- Party prays for Buhari’s recovery
Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, wednesday disclosed that the party would tentatively schedule its congresses for September.
The ruling party has not been able to proceed with processes leading to its mid-term convention which include the conduct of congresses to elect delegates due to paucity of funds.
Oyegun who made the disclosure when he received a delegation of APC stakeholders from Niger State led by the state Chairman, Hon Abdullahi Shuaibu Maje, called for prayers for the speedy recovery of President Muhammadu Buhari.
But Oyegun told the party stakeholders that all the encumbrances would soon be over and the state congresses would hold.
In a statement issued by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, the national chairman said the exact date would be decided on as soon as the National Organising Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso, concludes action on the programme.
“The party is going to have congresses this year. We only await the National Organising Secretary to conclude the planning and programme for these congresses. In two three months, those will be over.†Odigie-Oyegun said.
The APC national chairman told the delegation that the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) has worked assiduously to ensure the unity of the APC that was created out of other progressive-minded parties during the 2013 merger.
While praying for the speedy and full recovery of the president, Odigie-Oyegun stated that although the task placed on the president to rebuild the nation was difficult, the administration is already tackling the country’s several challenges and recording successes in different facets.
“The leadership of the party, in this case, the National Working Committee (NWC), has tried to the best of its ability to do the difficult process of welding together the party that was created out of three, four other parties. It has not been easy as you very well know. But we thank God that by and large, it has been a significant success.
Odigie-Oyegun said despite several challenges inherited by the President Buhari administration from predecessor regimes, the government has continued to implement the ‘Change Agenda’ to restore the country on the path of growth and development.
“It is a very difficult task that we have all thrust on the president. We had to deal with a predecessor regime whose hallmark was corruption. A regime that had lost all vision; that had lost all interest in developing our nation given the kind of resources that were available.
“A regime that instead of developing, wasted our national resources such that as at the time we were taking over, there really was nothing. The economy had already collapsed; salaries were not being paid; public infrastructure had collapsed and price of oil had also collapsed.
The council chairman among the delegation said complaints arising from an inconclusive congress held in 2014 from Suleja Local Government Area required the attention of the national chairman to address in order to calm nerves and help the APC come out stronger in the lead up to the 2019 general election.
