Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
Ahead of the national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a chairmanship aspirant of the party, Mr. Malik Illiasu Abdul, has stated that the party would zone positions during the convention based on the subsisting unwritten agreement in the party.
It is believed that the convention of the party would be conducted in June 2021 when the tenure of the National Caretaker Committee led by the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, would expire.
Abdul, while addressing a press conference yesterday in Abuja, said he planned to return the party to the grassroots, and also eliminate ‘moneybags’ politics if given the opportunity to lead the party.
According to him, “Definitely, the party will zone its offices because as you are aware, there is an unwritten rule, though not in the constitution. It is eight years for the South and North. So, you cannot discard that. If the presidency goes to the South, certainly the party chairmanship will come from the North.
Abdul was also of the opinion that the APC-led federal government has performed well since it came to power in 2015.
The party chieftain noted that the federal government has spent up to N3 trillion in various social investment programmes.
According to him, “In terms of monetary value, through social development and interventions programmes, the government has spent up to 3 trillion. It has never been done before in the history of this country. It is a deliberate policy of the APC government that brought all this. And you can see the N-power and the survival funds, these are party policy to help the citizens to overcome challenges.”
He emphasised that it is now left for party members to build on the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that it would be an indictment on the youths if the APC goes into extinction after the expiration of Buhari’s tenure.
On the ongoing party registration and revaluation exercise, and the statement credited to the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, that the
APC is admitting killers into the party, Abdul said a political party comprises all sorts of people, adding that armed robbers can be in the party because they are human beings.
