APC Convention: Group demands open contest, kicks against consensus

By Joel Oladele, Abuja

A group known as Concerned Stakeholders of the Ruling All Progressives Congress (CSAPC) has kicked against the consensus candidacy method allegedly deployed by the national leadership of the party at the just concluded Wards, Local Governments and  States Congress and warned against the adoption of same method in the forthcoming National Convention.

The group leader, Abubakar Usman Sidiq made this known at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.

Sidiq said, “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.”

He, therefore, urged the party leadership to learn from history by not making the same mistake made by some political parties by attempting to micro-manage their affairs, which consequently lead to implosion.

“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.

“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.

“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, it will ensure proper and adequate planning for the convention. Conducting this national convention and handing 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,” he said.

Reacting to the issues raised by the stakeholders, The National Secretary of the APC Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Sen. John James.

Akpanudoedehe urged them to imbibe a sportsmanship spirit, as there must be a winner in any contest, and should stop working against the party’s objectives whenever things don’t go their way.

According to him, “People have aspirations and if they fail or are not met, they are bound to form associations.

“We will always look for credible candidates to win. People must make themselves to love the party. What people should be talking about is the performance of the party in giving dividend to Nigerians. It is their right to vent anger but consensus allows cohesion and cohesiveness.

“Those who God wants to be there will be there. The beauty of this CECPC is to ensure rancour free process and we are doing that. But not everybody will be happy. I want to advise them to stay in the party and associate with the stakeholders and lobby them.

“We followed the Constitution of the party to conduct the process. The report before us don’t give impression that the processes were flawed. People should stop playing to the gallery. We set up appeal panels and I am not sure they explored the channel for redress. Even when they go, they can’t prove their case.

“We will continue to mend fences. I won’t say people are being carried along hundred percent but I can say the party is owned by the people now, not by power blocs or minority.They must trust the chairman of having the elasticity to accommodate everybody and bringing everybody together. People will always complain when they lose.

“This Caretaker Committee can say since inception, we have never had it so good as a party. We have stabilized the party and brought more people to the party. Instead of vilifying us, they should be praising President Muhammadu Buhari,” he said.