Former governor of Zamfara state and a national chairmanship aspirant of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, has said it’s time the overbearing influence of governors in internal running of political parties was put under check....CONTINUE READING
Yari also decried the plethora of litigations filed by aggrieved party faithful in the aftermath of the state congresses, just as he promised to entrench a reward system for party loyalists across the country if given opportunity to emerge the next national chairman.
He spoke Thursday in Abuja at the APC Press Corps second annual lecture with the theme: “APC Beyond 2023-The Tasks Ahead: The Role of Stakeholders.”
The platform was an intellectual ground for the aspirants for the position of the chairmanship of the party to unveil their plans and programmes.
At the event were national chairmanship aspirants seeking the endorsement of members.
The aspirants in attendance included former Nasarawa state Governor, Senator Tanko Almakura, Senator Mohammed Sani Musa, Alhaji Yari, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff (represented), former Governor Isa Yuguda (represented), Malam Mustapha Salihu, Sunny Moniedafe, Mohammed Etsu and Senator George Akume (represented).
Reeling out his plans for the party, Yari recalled his role in the formation of the APC in 2013, and expressed optimism that the APC would sustain its winning streaks after the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari May 29, 2023.
Yari urged fellow contenders to guard against the “do-or-die mentality” as they jostle for elective positions ahead of the 2023 poll.
On govs’ influence
Speaking on the governors’ influence on political parties, the former governor said: “The issue of domination, of course, governors must dominate the party. Why, because they’re the Alpha and the Omega and they are the financers? But we have to change the narrative. Governor, President are members of the party and have their own card number as any member has it.
“In bringing the members together, we are sharing the same opportunities. It is only that you are given the opportunity to us to serve you as a governor, as Senator, House of Reps, House of Assembly, respectively. So, therefore, if we change the narrative and with members of the party, at least certain direction on the issue of critical importance, then that narrative can be changed.
“And also, you can take the fight back to us and determine what is the party going to look like? I know as a governor who served for eight years, I can hear from the background that we dominate. Now I am outside, I’m listening together with outsiders that governors dominate. So, this is very correct. But if we agree, all of us, because no single chairman either from State or the National can do that alone. All of us have to agree, sit down and design how our party is going to look beyond 2023. So, if we agree to do that, then we can get that one out.”
Musa
On his agenda, another aspirant, Senator Musa representing Niger East Senatorial district in the National Assembly, stressed the need to reorganise the party structure that would usher in an era whereby the constitution of the party would be strictly adhered to, to avert recurring crisis plaguing the party.
Promising to sustain the legacies of President Muhammadu Buhari administration, the serving lawmaker assured that he would run an all inclusive administration if elected chairman of the party.
“In so doing, if we make our party an institution whereby it will be governed by the books, the trajectory should be that we should have a Constitution that will be abide by. If you’re a leader, if you are an aspirant, if you are elected to an office, you should know that there is a book, there is a Constitution that we must stand and abide by.
“The guidelines of the party are there, the manifesto of the party is there. If you are elected under the platform of this party, there is no way you shouldn’t abide by the book that this party has created. Because before you even become a member of this party, you must have agreed to the tenets and the ethics of conduct that the party has laid down and this is my aspiration.
“I want to bring technology to the running of the administration of APC. The internal structure needs to be re-engineered. We need to re-engineer APC. We need a leadership that is participatory. We need a leadership that is pace setting, we need people with ideas to come in,” Musa said.
Al-Makura
Also speaking, Senator Al-Makura, who paid glowing tribute to the performance of the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led caretaker committee, promised to offer selfless services if elected chairman of the party.
“My objective is to be chairman of the party not for myself, not about my ego but it’s about sustaining the gains so far recorded in the party. As one opportune by providence to be part of those that participated in the merger of the legacy parties, I am here to partake in value addition to the party,” he said.
LG autonomy
Speaking at the occasion, an APC chieftain and Director General Voice of Nigeria (VON) Osita Okechukwu, said the party as a matter of urgency, must re-jig its progressive credentials ahead of the 2023 general elections.
He asked the APC governors to stop opposing President Buhari’s reforms, especially on local government autonomy.
Okechukwu said Nigeria cannot claim to be in democracy when democracy at the sub-national level is under lock and key.
He said: “On the political spectrum Mr. President has embarked on incremental restructuring by alteration of our Constitution to oblige first line charge of funding to State legislatures and judiciary as captured in Section 121 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended. When the governors aping Emperors in an unusual Bipartisanship ganged up to oppose the extension of frontiers of democracy to sub-national units, he signed the Executive Order 10.
“One humbly appeals to APC governors to urgently align with Mr. President to liberate democratic institutions at the state level. For Rubber-Stamp legislatures and non-independent State Judiciary are ill-wind which blow no good to our fledgling democracy. The Progressive Governors Forum should stand up to be counted by not only liberating state legislatures and Judiciary but Local Government Councils.”
On the need to reposition the ruling APC, the VON boss said: “To rejig our progressive credentials, consolidate and transform our dear party and by extension our dear country; we must take APC Manifesto as our Bible and our Koran. For the avoidance of doubt, our manifesto is structured around the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy.
“Me thinks one of the challenges is the mistake of taking the conduct of party primaries as the core function of the National Working Committee (NWC) of our party.
“Capital No! The primary role of the National Working Committee of our great party is oversight functions of those elected and appointed to government – local, state and federal tier on our platform. NWC is the enforcer of the guardrails as per the religious execution of the Manifesto of our party by those elected and appointed on our platform.
“Had the NWC played their enforcer role diligently the federal government since 2015 could have saved over N2 trillion pumped into our privatised electricity chain without commensurate result.”
