APC leadership cautions against imposition of candidates
A group under the aegis, All Progressives Congress (APC) National Stakeholders, has advised the party leadership against imposition of candidates, ahead of the March 26 National Convention.
National Coordinator of the group, Mr. Aliyu Audu, said this at a news conference on Tuesday in Abuja, saying that the group would not accept imposition of candidates in whatever guise.
He faulted the alleged plans to adopt Sen. Abdullahi Adamu as the APC’s National Chairman.
Audu said the development was not only an aberration, but also a violation of the party’s established principle.
This, he said, was especially because there where loyal, qualified and competent foundation members of the APC who were also in the party’s national chairmanship race.
“While it is within his constitutional rights to vie for any position within the APC or even the country as a whole.
“We believe that the individuals who are purportedly behind the plot to make Adamu the next APC National Chairman cannot sit down alone in their zones and decide who gets what.
“More so when the individual in question is of the PDP stock,” he said.
He added that the former Governor of Nasarawa State does not deserve the seat, because of his age.
This, he said, was especially at a time young members of APC who constituted more than 80 per cent of its membership were faced with marginalisation and non-inclusion.
“We have again invited you here today to express our reservations concerning the purported plan to impose certain individuals as leaders of our party in the now rescheduled National Convention.
“As stakeholders, we have always been against imposition in whatever guise,” he said, adding that whenever a consensus option was adopted without wide consultation, it would violate democratic ethos and principles.
“We therefore believe that any endorsement of Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, either purported or real, as the chairman of our party is a very dangerous gamble.
“One that signals a return of our much beloved progressive party to the hands of the original PDP members,” he said.
He said that the group was also aware of a plan to also drag another member of the party from the stock of the PDP to serve as APC Deputy National Chairman.
According to Audu, the person is known publicly to be a member of the APC in the day time and a member of the PDP at night.
“Information out there is that he has continued to be a member of APC in the day time and a member of PDP at night.
“While this information has not been proven to be true, the APC would be playing safe by refusing to hand over such an important position of Deputy National Chairman to a man whose loyalty once completely laid in the opposition.
“At this point in the life of the APC, what we need is a leader that can midwife us away from the damages caused to the party over the years,” he said.
Audu said the APC does not require individuals who do not originally share in its progressive ideals nor whose temperament and level of tolerance would further deepen the disappointments of already disillusioned party members.
“As stakeholders, we will rather throw our weight behind an aspirant whose integrity is unquestionable.
“Someone who has demonstrated a proven capacity for youths’ inclusion and the ability to harvest the energy of young people to drive party activities, especially in this age of digital and social media mobilisation.
“We believe our preference is in line with the established commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari to young people, especially in relation to their political growth.
“The President has demonstrated this with his accent to the Not Too Young to Run Bill and his appointment of a sizeable number of result-driven young people into positions of authority,” he said.
Audu said that Buhari’s commitment to holistic youths’ inclusion must be reflected in the choice of the APC Chairman.
