Following the announcement of new dates for the congress of the All Progressive Congress (APC) across the country, the Kwara State chapter of the party has commenced preparation ahead of the tentative June date for the national convention. HEAD POLITICS, MUMINI ABDULKAREEM writes on whether the issue will be a litmus test for the party in the state.
The Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will in the next few weeks conduct its long overdue congresses across the ward, local government and state chapters of the party, but some posers have been raised as regards the exercise.
Prominent among these puzzles is whether the party at all levels will return the bulk of its present executives across board. In the light of the above, will new faces especially from the youth in the party many of whom are said to be demanding for a paradigm shift, emerge at the end of the exercise?
But last week the National leadership of the party which made several failed attempts to organise congresses across the states finally came out with a date for the commencement of the much debated exercise.
The ruling party had found itself faced with a leadership controversy in February after its National Executive Committee decided to extend the tenure of its NWC by a year effective June 2018.
That decision turned out to be unpopular and President Muhammadu Buhari rejected it a month later, warning that it was against the APC constitution as well as Nigeria’s Constitution. It was after the President’s warning that the party fixed dates for the congresses and national convention.
The announcement by the national spokesperson of the party, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi came amidst mockery and castigation expressed by the opposition party that believed the APC would implode if it attempted the exercise.
Many of the critics of the party had even advanced the narrative that the APC may suffer same fate as the opposition PDP prior 2015, where five governors and many party big wigs pulled out of its national convention to protest alleged imposition and impunity in the then ruling party.
However since the announcement, activities in the state chapter of the party across various local governments have peaked with many of the party members interested in the election reportedly commencing preparation to contest for available positions.
Although the APC merged with many other opposition parties to snatch power from the PDP, issue of power sharing among various blocs in the formation has before now created serious disagreement among the party leaders.
After the APC initially announced May 2, 5 and 9 for the ward, local government and state congresses, it succumbed to pressure from party bigwigs to shift the date of the national convention not to clash with the month of Ramadan.
Announcing the new dates for the conduct of elections at different levels of the party’s leadership, its national Publicity Secretary, said the ward congresses would now hold on May 5, local government congresses scheduled for May 12, while the state congresses are billed to hold on May 19, 2018.
The party said the national convention would hold in June and that the exact day for it would be announced later. It clarified that the dates were changed primarily because of the Muslim fasting season of the Ramadan.
Should the party hold its national convention in June, it will be the first in three years, against its own constitution which stipulates at least once in two years. The party had initially, on April 18, announced that it would hold its National Convention on May 14.
But back home, there are many questions that the congress would need to answer and if the decision by the leadership of the party is anything to go, the days ahead which would no doubt be eventful, will witnessed many anxious members signifying interest for one position or another.
It was gathered that the leadership of the state chapter of the party last week came out with its programmes for the congress and reportedly directed the various local governments to maintain the existing zoning arrangement.
According to a top party stalwart in Kwara Central who confided in this medium, the APC has decided to drop any of the executive officers of the party that had spent 12 years and retained those that had spend up to eight but โhave done well.
Other โfar reaching decisionsโ that were said to form part of the party’s resolution when the APC leader and Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki met selected executives of the party across the sixteen local governments when he visited last week was the resolve to allocate over 80 percent of the positions for contest to the youth across the wards and local governments.
It was gathered that many local governments have already started holding caucus meetings to arrive at a consensus position on the issue.
Several party sources who spoke in confidence on the matter because they were not allowed to make official comments on it yet, confirmed the development, adding that the party is only moving in line with the changes in the polity.
According to a chairman of the party in Kwara South, those that would be vying for available positions must have toย with the dictates of the party and so as to guarantee peace and orderliness that the APC is known for unlike the opposition party that is associated with violence.
He said, โFor now beginning with the ward up to the local government and state, the zoning arrangement of the party is aimed at forestalling the likely crisis that are sometimes associated with exercises like this. For those who want to vie for ward chairman, ward women leaders and local government and state chairman, the door is now open and we will do it as required byย party rules.
โWe have agreed on zoning and for close to 80-90 percent positions like the ward chairmen to go to the youth where interest is indicated. This is in line with the dynamics of the current political exigencies in the state and even across the country. Our party is youth friendly and recognises the position of the youth in the present scheme of things and we are ready to give them the opportunity especially those that we identified to be very popular and have the capacity to add value to the party.
โOn the issue of the position like the state chairman, the party’s constitution gives the incumbent a second term of eight years and he has just spent one term. So he has the constitutional right to go for a second term. But everything like we all know depends on the decision of the party’s leadership and it is incumbent for everybody to abide by itโ, he added.
The state chairman of the party, Hon Ishola Balogun-Fulani while speaking on the issue assured that the party is well prepared for the congress in line with its tradition to always organise such activities in an atmosphere of peace and harmony. He added that the APC in the state will do the needful for the process to produce the officers of choice that will move the party and state forward.
But will the state APC witnessed a Tsunami of sorts in terms of replacement of its present officers or will the bulk of those on board now be allowed to return especially if they have the zoning advantage in their local government? Furthermore, is it going to be endorsement galore for the incumbent? Answers to these and many other puzzles will be provided for in the days ahead
But in the meantime and coming amidst alleged talk of crisis and disquiet in the party, the handling of the congress in the state will either confirm or dispute this issue and maybe a litmus test for APC in the state
