By David Lawani
A group, Concerned Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress have expressed dissatisfaction over attempts by some members of the party to deny and imposed unpopular candidates on the party during the forthcoming state party congresses on October 16th saying such an attempt will be resisted or the party goes into extinction.
The leader of the group, Abubakar Usman Sadiq who led the body to the National Secretariat of the party to express their grievances said it is worrisome and unfortunate that the party is playing with fire by not following rules guiding the party’s activities.
He said the party may have missed the opportunity of addressing this challenge during the ward and local government congresses but it is not enough to gloss over the fact that the state Congress is just a few days away and it should not be used as an excuse not to address the seeming lacuna noticed in the party.
According to him: ” We may have missed the opportunity to right these wrongs at the two levels where congresses already held, but the forthcoming national convention presents a perfect opportunity that we must take advantage of. Consequently, these Concerned Stakeholders demand that open contestation must be the only option for every position in the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, rather than the imposition of anointed candidates in the name of consensus as was the case with the party’s recent Wards and Local Government congresses.
” As part of activities leading to our National Convention, we have held Ward and Local Government Congresses in a very undemocratic way, clearly imposing leadership on members at the grassroots in the guise of the so-called ‘consensus’ candidate.
While we acknowledge that consensus is one of our party’s Constitutional provisions, it is an irrefutable fact that the APC Constitution did not envisage a situation where certain individuals, whether as governors, former governors, or party leaders would coerce members into accepting a premeditated outcome as a mutually agreed option.
A forced outcome is never a consensus because any procedure that does not uphold the freedom of choice of individuals cannot be said to embody the progressive politics that APC ought to represent.
” Like the majority of APC members nationwide, we desire a party that exists to cater to the varying interests of its diverse membership. We seek a party that is true for all members, that is run by all members as stakeholders, that is owned by all members, and that derives its strength from the belief, trust, and investment of the ordinary members, who are its the backbone.
” We are committed to the rebirth of the APC as a viable party that is not owned by powerful individuals or cabals, but rather one whose strength and very existence are predicated on its ability to command the loyalty and dedication of its teeming members through justice, fairness and transparency.
This is our expectation for the party, and it is the one cardinal desire in pursuit of which we are prepared to invest our time, energy, and resources”, it said.
Sadiq speaking further said the party has deviated from the ideals of its founding fathers and it will pay dearly for it if it didn’t retrace its steps. He said despite it won its election in 2015, it became complacent on how to manage it victory on all fronts.
“We take the courageous step of admitting that the APC has deviated from the ideal political party our founding fathers envisioned during its formation in 2013. Having succeeded in winning the elections and enthroning the government in 2015 to birth the radical change that was in urgent need in the country, the onerous task of managing the party as a true and progressive political party began to hit brick walls as early as the party came into power.
“Much more than not, the APC has functioned as an association run and operated in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of whichever group that is dominant at any particular period. If it seems like the APC is headed in the wrong direction today, it is because we laid the foundation and nurtured it towards that trajectory many years ago. We cannot continue in this manner, and we believe it is time for the APC to rebirth and reinvent itself as a true, progressive, and reform-minded political party that is constantly evolving in accordance with its philosophical objectives and the yearnings of the majority of its members.
” It is on record that some powerful individuals in the political party that was then in power engaged in this habit of micromanaging almost everything that went on in the party. Members were denied their legitimate rights to full participation in the affairs of the party and those not seen to be falling in line are ostracized.
The aforementioned characteristics contributed to the eventual implosion of the party, an opportunity we took full advantage of and moved from being an opposition party to the party in power. It is therefore very surprising and, indeed, worrisome that the APC since coming to power has continuously toed the part of what brought down the other party”, it stated.
He however asked that the leaders who shall emerge from the state Congresses must be those who have the party at heart. He said the time has come to start having leaders who will take the interest of the party as vital as its members.
“We demand that the set of leaders that will emerge from the forthcoming national convention must be those who do not only have what it takes to give a new life to the APC in the interest of all members, they must be people with unquestionable characters and proven records of progressiveness.
“Therefore, stringent conditions must be given as criteria qualifying anyone to hold a national office in the All Progressives Congress. The question of the many ex-this and ex-that having to run the affairs of the party despite their glaring failures in previous responsibilities must not be entertained.
” We equally charge the party’s Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) with ensuring that the National Convention’s date, guidelines, and other arrangements are made public prior to the state Congress slated for October 16th, 2021.
This will not only dispel the widely held belief that the Buni-led committee is playing out a script with its continuous stay in office, but it will also ensure proper and adequate planning for the convention. Conducting this national convention and handing it over to a duly elected and constituted National Working Committee is even more germane at this point in time that many legal challenges have been mounted against the Caretaker Committee in the court of law.
“Gentlemen of the press. Shortly after its formation in 2013, the APC became a mass movement of not only its registered members but also a critical mass of Nigerians who believed in the visions and personalities of President Muhammadu Buhari, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and some of the other founding leaders of our great party.
These individuals must come to the realization that they represent the hopes and aspirations of a vast membership of the party, and must not continue to look away or remain in silence while the very fortunes they worked hard for are being frittered away by the actions of a few and self-serving individuals.
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“President Muhammadu Buhari, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other concerned leaders must rise up to reignite the confidence of the people who believe and rely on their leadership by ensuring that we do not only get the forthcoming national convention right, with the enthronement of leaders the APC needs at this time, but also safeguard their legacies from being wiped away.
” On our part, we must reiterate that our demands here represent the yearnings of the majority of members of the APC across the country. In the past few weeks, we have held series of consultations with relevant stakeholders who share in the APC of our dreams.
In the days ahead, we will continue with these consultations and expand it to reach even more stakeholders who are tired of the status quo. It is on this note that the APC REBIRTH is borne. APC REBIRTH will be the vehicle through which all of our activities will be realized. We, therefore, call on members of the party with progressive ideals to join us in this onerous task of saving the All Progressives Congress from becoming extinct”, the group said.