PGF replies
Responding to Okechukwu’s submission on governors opposing local government autonomy, Director General Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) Salihu Moh Lukman faulted the claim.
Lukman said: “The PDP governors were opposed to it. APC governors elected to support the reform, that’s the matter, just to correct the impression out there.”
State chairs
Meanwhile, the APC state chairmen Thursday vowed to resist any attempt to derail the current party leadership under Governor Buni.
The party leaders said they have “resolved that any sponsor of crisis in our party should desist from that because the state chairmen resolve that they will not tolerate such sponsorship and if we know we will do the needful in our various states before the national will hear about it.”
Addressing journalists at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, spokesman of the State Chairmen Forum, Prophet Jones Ode Erue, urged the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee to concentrate on its assignment.
” So, we stand by the Constitutionality of our party, we stand with the leadership of his Excellency Mai Mala Buni and we will continue to give hand of fellowship, we will continue to give the backing needed, we will continue to fight in the trenches with you, we will continue to call it our party.
“We want to say that our party, the All Progressives Congress is greater than any individual, therefore, its existence is paramount to us and we are not going to mortgage it for any reason. We are not going to destroy our APC for any reason. Therefore, we State Chairmen resolve and we stand resolved that we stand with the leadership of our great party under the leadership of his Excellency, Mai Mala Buni.
“We are not in military regime, we operate a constitution. Therefore, anybody in whatever form they come to challenge the corporate existence of our party we State Chairmen resolve we will stand against such force no matter who is behind the force because this is our party we have no other party apart from APC.
“We want the leadership of the party to know and get rest assured that we are with them in this, the unison of our party so that our party will move from strength to strength no matter what it is. And the issue of any group of person thinking they can just hang up anywhere and arrogate power to themselves and say we dethrone, we enthrone, we scatter, we discatter, we State Chairmen resolve that the national leadership should know that this is an issue we will ruthlessly deal with in our various States.”
CECPC scribe
Also speaking, the APC National Secretary, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe said Nigerians would not replace APC with a government that would spend the nation’s resources to buy brassier in 2023.
Senator Akpanudoedehe also went spiritual while countering the newly elected national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Iyorchia Ayu’s assertion that APC would break up April 2022.
He said: “I learnt that the new PDP chairman made a prophecy that we will scatter before April.
“I replied by saying that the Bible says take council together, it shall come to nothing. Speak the word, it will not stand, rather we will be stronger and stronger. Let me send a message to PDP, if we are talking about replacing APC, it can never be you because Nigerians are too intelligent.
“Nigerians will still choose APC. Talk is cheap, even when you sponsor crisis throughout Nigeria, we won all our bye-elections. We inherited insurgency and we have dealt with it. As we speak, not one inch of Nigeria’s territory is being taken over by any group. That is why they have turned themselves to criminals. When PDP were in government, they took over everywhere but today, it is different.
“Maybe because the President is not the talking type, I am challenging anyone to show me any social intervention programme better than this government. People are collecting alerts for COVID-19 palliative. Youths, women, civil servants are collecting it.
“If you have a minister who served under that government and the minister bought a brassier worth 1 million, we cannot replace APC with brassier government. We just got another information that another account has been discovered.”
Kalu seeks postponement of APC national convention
Meanwhile, Senate Chief Whip Orji Uzor Kalu has the Buni-led committee and members of the planning committee to postpone the party’s national convention slated for February.
In a letter addressed to Governor Buni, the lawmaker urged the party’s national leadership to conduct the presidential primary and election of National Working Committee members simultaneously at the convention.
Titled: “Urgent appeal for postponement of APC National Convention”, the letter warned that holding the convention February without resolving pockets of disagreements trailing the congresses of the party may lead to implosion.
Kalu said: “It is with a sense of commitment and unflinching loyalty to our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) that I write to you, the content of this letter regarding the National Convention of our party slated for February, 2022.
“It is imperative to commend your sterling leadership qualities in helping to stabilise our great party across the six-geopolitical zones, with high profile defections to the party to your credit as an outstanding party leader.
“I must also commend your peaceful disposition and sense of commitment to the growth of our party which also saw very peaceful congresses across the states.
“However, it is pertinent to note that, some states are embroiled in crisis with multiple factions.
“I must also commend your peaceful disposition and sense of commitment to the growth of our party which also saw very peaceful congresses across the states.
“However, it is pertinent to note that, some states are embroiled in crisis with multiple factions.
“Similarly, the creation of factions denied the party victory in so many states because the crisis was never settled. As a peaceful and tactful leader, I am sure you wouldn’t allow such scenario to reoccur.
“It is on this note that I write to appeal to your office and members of the Convention Extraordinary Planning Committee to reconsider the slated date for the 2022 National Convention.
“It is important that we collectively save the party from implosion due to the numerous court cases across the states.
“It is also important that you reconsider the date due to the confusions with regards to the zoning of offices.
“The conclusion to be drawn from all the cases is that after the state congresses, the burgeoning morale of party members was badly affected.
“It would be devastating to continue with the convention without settling the differences in our various states and, sort out the issues of zoning which in my opinion, cannot be addressed in two months.
“The logical corollary of the foregoing pronouncements of the courts is that having too many cases without settling them amicably, the APC may be embarking upon a collision course which may lead the party to implosion.
“It is important to first postpone the convention with all peace and reconciliation machineries fully put in place.
“The issue of zoning should be properly handled with even representation across the six geopolitical zones.
“In conclusion, I am suggesting for a simultaneous event of having the presidential primary and election of National Working Committee (NWC) members on the same day and venue to avoid rancour and litigations.
“As a listening and kind hearted leader, I am confident that you will consider my humble appeal to postpone the convention.
