President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed to the leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to continue to make the required sacrifices needed to sustain the party’s growth, as well as deepen democratic tenets in the country.
Buhari, who could not hide his excitement over the recent gale of defections from the opposition to the ruling party, said the APC is now a party of choice among Nigerians.
Read also:
Umahi’s Defection: More Details Revealed As Governor Meets APC Leaders
APC Chieftain Laments: Opponents Behind Plots To Create Discord Between Amaechi, S-South Leaders
Buhari spoke, Tuesday, at the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the APC held at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja.
At the meeting, the APC NEC dissolved all executive councils of the party from ward to the national levels.
The ruling party, last month scheduled the meeting, to review the state of the party across boards.
Chairman of the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee and Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, led members of the party’s NEC to the meeting.
President Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and House Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, and APC Governors among other chieftains were all in attendance.
At the meeting ,the APC NEC agreed to extend the tenure of the Buni-led Caretaker Committee by another six months.
Buhari had at the meeting said the Buni committee had done very well and succeeded in bringing the party together.
Pitching his dream and propositions to the APC leaders, Buhari said: “I want to appeal to all our party members and leaders at all levels, to try and make the required sacrifices so that we are able to collectively restore our progressive and democratic political party, which can nurture and give expression to our collection dream of building a strong, united and developed Nigeria.
“Despite the challenge to restore peace in the party and the series of elections at hand, the fact that we have gained more members and that we are not losing members to the opposition under the present interim leadership, indicates improvement of the party. In fact, we have begun to win back our members who left us and other notable political leaders are being attracted to our party.”
Acknowledging the defection of Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi to the party, as well as the return of many party stalwarts with their supporters, Buhari said: “This confirms we are indeed making progress as a party of choice for Nigerians, as we move towards the resolution of our leadership challenges.
“I want to appeal to all our party members and leaders at all levels, to try and make the required sacrifices so that we are able to collectively restore our progressive and democratic political party, which can nurture and give expression to our collection dream of building a strong, United and developed Nigeria.
Read also:
Corrupt Practices: APC Leaders Call For Impeachment Of Okowa
South-East APC Leaders Endorse Buhari, Target 2023
TraderMoni: Emerhor, APC Leaders Hail Osinbajo’s Visit To Delta Friday
“It’s an honour once again to be part of this meeting with party members. We should remind ourselves about the challenges facing us culminating in our decision to set up a 13-member caretaker extraordinary convention planning committee, on the 25th of June 2020, with a specific mandate of restoring peace in the party, conducting a bottom up registration, organizing a national convention and mobilizing the party for coming elections.
“The chairman of Caretaker Committee, His Excellency, Mai Mala Buni, has presented a progress report to this meeting which should guide our deliberations and strengthen capacity as leaders of the party in our moves towards resolving all outstanding issues.
“I have received periodic briefings from the caretaker extraordinary convention planning committee, as well as other leaders of the party. I am convinced that in the last five months, since the appointment of the caretaker committee, the initiatives taken have brought remarkably new atmosphere of hope in the party.
“Healthy debates are now taking place and the potential for organs of the party to affirm majority positions as the decision of the party is now possible. What is required now is for all of us as leaders of the party to maintain discipline and ensure that this new momentum is protected, sustained and the decisions of party organs are respected by every member.”
Buhari also called for members to protect the party’s legacy, urging members to respect party’s decisions and initiatives across boards on key matters that would the future of the party.
“May I use this opportunity to remind all of us of the need to recreate our negotiation secret of 2012, 2013 under our legacy parties. What guided our success to achieve the merger that produced the APC was the respect we were able to have for each other. In those times, decisions reached at both formal and informal consultations were respected with trusted initiatives taken and believed that they were needed to produce the required political platform that could guarantee electoral victory.
“Everyone of us as leaders ensured that those decisions were respected.
“I have through consultations of the caretaker committee and other leaders of the party, agree that our challenges in the party require that we take steps to rebuild the party from wards to national levels. The initiative to carry out membership registration revalidation is therefore a necessary, membership registration revalidation will lay the foundation for reorganizing our membership from ward to local government, state and national levels.”
Buhari continued: “The responsibility of our party’s NEC at this meeting is to adopt and dispassionately consider all proposals submitted by the caretaker committee and grant all the necessary approvals requested to rebuild the party. To this end, I will be moving some resolutions for our consideration and approval.
“I believe that as leaders, our shared vision is to ensure that we are able to produce leaders that will not inherit the problems that led to the decision to desolve our last national working committee.
“There should be no debate about the fact that we all want to have a united leadership for our party, the APC at all levels. We need such leaders to be able to manage big challenges that always come with elections.”
Read also:
The Real Reason Why We Lost Edo Governorship Poll –APC Youth Leader
2023 Elections: Umahi Insists On Dumping PDP For APC, Defies Secondus, Other
Workers’ Emoluments: APC Attacks Udom, Backs NLC’s 14-day Ultimatum To Governor
APC, PDP Trade Words Over Welfare Of Flood Victims In Delta
