed making progress as a party of choice for Nigerians as we move towards the resolution of our leadership challenges.’’
The President acknowledged that the initiatives taken by the Caretaker Committee had brought hope to the party.
“We should remind ourselves about the challenges facing us culminating in our decision to set up the 13-member Caretaker/Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) on 25th June, 2020, with the specific mandate of restoring peace in the Party, conducting a bottom up membership registration, organizing a national convention and mobilizing the party for coming elections.
“I have received periodic briefings by the Chairman of the CECPC, as well as other leaders of the Party. I am convinced that in the last five months since the appointment of the Caretaker Committee, the initiatives taken have brought a remarkably new atmosphere of hope in the party,’’ he stated.
President Buhari appealed to all members to try and make required sacrifices that will collectively restore a progressive and democratic political party, which can nurture and give expression to the dream of building a strong, united and developed Nigeria.
He also reminded party members of the principles of maturity and respect that founded the party and spurred it to victory in 2015, adding: “In those times, decisions reached at both formal and informal consultations were respected. We trusted initiatives taken and believed that they were required to produce the needed political platform that could guarantee electoral victory. Every one of us as leaders ensured that those decisions were respected.
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“I have, through consultations with the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee and other leaders of the Party, agreed that our challenges in the party require that we take steps to rebuild the Party from Ward to National levels. The initiative to carry out membership registration/revalidation is therefore a necessary step. Membership registration/revalidation will lay the foundation for re-organizing our leadership, from Ward to Local Government, State and National levels.’’
The President pointed out that the party’s NEC had a responsibility “to adopt, and dispassionately consider all the proposals submitted by the Caretaker Committee and grant all the necessary approvals requested to rebuild the party.
He added: “I believe that as leaders, our shared vision is to ensure that we are able to produce leaders that will not inherit any of the problems that led to the decision to dissolve our last National Working Committee. There should be no debate about the fact that we all want to have a united leadership for our party, APC, at all levels. We need such leaders to be able to manage big challenges that always come with elections.”
