President Muhammadu Buhari Friday in Abuja said the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been revived, energized, and repositioned for its national convention and future elections while commending the National Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) led by Governor of Yobe State, Malam Mai Mala Buni.
APC CECPC meeting at the State House was attended by, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, Chairman of Nigerian Governors’ Forum and Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, Progressives Governors Forum, and Kebbi State Governor, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, and Chairman of Northern Governors Forum and Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong. Others are, Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el’Rufai, Governor of Osun State, Adegboyega Oyetola, and Governor of Niger State, Abubakar Sani Bello.
the President said the fortunes of the party had been brightened by the re-organization 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 actualization of the convention and 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 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 the 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 mobilization and sensitization were 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 the 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.
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