•Vows to strengthen party structures
By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
A frontline aspirant for the office of National Chairman of All Progressive Congress (APC), Senator Sani Musa, has cautioned party stakeholders on the need to ensure fairness and justice in the forthcoming national convention of the party, devoid of which crisis will continue to escalate in the party.
Fielding questions from journàlists in Abuja at the weekend while declaring interest to contest for APC Chairman and what he intends to reform in the ruling party if he eventually emerges as the party chairman, senator Musa, who represents Niger East in the Senate, said the best way to ensure peace and unity in the party is to entrench international party democracy.
He said also that his reforms to the APC will center on building stronger party structures, even as he regretted that the party is yet to consolidate on its structures across the country, which he said will help to deliver victory in the 2023 general elections.
He added that the office he offered for President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election campaign in Minner, is still the largest in the country, revealing that his aspiration is borne out of desire to contribute positively to the nation’s growing democracy.
“Having played a part in building our party at all levels since 2014, I am confident that I am the best candidate to lead the party to achieve our desired objectives. My ambition is borne out of my desire to contribute positively to the nation’s growing democratic process by ensuring that we build strong political structures with the required capacity to address the challenges we face as a party and ultimately as a nation.
“While there is no gainsaying the fact that our party, the All Progressives Congress, has endured its fair share of challenges especially in the areas of internal polarization and fair play, the process of rebuilding and repositioning the party requires visionary and just leadership”, he said.
Speaking further, he said “… the problems that have plagued us recently, and the problems that usually plague societies at any given time, have not been ones stemming from situations where leaders have made tough moral choices when faced with difficult, shades-of-gray options.
“Our problems recently have been that our party leaders have knowingly abandoned even the most basic morality when pursuing personal gain. Most moral leadership problems do not arise from misjudging complicated ethical issues. Most arise from something much simpler: wanton disregard of common decency in pursuit of naked self-interest.
“If given the opportunity to lead the party, I will completely re-engineer the internal structures and workings of the party and make it adaptive to the yearnings and aspirations of members and Nigerians. I will be adaptive to a participatory and affiliative work style that will usher visionary and pacesetting leadership that will transform the party to a democratic institution that Nigerians will proudly continue to embrace.
“If we hope to maintain credibility over time, then we must adhere faithfully to the same organizational expectations that our context asks of our teams, for me my words are my bonds.
“Though an onerous task, given my political clout, extensive experience and sphere of influence, I have no doubt that if given the opportunity, the APC will expand its sphere of influence beyond all fault lines and cover the length and breadth of our great country.”
