APC crisis: Disputes over convention date brews tension

A fresh crisis is brewing in the All Progressives Congress following renewed calls by some party leaders for tenure extension for the Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee.

A member of the party’s yet to be inaugurated Board of Trustees, Senator Bala Na’Allah, appeared to have stirred the hornets’ nest when he suggested that the panel could ask for more time if it needed such to enable it to do a thorough job.

The APC National Executive Committee under the leadership of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), had in June 2020, dissolved the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee and in its place, set up the Buni-led 13-member committee to reconcile party members and organise a national convention within six-months.

The six months given to the committee expires in December. However there have been calls by some party leaders for an extension of the period considering the fact that the committee spent a considerable amount of time preparing for the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states which were held on September 19 and October 10 respectively.

However, a group of Concerned APC members who withdrew a threat to take to the streets should the caretaker committee not release a timetable for the national convention within two weeks, have renewed their threat.

The spokesperson for the group, Abdullahi Dauda, in a telephone interview in Abuja on Friday said, “We had withdrawn our earlier threat of taking to the street following assurances from out party leaders that a time table will be released but it appears some people want to take loyal party members for a ride.

“I have not read the interview Senator Na’Allah granted but if it is true that he is calling for an extension of tenure for the Buni-Committee, it will be most unfortunate. In fact, if by Monday, the committee does not come out with a timetable and programme of activities for our convention, we will mobilise our members to protest all over Nigeria. This party belongs to all of us, no individual can take our party which we made a lot of sacrifice to build for a ride.

“The agreement was that this caretaker committee will reconcile party members and hold our convention within six months, nothing more. Anything else will be a breach of that agreement. It is the lack of respect for agreements that started the crisis in the party.” Punch