The All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared a new development to conduct congresses at the zonal level instead of the usual national congress earlier scheduled for 26th of February, 2022.
As gathered, the decision to elect members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party through the zonal congresses was said to have been as a result of the governors’ rejection of an anointed candidate from President Muhammadu Buhari and members of its caucus against their preferred nominee as a consensus candidate, who they believe would represent the interest of every member of the party.
Until Monday, members of the party were not certain if the national convention would hold as earlier announced by the national executive led by the Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, but speculations across both the APC national headquarters office in Abuja and that of the presidency corridors have already indicated that there would be no convention and the conference may likely to be postponed and fixed for a new date if at all there would be any before the 2023 poll.
Meanwhile, the party moved away completely from the speculation, and instead of postponing the convention, announced that the congresses would be held at zonal levels to pick members that would represent zones at the national level.
Although, the party in a letter to the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday to communicate its new plan did not indicate what would be the job function of any of the members that emerge at the zonal level, whether as members of the national working committee or those that would serve as delegates for the NWC election.
In the letter signed by the national chairman for the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Mai Mala Buni, and the national secretary, John Akpanudoedehe, the party stressed that the letter overrides the earlier plan announced by the party.
According to the letter titled: Notice For The Conduct of Zonal Congresses, the APC leadership noted that the decision to postpone the national convention and embrace zonal congresses was predicated on the party’s constitution.
Part of the statement reads: “This notice supersedes our earlier notice for National Convention referenced APC/NHDQ?INEC?019?22?14 this is predicated on the evaluation of our party constitution.
“In furtherance to Article 85 of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) and compliance with section 12:6 our party constitution we hereby write to notify the commission that our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has scheduled to hold its zonal congresses on Saturday 26th March, 2022. Kindly arrange for your officials to monitor the exercise accordingly”.
The party’s caretaker committee’s decision came less than five days to the gathering after efforts to resolve the zoning of the party chairman and other elective positions within the APC allegedly proved abortive.
