By David Onimisi Lawani
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr. Patrick Obahiagbo has noted that since the current Mai Bala Buni led Extraordinary Convention/ Planning Caretaker Committee, CECPC, took over a year plus, the party has done much by way of carrying out party registration of members

Obahiagbon made this assertion when he addressed pressmen during a conference in Buhari house saying despite no party is free of crisis, APC has been able up its sleeve for registering over 40 million members of the party.

He disclosed that the CECPC has been able to handle its challenge as a party would noting that there have been lots of feats achieved under the CECPC since the governor took over and his team.

He said: ‘ The world in caboodle can bear eloquent testimony to the fact that the membership registration organized, and successfully conducted by the committee was a huge success. Across the entire polling units, wards, local governments and states of the country and the FCT, the CECPC seamlessly conducted a peaceful exercise, devoid of a single record of atrabilious political bellicosity and virulent belligerency.

” At the conclusion of the exercise, the membership population of our great party rose to a little above 40 million; a figure well above the projected targets. May I pontificate, that the supra feat is unheard of in the history of political party management not only in our country but the entire continent of Africa”, he said.

He said the resolution of conflicts that has been the bane of the party for a period of aeon, since the CECPC commenced its assignment of bringing all aggrieved party members back into the fold and ensure willing termination of all ongoing litigations against the party and among members on issues that relate to the party.

” The CECPC embarked on a genuine reconciliation drive that accords all aggrieved members, fair hearing and objective responses, placing party interests above individual interests.

” The Committee also visited some key stakeholders and left its reconciliatory doors wide open for those willing to visit the committee as well as, for suggestions and inputs. The transparent and objective approach to the problems that bedeviled the party, provided new confidence and trust in the party. Virtually all aggrieved members and groups who had left the party or sued the party in various courts willingly accepted reconciliation and withdrew litigations in the courts against the party.

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” Against the backdrop of the magnitude and plenitude of the reconciliatory drive embarked upon by the CECPC, the fortune of the party in the last year has greatly improved across the country and especially, in the South-East and the South-South which has been the stronghold and bastion of the opposition in the past. I can confidently tell you all today that the APC is now more peaceful, more accommodating, and more united with more prospects than it was when the CECPC came on board.

Obahiagbon responding to questions on the crisis rocking the party in various states which are as a result of the ward congresses prompting the stakeholders of the party to say the CECPC has not taken steps to bring genuine reconciliation in these states, the APC, chieftain noted: ” I am aware that as I speak to you now, this party inaugurated its ward congress appeal committee about a week ago. And the appeal committee sitting over disputations and controversies that have arisen from some ward congresses in some states are currently seating.

”My advice to any member to the political party who has any issues arising from the just concluded ward congresses no matter his imagined status in the society, my advice to such persons would be to take advantage of the various ward congresses appeal committee currently reviewing issues arising from the various ward congresses which you have just alluded to. That is the democratic way to go”.

The APC chieftain clarifies insinuations in some quarters on whether the one-year plus spent by Comrade Adams Aliu Oshiomhole and the current extension of tenure for the caretaker committee led by the governor of Yobe state, Mai Bala Buni is in any way comparable, he said: ” They are nothing but canals. Foipiles. To speak in platitudinous idiolect. It is a rumor. Fake news. There is nothing like that. This CECPC is already progressing towards its national convention. And, you can see work in progress. But, mischief-makers and political chichidodos, should be advised to stop their mandibular walkabout. And put the genie back in the bottle. Those were the political chichidodos I was referring to.

” The question of comparison is an attempt to get me or anyone to give a comparative analysis between this caretaker committee and the Adams Oshiomhole led APC. I want to say that the two administrations came into the life of our party at different times and in different circumstances. There will be no basis at all for me to begin to draw comparisons. But, on the achievements of this caretaker committee, I have already stated the achievement in serial Tim.

On the issue of a series of petitions in the court challenging the constitutionality of the CECPC to continue to state in office, and calls from different quarters that those who said they are no longer fit to lead the party should be expelled, Obaigbon said: ”The answers to your question is very Sancta simpliciter. I allude to the fact that the APC, has a party constitution. And the party constitution is quite clear on issues that have to do with the necessity of members of this political party. to exhaust all domestic remedies.

”As to what the sanctions will be, for any member of this party who has fallen short of respecting the party’s constitution, not only with regards to taking the CECPC to court. The constitution provision of the APC is quite clear to the effect that disciplinary sanctions will have to start from the ward of such members. from the ward to local government and then the state before it comes to the national secretariat.

”The CECPC will not like political otto von bismark by itself or swore motto. Discipline any member of the political party that has not been engendered from the ward to the local government to the state and the national secretariat. All, I can say to you, is that when all such activities have passed through the Democratic rigors, and it gets to the national secretariat, this CECPC under the able leadership of governor Mai Bala Buni will not shirk in his responsibility and constitutional duty. he will dispense justice to all manner of men without fear or favor. And in a very transparent modus”, he noted.