By David Lawani, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress, APC, has said that despite the challenges brought by events of 2021, the year was eventful for the party and its Governor Mai Mala Buni-led CECPC leadership.
Sen. John James Akpanudoedehe Ph.D,
National Secretary APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), said this in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Friday.
“Our great Party, the All Progressives Congress, its leadership, supporters, and teeming members join all Nigerians to celebrate the commencement of the 2022 New Year.
“Recall that the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) was birthed by the Party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) in June 2020 as an interim administration to steer the affairs of the Party following widespread and crippling internal rancours that had threatened the kernel and continued existence of the Party.
“Under the able leadership of His Excellency Mai Mala Buni who doubles as the Governor of Yobe State, the CECPC leadership consulted widely and immediately undertook the task of understudying the state of the Party and setting agenda to identify issues and to resolve all pending and emerging internal crisis within the Party at all levels, and to create a harmonious working atmosphere for the Party’s planned National Convention”, he said.
The statement said that the party was glad and elated that the CECPC under the Mai Mala Buni had been able to make some achievements, most especially in ensuring party members withdrew cases from courts that would have put the party in more crisis.
“In fulfillment of the NEC mandate, CECPC in 2021 respectively and successfully conducted ward, local government, and state congresses to elect substantial party executives.
“On 20th December, 2021, at its 18th regular meeting, it deliberated on the planned National Convention and resolved to set up sub-committees on budgeting and other relevant substructures for the National Convention. All is now set for the conduct of a rancour-free National Convention.
“Following CECPC’s conduct of a nationwide membership registration, revalidation and register update exercise, APC is now unarguably the most populous political party in Nigeria with a membership base of over 40 million registered members.
“The caretaker committee has established a truly unified, strong, repositioned and progressive political unit that has gone on to win a number of critical elections across the country.
“Under the leadership of Governor Mai Mala Buni, the CECPC has created a member-centered party structure — one that guarantees the full participation of all members in decision making and Party activities.
“It has won into the APC fold three serving state Governors and scores of parliamentarians from other political parties.
” It has successfully reviewed the APC Constitution.
“It has scrutinised and paid for the inherited debts with respect to the services to the party in the past administration.
“It has ended and resolved inherited litigations and court cases instituted by many aggrieved members against the party for various reasons by reaching out to the aggrieved members who have consequently responded to the CECPC reconciliation.
“It has entrenched stronger internal democracy in the party as demonstrated in the transparent candidate nomination processes and congresses.
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“It has purchased the building housing the APC National Secretariat which was previously leased, and has been subsequently named as Buhari House, giving APC a permanent abode in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
“It has established a National Reconciliation Committee under the leadership of Sen. Abdulahi Adamu to reach out to aggrieved members, in the current dispensation, with the view to resolving areas of misunderstanding and proactively preventing a crisis. The committee has received various memoranda and has recorded a good number of resolutions that have improved the Party’s cohesion subsequently.
“Since the coming of CECPC, it has been engaging and entrenching in the party processes, previously marginalised groups such as the youths, women, and persons with disabilities and hereby enriching the democratic experience of the party.
“None of these feats could have been achieved without the support and encouragement of the leader of the party and Nigeria’s President, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR. We equally appreciate the National Assembly leadership and the APC legislative caucus, the Tripartite Consultative Committee of the Executive, Legislature and leadership of the APC, the Progressive Governors’ Forum, development partners, the press, and indeed the entire National Executive Committee (NEC), for their mandate, total support, collaboration, and understanding towards CECPC.
“We particularly appreciate the unflinching loyalty and support displayed by our party members and executives across the wards, local governments and state levels in rejecting fifth columnists and sponsored agents in their failed attempt to destabilise and change the leadership of the party by unconstitutional methods. APC is greater than any individual and CECPC is at the forefront of defending the Party’s collective interest and putting the party first”, he noted.
“We deeply appreciate Nigerians for reposing confidence in APC as a party and government from inception to date. On our part, APC will continue to keep and fulfill our election promises by taking citizens out of poverty through massive social investments, revamping the economy, securing lives and property, and ultimately tackling corruption and impunity from their root causes.
“The APC-led Administration has expanded access to tertiary education by establishing new universities, both regular and specialised, more colleges of education to train professional teachers, and polytechnics to develop skilled technical manpower needed to spur the country’s development in different facets. We will continue building and improving infrastructure in the transportation, power, telecommunications and agriculture sectors to further drive economic growth”, he added.
The party’s scribe reiterated that the diversification drive of the party is making lots of impacts as Nigeria is no longer described as the largest importer of rice in Africa saying the testament is attributable to farmers and resolved by President Muhammadu Buhari to see the economy grow by all means possible.
“Our diversification drive is a huge success. That Nigeria is no longer the largest importer of rice in the world, but currently the largest producer in Africa is a testament and an achievement that is attributable to Nigerian farmers who responded to the national call by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Administration by massively participating in the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) driven by the Central Bank of Nigeria in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
“As a result of the economic stabilisation and expansion strategies of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Administration, the country has witnessed the revival of previously dormant factories and the establishment of countless new ones, especially in the agro and allied sectors of the economy. It is heartwarming that the factories have created multiple direct and indirect job opportunities by processing raw materials sourced locally.
“This government has made record investments and intervention in improving the nation’s security architecture. The APC leadership commends the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Administration for relentlessly supporting our security forces with enhanced and sophisticated air, land and sea defense assets to raise the level of their operational readiness, efficiency and capacities so as to ensure that the country returns to its safe and peaceful state.
“The recent winging of 20 pilots and graduation of more than 500 personnel by the Nigerian Air Force, and the 81st Regular Passing Out Parade of 4,000 newly-recruited and fully trained soldiers by the Nigerian Army, are proof that the Muhammadu Buhari-led APC Administration is fully awake and doing what it takes for the Armed Forces to protect the country’s territorial integrity.
“APC notes with satisfaction the contribution of the Communication and Digital Economy sector to the growth of the Nigerian economy. The contribution of the sector to job and wealth creation is obvious while through its activities our progress in the area of digitisation will grow in leaps and bounds in 2022 with the introduction of the 5G technology in the country.
“The party strongly reaffirms that governments at all levels elected on its platform will continue to articulate and implement policies and programmes that will enhance the collective wellbeing of Nigerians in 2022 and beyond. Driven by patriotism and the critical needs of the people of Nigeria, APC will sustain the current trajectory of national renewal, the impact of which will become more profound and pronounced in the coming months when ongoing developmental projects become increasingly operational’, the statement said.
