'Staying at the centre' APC vows to remain in power for next 34 years

The Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, said it is putting in place mechanisms that will assist the party to retain power at the centre for at least the next 34 years.

National Chairman of the CECPC and Governor of Yobe state, Mai Mala Buni, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja while inaugurating a 61-member Strategy and Contact Committee ahead of the 2023 general election.

This was as the Jigawa state Governor and Chairman of the committee, Alhaji Badaru Abubakar, said the party has now registered over 36 million members in its nationwide membership registration and revalidation exercise.

He also expressed optimism about the ability of the Buni-led CECPC to conduct the National Convention of the party latest by June.

The ruling party is nearly halfway into its second term of four years, but Buni said the party is looking at being in power beyond its 10th term.

He said; “The constitution of the Strategy and Contact committee, therefore, is to consolidate the achievements we are making in building a strong party with a solid structure that would accomplish APC to stand the test of time.

“Our vision is to provide a wheel that will drive the party to go beyond 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and even 10th term of office to effectively implement the party manifesto, improve the lives of Nigerians and to remain Nigeria’s leading political party.

“This committee is therefore very key to our process of transition towards successful congresses and national convention and, to establish a very solid, reputable and reliable future for the party”.

He said the meeting is part of the collective drive of leaders to recover, rebuild and reposition the All Progressives Congress.

According to him, the CECPC has recorded genuine reconciliations and settled irreconcilable differences among critical stakeholders of the party.

“As l said earlier, if you don’t manage your crisis, your crisis will manage you. I am happy to say that the committee is running an all-inclusive administration, giving all stakeholders and indeed our members the opportunity to contribute to the onerous task of rebuilding the party.

“The Caretaker/Extraordinary committee has continuously engaged our members to serve in various committees thereby supporting us to effectively manage the crises within the party.

“The achievements recorded within this period of time were made possible with the generous support and cooperation the committee is enjoying from every member of the party.

“This has translated into massive return of stakeholders and their supporters who had earlier jettisoned the party.

“On the other hand, our efforts in wooing members of other political parties into APC, has recorded remarkable and unprecedented successes.

“Another major milestone we have recorded as a party is the membership registration and revalidation exercise which has given every member of our party a true sense of belonging.

“The membership registration would provide us with the numerical strength of the party and to serve as a guide towards planning.

“Similarly, the review of the party’s constitution would take care of ambiguous positions and loopholes that have caused confusion and controversies over the years. This will make our party dynamic and to be in tune with changing times”, he stated.

In his remarks, Chairman of the committee and Governor of Jigawa state, Alhaji Badaru Abubakar, urged members of the committee to make the necessary sacrifice and complement the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari and the CECPC in ensuring that the party continues to be the party of choice for Nigerians.

“I note with commendation that many Nigerians have continued to join the party daily and the ongoing registration exercises have further demonstrated the popularity of the party in the country.

“We are mindful of the time table publicized by the party and our committee shall work assiduously to support the party in delivering on the time table.

36 million members

“Initially, we printed forms for only 10, 000 members but we got up to 10 million members and now, we have gone to 36 million and that is not even enough.

“And now, we are printing more because when people see what President Muhammadu Buhari has done with one side of the resources than the previous administration get. And the support is really tremendous.

“It is very feasible. I know the national Caretaker Committee are committed to delivering in June. And we will support them and do whatever it takes to make sure we deliver by June”, the Jigawa governor added.

Among the committee’s terms of reference, the committee is to establish constructive engagements between critical stakeholders at various levels of the party with a view to reviving confidence and trust among party leaders.

Others are; “to conduct a needs assessment survey from party members and the general public; to create statement of vision, mission and core values of the party that will foster unity; develop strategies that will reposition the party in an advantaged position in the public domain, and develop a timeline and framework for the implementation of the recommendations of the committee”.

The committee is also to co-opt such members as may be deemed most suitable while it is also expected to submit periodic reports to the national chairman.