APC: We’ll go ahead with March 26 for national convention

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has insisted that the March 26 national convention will go ahead as planned.

The National Youth Leader of the party and acting spokesperson, Ismaeel Ahmed made this known while addressing a press conference on Friday in Abuja

Ahmed said: “I’m not only a youth leader or internal spokesperson, but I’m also a lawyer and we have served a notice to INEC for the 26th of February earlier. We served that notice on the 5th of February and that was the required 21 days.

“If you are going to make any adjustment to that date, all you need is a letter, making an adjustment to the date. You don’t need another 21 days and that letter was since written about two weeks ago when we realised that we couldn’t hold it on the 26th of February. The moment, the CECPC agreed on the 26th of March, that letter was written to INEC, INEC has accepted that letter. So that is long gone is not an issue.”

Ahmed clarified that there was no issue about the convention date nor is there any contention.

“The issue of the date of the convention is not in question, not in INEC, not certainly with us. That is settled. It is sacrosanct that 26th of March and we have complied with all the rules and we have notified INEC as appropriately expected for us to do that. So that’s no longer an issue.”

The party spokesperson wondered why people are making the leadership situation in the party an issue.

Ahmed explained that the Governor of Niger State, Abubakar Bello was acting with the full authority of the caretaker committee, stakeholders, leaders of the party, and with the full consent of Buni.

He noted that while Governor Mai Mala Buni remained substantive Caretaker Chairman, Bello was only acting in his absence.

He stressed: “Since the inception of this CECPC on June 25, 2020, whenever the chairman is not around and Governor Sani Bello is around, he acts on behalf of the acting Chairman. It has always been the case that has never changed. It has always been the case.

“And now we have a convention on the 26th of March, the chairman wrote a letter and transmitting, for his leave to go for medical treatment. These are two emergencies. He has a medical emergency that cannot wait for the convention. We have a convention that cannot wait for him to be healthy. So one has to leave for the other. The Chairman left, transmitted a letter, Governor Sani Bello has been acting appropriately. What is the problem? Why is it? Why is it difficult for people to simply understand that? “