By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders, under the auspices of APC Transparency Initiative for Good Governance (ATIGG) has opposed the proposed meeting with Federal legislators-elect by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party led by Abdullahi Adamu.
In a statement issued yesterday by the northern and southern coordinators of ATIGG respectively, Comrade Tasiu Maishanu and Hon. Salinsile Ayobami, they said the proposed meeting is a recipe for anarchy, urging the party’s NWC to withdraw such a meeting.
“It is a recipe for avoidable new controversies and grievances against our party and the incoming administration”, the group said, adding “The APC Transparency Initiative for Good Governance, once again urges all well-meaning party stakeholders and members to caution the Party National Chairman to jettison the idea of calling for a meeting of legislators-elect under our party at this time when the gubernatorial and other state elections are yet to be conducted.”
According to a rejoinder to the meeting which is scheduled to be held in the presidential Villa, ATIGG said “Our attention has been drawn to a publication by the Abdulahi Adamu-led NWC with regard to an invitation of all APC national legislators-elect to a meeting scheduled for 13th March 2023.
“While it is conventional and not unexpected for the leadership of a national party such as the All Progressives Congress (APC) to commence organising a forum to meet with the newly elected national legislators with regard to preparing them for the legislative assignment ahead in the coming 10th Assembly, the call for meeting is a departure from what is right and definitely not in the interest of the party, its members and the country at large.
“It would be an understatement to submit that the scheduled meeting is to apparently satisfy personal and selfish ambitions of the leadership of NWC in collusion with their partners”, the group said.
ATIGG the chief reason for calling the meeting by the NWC leadership without due consultation with the paramount NEC and at a rather short notice is apparently to commence the process of imposing leadership on the 10th National Assembly.
“We are well aware that the NWC leadership, in continuation of the impunity that characterised its action before, during, and after the party primaries, where the highest bidders were imposed on the party across the states of the country, is going ahead to zone the 10th National Assembly leadership in favour of those they have entered into “mutual benefit” with.
“This we cannot allow to happen for the many negative implications it would have both on the party and the smooth running of the executive course if we do not get things right at the National Assembly.
It is too early to begin an imposition process of leadership on the National Assembly.
“What we should be doing now is wide, all inclusive consultations that will throw up widely acceptable legislative leaders in the interest of the party and its agendas for the incoming administration. We must be conscious of the fact that the numerical constitution of both the incoming Senate and HOR, is dicey, and any attempt at imposition at this early, if not premature stage, could force the opposition to stage a coup that might lead to the repetition of the 2011 ( HOR) and 2015 errors in the Senate leadership.
“It is time we totally moved from the impunity of candidate imposition – particularly without wider party consultation – considering the effect it already has on us in the 2023 elections, where we lost in so many places where we ought to have easily won because of candidate imposition and the inherent grievances and resentments against the party by a significant important party members and blocs.
“For instance, party gubernatorial aspirants who were ‘downgraded’ to constituency aspirants and who command popular, respectable supporters in their respective base are not to be toyed with at this point in time.
“They are to be allowed their respectful discretion to work with the gubernatorial flag bearers of their respective states not to be subjected to a potentially humiliating situation such as the proposed premature meeting at this sensitive time before the last phase of the election. We need to work to reposition the party and not further exacerbate the acrimony, resentments and other wrongs in the party that need course corrections”, ATIGG said in the rejoinder.
To this end, the group submitted that the leadership of the party, NEC and President Muhammadu Buhari should prevail on NWC to stop all processes of imposing leadership on the 10th National Assembly.
“That the President-Elect and the Vice President-Elect are to be active forthwith in preventing any action and inaction from NWC that may constitute obstacles to the effective running of the continuation of the APC administration.
“That the Abdulahi Adamu-led NWC should put an end to all attempts to impose leadership on the newly elected lawmakers – and all well-meaning party stakeholders and those with voices and platforms are to retell this important consideration to NWC.
“That all newly elected lawmakers are to be prepared to allow deep consultations amongst themselves that will throw out the best leadership for the 10th Assembly”, the rejoinder said.
“It is necessary in the overall interest of the party and governance that the present NWC be outrightly checked to prevent further internal rancour and grievances that may spell doom for the party at the National Assembly. This is no time for an apparently ill-timed and partial parley to serve the personal interest.
“The parley that the party may need at this time should involve the real aggrieved party members to be healing hitherto, past wounds and for the overall interest of our great party.”
