By Adedayo Akinwale
The National Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that it has intensified efforts in preparing a timetable for the national convention.
APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Yekini Nabena, told THISDAY yesterday that the committee, whose tenure lapses in December is also working hard to ensure that the party goes into the convention as a united force.
The ruling party during the emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held in Abuja on June 25, had dissolved the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC) following protracted leadership crisis and set up a caretaker/ Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee to manage the affairs of the party in the interim.
The 13-member caretaker committee, headed by Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, was given six months by the NEC, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, to complete its assignment.
Within the six months, the committee was mandated to organise a national convention for new leaders to emerge.
It was also mandated to reconcile aggrieved members of the party.
But due to the perceived inaction of the caretaker committee, a group, Concerned APC members, recently gave the leadership of the party a 14-day ultimatum to release the timetable for the convention or risk mass protest.
However, Nabena assured party members not to worry as the committee is already putting together convention timetable, and would make it available when it’s ready.
On the allegation that the committee was trying to perpetuate itself in the office, he said; “The good thing about the committee members is that they all have jobs; they are not like they are applicants.”
But when asked to state the time the committee will release the timetable for the convention, Nabena added, “It is going to be public when we called for NEC; everyone will know. We are putting the timetable together, once the timetable comes out, it will be a public document.”
Reacting to the possibility of holding the convention this year, Nabena said: “The committee is working so hard towards that. You know we had a little setback with the two governorship elections we had in Edo and Ondo, with this small crisis that just came up with this #EndSARS.
“What the committee is trying to do, which is the most important thing is, first of all, to make sure that there is unity because we must not be divided to go into that convention. The committee is going to do the needful to make sure we are going into that convention with a united force.”
Nabena added that the committee was embarking on membership registration drive to address double registrations and to deregister former members that have left the party.
“That membership registration has been there even before this committee. First, we want a situation where people don’t even have to go to their wards; they can register online. We are trying to use all those platforms. Secondly, we want to purge double registrations. Thirdly, we want to make sure that those that have left the party that their names are no more in the system,” he explained.
