Governors elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have concluded plans to meet on Sunday and decide the date for the party’s national convention scheduled for February, this year.
The party’s leadership and key organs are hopeful that the elective convention will still hold in February particularly as it comes under warning from the president to clean up its act or lose power to the main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, disclosed this to newsmen after meeting President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja, on Friday.
President Buhari had earlier admonished his party that it risks disintegrating and losing power to the PDP if it is unable to hold a rancour free convention.
Lalong however said the governors have now given the president the assurance that the convention will hold in February.
According to him, the APC like other political parties is made up of different interests and that what matters at the end of the day, is that they are able to elect their representatives.
” I agree that all the times there are meetings, especially taking final decisions on the party, I’m always part of it and part of it was also why I visited the President and the President still stands committed that there must be an immediate convention. You know, when the convention is coming there are fears here and there, some people will tell you it will work, it will not work. I don’t want to jump to a conclusion, but the visit to the President has already assured us and you know that there is already a notice that all the governors are meeting on Sunday. By Sunday we will tell you when we’re doing the convention. We’ve taken a date already. I think our first date before Christmas we said we’re going to do a convention in February and we are still working for convention, as far as I’m concerned, except things change from another angle. But as far as I’m concerned, we’re working for our convention in February. These are things that the President was raising his fears, but we’ve already given him assurances that nothing will stop us from having a very peaceful election. Some parties have done their own, the PDP did their own, nothing will stop APC from doing their own. So, all the fears that we’re talking about, which the President also re-echoed, is also telling the governor’s please do more, and keep the party alive. So, by God’s grace, we’re going to put our party alive.”
Governor Lalong also noted that steps will be taken to address all the contending issues affecting the conduct of the convention.
Despite fixing February for its elective convention where key officials of the party will be elected, but in the lead up to the much anticipated convention the party has been battling internal rancour as factions jostle for predominance, with calls for the ouster of the Governor Mai Mala Buni led Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) which was established after the controversial removal of erstwhile chairman, Adams Oshiomhole. The recently concluded ward, Local Government and States congresses have been chaotic making the party unable to fix a definite date for its convention.
