By Joyce Babayeju
There are indications that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) may postpone its national convention already scheduled to hold on February 26 by two weeks.
A credible source in the party, who confided on Thursday, said that the party’s leadership is expected to make the announcement this weekend or early next week.
He added that with just nine days to the original date of the convention, there is nothing really on ground to show that the party is ready for the exercise.
According to him, many of the stakeholders in the party, especially the governors believe that the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) should be given some time as it is “currently handling several knotty issues especially the resolution of the crisis that trailed the Ekiti governorship election, Saturday’s primary in Osun State and the recommendation of the National Reconciliation Committee led by Senator Abdullahi Adamu.”
Another reason he stated for the possible shift is the failure of the APC governors, under the aegis of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), to agree on the ‘Unity List’ which will contain the names of the consensus candidates.
Even though the party announced that the sale of forms would commence on Monday, this week, many aspirants who visited the party’s national secretariat located at Blantyre Street in Wuse 2 area of Abuja were disappointed as nobody attended to them.
“From the feelers we are getting, the convention may be postponed by a minimum of two weeks. Many stakeholders in the party have agreed that it is the best decision to make.
There are lots of knotty issues before the APC caretaker committee which need to be resolved. “One of them is the governorship primaries in Ekiti and Osun states.
That of Ekiti has gone but there are issues that the leadership is trying to resolve especially among the aggrieved aspirants. In Osun, of course, you know it is holding this Saturday and the party is sharply divided into two factions.
“If we are not careful, there may be violence and our party members will be the casualties in Osun.
These are some of the issues before the Buniled caretaker committee and the convention is just less than 10 days from now. “So, it is not as easy as people think, especially those claiming Buni and others want to extend their tenure in office.
The party will soon issue a statement I believe by this weekend. But the general impression in the party now is that it should be postponed by minimum of two weeks”, he said. Imo State governor, Hope Uzodimma, had on Tuesday given an inkling that the event may not go on as scheduled when he said there is nothing wrong if the APC decides to shift its national convention
