BEVERLY HILLS, July 20, (THEWILL) – Governors serving under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC,on Wednesday, asserted that the party’s national convention must not be conducted without the presence of President Muhammadu Buhari, who has been on a medical vacation in the United Kingdom sinceMay 7this year.
Stressing that the President must be around before the party could discuss modalities for its convention, the governors said the party can proceed with processes for its non-elective convention to fill existing vacancies in the APC executive.
Addressing newsmen at the end of a closed-door meeting with the National Working Committee, NWC, led by the party’s national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, the Zamfara State governor, Abdul-Aziz Yari, however stated that the process would commence onJuly 29, with the conduct of state congresses.
He said, “We have been on this issue of mid-term convention for sometime. But you know that the president is the leader of this party and before getting to the convention, there is a process.
“The NWC must agree on the time and we have to adopt the report of the National Working Committee to the National Executive Committee and the president must be in attendance as the leader.
“You know the situation of our president today. We have been fixing time, but because of his illness, we have not been able to hold the meeting.”
Also at the briefing, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the APC NWC and the governors resolved to set up a committee to explain to Nigerians its position on restructuring of the country.
He stated that Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State would chair the nine-man committee while Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi would serve as secretary.
Abdullahi said the committee became necessary as the ruling party’s manifesto on devolution of power to states and local government had been misconstrued to mean restructuring of the polity.
“I have repeatedly mentioned it that when we mentioned setting up a committee on restructuring, what we are talking about is a committee that will articulate what the APC meant by restructuring.
“We have realised for sometime now that when people talk about restructuring, we are no longer sure if they are talking about the same thing.
“People have said that the APC promised restructuring. So, we need to sit down as a party to develop a shared understanding of what we mean by restructuring in our manifesto,” he said.
Other members of the committee include: Governors Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (Kano), Simon Lalong (Plateau) and Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun).
Also among the membership of the committee are: former governor of Edo State, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor; APC national organising secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso and Abdullahi.
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