…sends six directors on leave
The sale of expression of interest and nomination forms for electoral positions in the All Progressives Congress, earlier slated for today (Saturday), has been postponed, Saturday PUNCH has learned.
This is because the contractor responsible for printing the forms did not deliver at the agreed time.
After the party’s National Executive Committee meeting on Wednesday, the National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, announced that the APC would begin selling the nomination and EoI forms on Saturday.
However, at the close of business on Friday, the APC Directorate of Organisation had not received the forms.
Saturday PUNCH also gathered that the party had not yet perfected its procedures for the sale of the forms and the primary elections slated to run from May 18 to June 1, 2022.
Speaking to our correspondent on Friday, a top party source, who asked not to be mentioned, said no new date had been fixed for the sale of forms.
The source stated, “The sale of forms earlier slated for tomorrow (Saturday) has been postponed. No date has been fixed for the commencement of the exercise. The NWC will determine the new date on Monday.
“The postponement became necessary following the inability of the contractor to deliver the forms. As we talk now (Friday evening), the printer has yet to deliver the forms. We hope the exercise will commence next week as the contractor is expected to deliver by the weekend.”
Meanwhile, the six directors of the APC at Buhari House have been directed to embark on a compulsory leave beginning from Friday.
This is part of plans by the National Working Committee to “reorganise the national secretariat.”
Among those affected by the new instruction is the head of the party’s legal department.
According to a letter dated April 21, 2022 and signed by the National Secretary, Dr Iyiola Omisore, all the directors are to hand over their departments to the most senior officials below them.
This decision is in line with the recommendation of the Transition Committee set up by the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led NWC three weeks ago.
The PUNCH had on April 1, 2022 reported that the Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu, hinted of his intention to probe the national secretariat as well as the directors.
Adamu said this after receiving his certificate of return from the National Convention Election Committee led by Jigawa State Governor, Muhammad Badaru.
Speaking to party officials at the time, he said, “I am a team player and as much as possible, I want to carry everybody along. We will definitely, by the will of God Almighty, need to look at the secretariat, but I’m not saying anything today until the transition committee submits its report.”
An impeccable party source revealed that the new move was part of efforts by the NWC to reorganise the secretariat.
When contacted for his comments on the development, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, did not take his calls and had not responded to text messages sent to him as of the time of filing this report.
In another development, the party has assured aspirants, who honoured its consensus arrangement by stepping down during last month’s national convention, of the refund of their form fees.
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), after a meeting with chairmanship aspirants of the APC shortly before the convention directed the party to refund the form fees to those stepping down for Adamu.
On the convention ground in the late hours of Saturday, March 26, 2022, the chairman of the election committee, Badaru, announced that all aspirants to various offices who stepped down for their respective consensus candidates would be refunded their form fees.
In an interview with our correspondent on Thursday, Morka had assured the aspirants that their money would be refunded once the transition committee was done with its job.
“We are a responsible party and we will stick with our promise to return all the money to the aspirants who stepped down. But at the moment, there is a process going on being handled by the transition committee. When that is done, we will make the refund,” he had said.
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