*Report seeks to marry all interests within Party – Lalong

*Says there is internal democracy in APC

*Tenure elongation undemocratic, may lead us to litigations – Ganduje

…Rivers APC not in crisis — Sen. Uchendu

By Kemi Kasumu, General Editor

“The task appeared not easy when it was given to us but with God on our side and the very wide consultations we made, this report has solved most of the problems that we were thinking was within the APC.  So, that is to tell you that there is democracy in the APC…We looked at the meeting of February 27; we also looked at the passion and the commitment of Mr. President towards keeping the party one and also cohesive and so at the end of the day, we made far reaching recommendations…We noticed that there were different interests, which is quite usual when you have a party like this that is progressive and those interests were genuine but at the end of the day, we were able to marry those interests so that the party can move forward. So, in this report, you will see a lot of it.”

The 10-member Technical Committee set up by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to look into the position of President Muhammadu Buhari on the tenure of Party Executives vis-a-vis NEC’s resolution of February 27^th, 2018 has submitted its report.

Assistant Director Information, APC National Secretariat, Mr. Edegbe Odemwingie, disclosed this in a release, copy of which he sent to The DEFENDER on Friday.

The committee, headed by the Governor of Plateau State, Barrister Simon Lalong, also has as members the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Barr. Boss Mustapha, Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Governor of Ondo State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), Senator Ben Uwajumogu, Hon. Kabiru Ajana, Barr. Elisha Kurah (SAN), Barr. C.J.N. Dakas (SAN) and the APC National Legal Adviser, Dr. Muiz Banire (SAN) as Member/Secretary of the committee.

Governor Lalong submitted his report just as Governor of Kano State, Dr. Umar Abdullahi Ganduje, took time out to explain why virtually all the APC governors moved against the decision National Working Committee of the party in support of President Buhari’s resolve that constitution of the party must lead the actions regarding the tenure of the party’s executives.

Although the release by the Party’s National Secretariat, Friday, did not disclose details of the report submitted as the details had not been made public, The DEFENDER learned that its recommendations include insistence on the conduct of a national convention and congresses as well as convening of the NEC meeting slated for Monday.

“This report was accepted by all our committee members including those who have travelled back to their destinations. We did our best within the short time to ensure that we got the report ready within the accepted time so that this party can move forward.

“The task appeared not easy when it was given to us but with God on our side and the very wide consultations we made, this report has solved most of the problems that we were thinking was within the APC.  So, that is to tell you that there is democracy in the APC”, said the Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, who chaired the committee.

He said, “We looked at the meeting of February 27; we also looked at the passion and the commitment of Mr. President towards keeping the party one and also cohesive and so at the end of the day, we made far reaching recommendations.

“We noticed that there were different interests, which is quite usual when you have a party like this that is progressive and those interests were genuine but at the end of the day, we were able to marry those interests so that the party can move forward. So, in this report, you will see a lot of it.

“The report will also contain recommendations of certain issues that we think the party should do immediately and one of them is already being implemented about NEC meeting for Monday which is also in line with our recommendations and we want to assure you that at the end of the day, APC is coming back to life”, he said. Receiving the report, national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun said the NWC will spend the weekend looking through the report ahead of the Monday NEC meeting.

“It is my hope and expectation that the NEC meeting of Monday will finally lay to rest all the issues that need to be sorted out before we move into the elections. Finally, the recommendations of your report will lay to rest the ghosts that have been hovering over the leadership of APC”, he added.

Meanwhile, the Kano state Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje said governors of the ruling party decided to withdraw their earlier support for an extension of the tenure of the party leadership in recognition of the fact that the decision was undemocratic and could expose the party to a wave of litigations which could affect its chances at next year’s general elections.

“Tenure elongation is undemocratic, it may lead us to litigations which will not be good for the party and we are happy that we have convinced the few governors who were for the elongation and on Monday we hope to have our NEC meeting where the previous decision will be reversed and by then, the timetable will be out for congresses at the ward level, congresses at local government level, congresses at the state level and finally convention at the national level”, he said.

Ganduje who declared his intention to run for a second term in office, said; “Yes, there was controversy on this even though yesterday we were able to put it to rest. But, let me tell you the issues involved, those who are advocating for tenure elongation, are advocating on the premise that when we hold congresses and convention according to their own perception, there will be a lot of problems and that the problems would linger into the election period. Well that is a perception, it could be that way and it could be that some people wanted to retain power. Therefore that reason is biased.

…Rivers APC not in crisis — Sen. Uchendu

Sen. Andrew Uchendu, the Senator representing Rivers East Senatorial District of Rivers on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), has said that there was no crisis rocking the party.

Uchendu, who made the assertion on Friday in an interview with the News agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt, said the pursuit of interest by members of the party could not constitute a crisis for the party in Rivers.

“It is when there are factions in the political structure of the party that you will say we have a crisis.

“But as we speak, the entire structures of the party from the state to the wards are intact,” he said.

According Uchendu, Sen. Magnus Abe, my friend has a gubernatorial ambition, for crying out loud that is his constitutional right.

“He is free to pursue his ambition but he shouldn’t see it that if I don’t support him it implies that there is crisis in the party; he should go on with his ambition.

“Yes, some us felt he was starting too early and heating-up the polity which pursuing personal agenda normally generates but now is this is the right time? I wish him luck.

“It will be wrong for anybody to imagine or say that because Mr A, B or C is not supporting his or her ambition, therefore there is crisis in the party,” he added.

The federal lawmaker described a recent APC stakeholders meeting in Rivers as a convergence of Sen. Abe’s supporters.

He said that his colleague Sen. Abe, could not say that the meeting he had with his supporters was an expanded Rivers APC meeting.

“If he said that, I’m sure he might not have told himself the truth or there is disagreement among his supporters that he wants to resolve.

“But he cannot call that APC stakeholders meeting, he is my colleague, I respect him a lot and he knows that, that English he used is wrong,” the Senator said.

Uchendu also denied the rumor that he would no longer campaign for an elective position after the 2015 election.

According to him, I never said in Afara, Etche Local Government Area, that I will not campaign again.

“What was said in Afara because of the rerun in the entire local government area was, please dear people of Etche, vote for me.

“At the end of my tenure, we will all be supporting you to take over from me.

“My tenure has not ended, it may end in 2019 or go beyond that, I am not playing politics about this, I am a man of integrity and I maintain my word,” he said.

The lawmaker said that he would run for election again in 2019 if his party, the APC asks him to seek for re-election.

“I will campaign again, I never said I will not campaign again; Sen. Andrew Uchendu is not resigning to go anywhere.

“I am in politics till my strength can’t carry me anymore.

“Since 2003, I have never on my own gone out to say I am running for any office.

“I have been lucky because it had always been that my party will call me to run for any office it decides.

“Go and check the records, I ran for House of Representatives three times, it was my party that called me to run, my party called me to run in 2015,” he claimed.

“If my party says no, you are not running, I will not run because I am a core party man.

“But my history in the election had been come and run because I have what it takes to win the election,” the lawmaker said.