APC Rebirth Group, a pressure group within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has accused the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) led by Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni of plotting to postpone the party’s national convention beyond February 2022.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its Spokesperson, Mr. Aliyu Audu, the group stated that it had been reliably informed that the Committee was behind various news reports planted in the media claiming that the convention had been set for February 25th, 2022.
The group noted that the real plot was to use the planted February 25th date to buy more time, pretending it has no knowledge of the forthcoming bye-election; by which time it would be left with no option but to postpone the much-awaited February convention to another date.
The group noted that in any case, the purported February 25th date, just like many other decisions that have been taken by the caretaker committee, was not a collective decision by members of the committee.
It stressed that this was the reason it opted to plant the date in the media rather than coming out with an official position.
It noted: “In furtherance of the agenda to continue the extension of its six months mandate which is now running to the 19th month, the Buni-led Caretaker Committee has come up with another plot to deceive party members and buy time in order to further propagate its selfish agenda.
“The CECPC, having realized that no less than six states will be going to the polls for various bye-elections on the 26th of February, 2022, decided to plant a February 25th date in the media knowing fully well that the convention cannot be taking place at a time bye-elections in which the party would be participating will also be taking place across different states in the country.”
The group pointed out that If the CECPC was serious about holding the national convention, February 19 is a good date and the time to start preparing for it is now.
It added that rather than planting dates and stories in the media, the CECPC should come out with a clear position and timetable for the much-awaited national convention.
It warned, “While we recommend February 19th 2022 as a feasible date for the convention that will give the APC a new set of elected National Working Committee members, we want to reiterate that any attempt by the Buni-led Caretaker Committee to move the convention any further under any guise will be resisted by all means possible.”
The group wondered why other members of the CECPC have continued to tolerate the unilateral decision making and dictatorial excesses of the chairman of the committee.
It said, “We are bringing this new plot of the CECPC to public attention, just as we have done in many other instances, in order to reawaken the consciousness of party members to the reality of Buni leadership of APC and to call on all those concerned to prevail on him not to toy with the February date for the national convention.”
The APC Rebirth also called for the rejigging of the membership of the caretaker committee, stressing that aside from the obvious travesty of being in contravention of section 183 of the Constitution which forbids sitting governors from the membership of the committee, the continuous stay of Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State especially is a disrespect to its laws and morals.
It said the governor, who will be standing as an aspirant in the forthcoming governorship primary election in Osun State, cannot be a judge in his own case.
The group, therefore, called on Oyetola to relinquish his membership of the caretaker committee, considering the fact that it may prepare and most likely conduct the primary election for the number one seat in Osun State.
It was of the opinion that the ruling party cannot continue to disregard a clear constitutional provision as regards the composition of the caretaker committee.
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