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APC NATIONAL CONVENTION: Our February date stands, says AkpanUdoedehe

…insists party still consulting …dismisses June date as fake news

The Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday, dismissed speculations that the national convention of the party slated for February was no longer feasible and has therefore been shelved to the middle of the year.

A national daily had, on Tuesday, reported that the APC National Convention slated for next month would now hold in June. Secretary of the Committee, Senator John AkpanUdoedehe, who debunked the speculation, described it as fake news, stressing that the party was still consulting. Akpanudoudehe stated that the story was not true and must have emanated from the enemies of the party. In the statement released on Wednesday, Akpanudoudehe urged the general public to ignore the rumours on the suspension of the convention.

The statement read thus: “The general public is advised to completely disregard fake news on the reported suspension of the planned National Convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) till June, as reported by some media outlets. “Dates for party activities such as meetings, Primaries, Congresses, National Conventions are communicated through well-known official channels and not through ‘sources’. “The faceless authors and sponsors of fake news on APC activities, in this case, the planned National Convention, are simply bent on causing confusion and formenting crisis through misinformation. We should not enable them.

“As a focus-driven, process-oriented political party, the APC Caretaker Committee, under the leadership of Governor Mai Mala Buni, will not be distracted by self-serving antics of these sponsors of fake news. The APC Caretaker Committee is already embarking on nationwide consultations with party stakeholders to prepare the ground for a rancour-free National Convention. To this end, the sub-committee on budgeting and other substructures will be set up in due course. “Finally, the Party notes and appreciates the continued support of well-meaning members and leaders as the APC Caretaker Committee undertakes the immediate task of addressing contestations within the Party, litigations, fallouts of recently-conducted Congresses and generally reposition the Party ahead of the National Convention.”

There had been agitations in some quarters that the National Convention slated for February should be postponed because the congresses of the party had not been completed in all the states. The proponents of this argument had said it would be illegal for the party to hold its convention without all the states in attendance for one reason or the other.

Some stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had dismissed the views of some party members that the National Convention of the party cannot hold without all the states and all the delegates in attendance. The stakeholders that spoke differently cited article 25 (iii) of the party that states that the party needs only 1/3 of its members for the National Convention to hold.

States like Anambra and Zamfara were yet to conduct their congresses, while states like Lagos, Ogun, Abia, Rivers, Delta, Kano, Bauchi, Enugu, Akwa Ibom and more were said to have factional executives. It was on these bases that some party members canvassed for the postponement of the Convention, pending when the party would reconcile aggrieved members However, Article 25 (A) (I) of the APC constitution states: The National Convention of the Party shall be held once in Two (2) years at a date, venue and time to be recommended by the National Working Committee and approved by the National Executive Committee subject to the giving of the statutory notices to the Independent National Electoral Commission and at least fourteen (14) days notice given to members eligible to attend. ii.Without prejudice to Article 25 (A)(i) of this Constitution, the National Executive Committee may summon an emergency National Convention at any time provided at least seven (7)days notice of the meeting shall be given to all members eligible to attend. iii.

The quorum for the meetings of the National Convention shall be one third of its membership. iv.The provision regulating the meetings of the National Convention shall apply mutatis mutandis to State Congresses, Local Government Area/ Area Council Congresses and Ward Congresses.

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