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| APC leaders in a meeting with Buhari |
Leaders of the All Progressives Congress, who are
sympathetic to the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led National Working Committee of
the party, have begun a lobby aimed at garnering support for sweeping
amendments to the party’s 2014 constitution.
A source in the party, privy to the move, told Latest Reality metro that the lobby was intended to “reduce tension within the party.”
The high-ranking member of the party spoke on
condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
According to the source, those being listed for
consultations include the Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari; his
counterparts in Imo, Rochas Okorocha; Benue, Samuel Ortom; Lagos, Akimwumi
Ambode, as well as other party stalwarts across the six geopolitical zones.
He said the proposed amendments to the party’s
constitution and the recommendations by the APC panel on true federalism would
be the focus of the party’s national executive committee meeting scheduled to
hold later this month.
The party leader also said the meeting would
address the recommendations made by the Muiz Banire-led committee on the review
of the party’s constitution and the recent decision of the NEC to extend the
tenures of all elected and appointed party leaders by 12 months.
He added, “If you recall, the NWC set up the
constitution amendment committee headed by our National Legal Adviser, Muiz
Banire, SAN.
“The committee has since submitted its report for
consideration and there are about 86 recommendations. The NEC recently invoked
the powers conferred on it by Article 13 of our constitution to grant a
12-month extension for our leaders.
“Some of these things need to be ratified by the
national convention and we need to carry everybody along.”
On the controversy generated by the tenure
elongation, the source said, “I don’t see any controversy, sincerely. It has a
buy-in from almost all of our governors, except maybe one or two; our
executives at the state, local government and ward levels are also
beneficiaries.”
The source, who was at the NEC meeting held on
February 27, said, “The decision in support of tenure elongation was
democratically done.
“Prominent among recommendations made by the
Banire panel is a proposal to strengthen the national chairman position as
chief accounting officer of the party as well as to empower him to chair all
statutory meetings except that of the newly-introduced advisory council.
The council is set to replace the Board of
Trustees.
The contention is that the party is a corporate
entity, which should not require a BoT.
Also, new entrants into the party are now
required to spend at least one year as card-carrying members of the APC before
they become eligible to seek elective offices at state or federal level.
The proposed amendments also stripped state
chapters of powers to take conclusive disciplinary action without recourse to
the NWC.
Payment of dues is now compulsory for members and
failure to pay now attracts 50 per cent of the accrued sum as penalty.
Defaulting members are also to lose rights and privileges of the APC membership.
When contacted, the National Publicity Secretary
of the party, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, confirmed that “the reports of the
(Muiz) Banire-led committee and that of the (Governor Nasir el-Rufai-led)
committee on true federalism will be the focus of this month’s NEC meeting.”
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