By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
The new National Chairman of All Progressive Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu, yesterday said the party cannot move the way it is presently to the 2023 general elections, without a genuine reconciliation and absolute loyalty of the National Working Committee (NWC) members to the party’s ultimate authority.
Senator Adamu made this observation yesterday shortly after he received Certificate of Return from the Chairman of APC Election Sub Committee, Abubakar Badaru, who was flanked by other members of the committee.
He further cautioned that the new APC leadership has been issued a matching order for success by the leader of the party, President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that the new National Working Committee (NWC) must have to deliver.
Speaking at the event, Adamu said “On the elections, we cannot move the way we are to election. We have a marching order by the leader of this party, President Muhammadu Buhari, we will have to deliver. We will have to deliver, there will be no excuses whatsoever and I will need everybody’s hands on deck for this to happen.
“We have zero tolerance for failure in this new dispensation of our great party, because we have an enormous responsibility, for want of more appropriate explanation, ahead of us.”
“As for those of you who just received your certificates of return just like me, members of the National Working Committee, I have told you during our first meeting of the committee, I am a team player. I am a team player as much as possible, I want to carry everybody along with me.
“But to work with me, not because I am the best and everything, you have to be loyal. Your loyalty to me is not loyalty to me, but loyalty to the party. You have to recognize the authority of the party. In all that we do, the interest of the party is paramount.
“You are lucky you are around because we had agreed by Wednesday, we are having our next meeting, because we wanted the committee to give us a report. We want to know where the party is exactly, so that we do not get taken by the exuberance of winning an election and just plunge into the pond, not knowing how deep is the temperature of the water.”
He also said when the new NWC received the report of the Transition Committee, his leadership will look into it, with a view to ensure that the right things were done.
“As for you, the Director of Administration, you have no hiding place. We will count on your loyalty to the party. It is in God’s pleasure that we are here at the helm of affairs of this party. We have come with a very open mind, but you have to reciprocate in the same spirit.
“We will definitely, by the will of God Almighty, the Secretariat, we need to look at you, but I’m not saying anything today until the transition committee submit its report. It is my hope that by the time the report is submitted, you have what they call a clean bill of ledger, that is my prayer. Right? My sister knows what I am talking about.
“So, thank you very much for spending time to be with us on this occasion and we will look forward to your cooperation in every way you can. And if there is a thing that you know you cannot do, do not be ashamed to say so. It is better to be ashamed or not to be ashamed to say so that you are shamed for failure”, Adamu said.
Speaking earlier before presenting the new NWC members with certificates of return, the chairman of Election Sub Committee of the 2022 APC National Convention, and Governor of Jigawa State, Abubakar Badaru, said there were seventy eight positions for both the NEC and zonal executives.
He said “But from these 78 positions, 66 were filled through consensus, which means that positions that were contested and elections conducted were 12. And this demonstrates the fact that the APC is indeed one family and the members will always listen to president Muhammadu Buhari and his call for peace and unity of the party.
“So, we thank all the contestants for really behaving in a mature and understanding manner for the interest and progress of our party. They are heroes of our party, despite their personal interests, they chose to withdraw to allow consensus to reign so that our party will come out stronger and stronger and indeed this was what happened.
“I thank them and I believe they deserve all our commendation and the party will never forget them. On behalf of the election committee of the 2022 APC Convention, I present to you certificates of return, yourself first and the remaining for your members so that you can help us give to them.”
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