FCT primaries: APC group calls for fairness, transparency to ensure unity
By Ayo Fadimu
The All Progressives Congress (APC) support group has urged its Caretaker and Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) to ensure fairness and transparency within the party.
Malam Suleiman Shamsuddeen, who spoke on behalf of the groups, made the appeal at a news conference on Thursday in Abuja.
He also appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari and other well meaning members of the party to ensure that the choice of the people at the recently conducted FCT councils primaries prevailed.
Shamsuddeen said that the appeal was to avoid feelings of marginalisation that may lead to decamping and loss of elections in the upcoming council election.
He urged the caretaker committe not to succumb to pressure to substitute the names of candidates that won the primaries with others, especially in the Abuja Municipal and Abaji Area Councils.
He added that while the groups did not want to sound pessimistic, it made bold to say that history was about being repeated if the needful was not done.
“It is a known fact that the party’s present caretaker leadership came into being because of the alleged high-handedness of the immediate past leadership and the need to heal and reconcile aggrieved individuals and groups.
“The recently conducted area council chairmanship elections is adjudged to be one of the most transparent and credible elections held in recent time.
“The recent defection of some aggrieved members of the party as a result of the just concluded primaries in some area councils is a strong indication that we need to put our house in order,” he said.
Shamsuddeen added that addressing the situation and putting the party’s house in order was necessary to earn the confidence of its members, the public and to win elections.
He stressed that injustice in any form should not be encouraged in the party because it was contrary to the ideology of Buhari and the party’s founding fathers.
“To avoid crisis in our great party, we are appealing to the Gov. Mai Bala Buni-led CECPC to justify the trust reposed in them to unite the party by resisting pressure from any self serving person or group.
“Elections have been conducted and won. They should please submit the names to INEC and allow us prepare to win election in the forthcoming area council poll.
“AMAC election is a litmus test and we urge you not to fail the teeming membership of the APC that celebrated your appointment to reconcile aggrieved members of the party,” he said.
