By Adedayo Akinwale
The Chairman of the Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Governor of Yobe State, Mr. Mai Mala Buni, has said that the committee will commence the process of true reconciliation among leaders and members of the party at all levels.
The ruling party had been embroiled in leadership crisis for months, which later led to the dissolution of the National Working Committee by Mr. Adams Oshiomhole last week by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.
Buni, while swearing in other members of the committee at the party secretariat on Monday in Abuja, said that the committee believed that the decision of NEC to constitute the committee would mark the beginning of a new chapter in the party.
To achieve this, he urged all party members to heed the appeal by President Muhammadu Buhari on his call to all aggrieved members who had instituted various cases in the courts to withdraw such cases in the interest of the party.
The chairman noted that what happened in the last few months was not totally strange in a big political party like APC, stressing that internal disagreements are common in all political parties and APC was not an exception.
Buni stated: “lt is time for this committee therefore, to commence the process of true reconciliation among leaders and members of the party at all levels. It is our belief that the decision by NEC to constitute this committee will mark the beginning of a new chapter in our great party.
“Change is inevitable and disagreement on issues and concepts are an integral part of human and institutional relationship. As a political party built on strong ideology and, parading men and women of enduring principle and integrity, we must prepare for real and anticipated changes and their consequences. The outcomes of changes that evolves in our party politics must be decided by us.
“As the interim managers and leaders of our party, our priority would be the recognition of the need to act appropriately and acceptably in the overall interest of the party. Our actions in the next few months would be proactive and responsive.
“From now onward, we will concentrate on medium and long term development of our strategies and internal organisation to support our public standing as well as our chances of electoral successes in all future elections. This is the time for us to focus with determination to create adaptive institutional capacity to weather the current divisions in our Party.”
Buni therefore commended all party stakeholders who stood by the party in time of turbulence, especially former NWC members who showed maturity and belief in the party’s unity by accepting the NEC resolution in good faith.
The chairman noted that what separates APC from other political parties and endeared the ruling party to Nigerians, were the sincerity of purpose, its principles of internal democracy and the unblemished integrity of the founders of our party.
He said that as a party trusted by Nigerians, and voted massively for, the party must shun any attempt to distract it from delivering the dividend of democracy to Nigerians.
Also, the immediate past Deputy National Secretary of the party, Mr. Victor Giadom, while speaking with journalists after his official handing over said that he believed that the party had been repositioned to greater height with the calibre of people in the Committee.
According to him, I’m grateful to God, President Muhammadu Buhari and leaders for rescuing our party from what would have befallen the party. Today, our party has been repositioned to greater height and I can assure you with calibre of people so selected by the NEC to pilot the leadership of this party into the National Convention. I feel indeed grateful and reassured that our party will remain strong and stronger and come out from the crisis which we were all in in the past few months. I’m more grateful to the members of our party and decision of NEC.
He added that all the immediate past NWC should be able to learn from mistakes made and also join hands with the Committee in order to strengthen the party.
He added, “The party is bigger than all of us. So, it is our collective responsibility as former members of NWC to work hand in hand with the committee to see to the success of the committee. APC is a large family, in a family, there is bound to be disagreement and what is important is ability of the family to come to agreement. Today, with the formation of caretaker committee, we are close to agreement and I’m sure this committee will do the needful and our party will become stronger.”
