From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, has insisted that the proposed ward congress of the ruling party will hold today following the endorsement by the office of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, despite the crisis trailing the exercise.
Briefing newsmen at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja on Friday, the member, Representing North East in the Caretaker Committee, Prof. Mamman Tahir, insisted that the party’s resolution has the backing of the Attorney General of the Federation.
The ruling party in its earlier statement had threatened to come hard on anybody involved in parallel congresses, stressing; “all activities or processes leading up to the congresses and thereafter which do not have the approval of the CECPC are exercises in futility. This is to say that any purported parallel congress, parallel party organ and or parallel party office, is to say the least, a nullity.”
Explaining the motive behind the decision of the party to go ahead with the congresses during the press briefing, Prof Tahir said: “I am here this afternoon to reconfirm that our congresses are on course to hold on Saturday (today) and this committee is working closely with the Attorney-General of the Federation and he has offered advice that we are on good ground and we are comfortable with that position.
“So, our programmes will continue to roll on in the normal course of things. We want to assure teeming members of the APC across the country to come out and elect officers at the ward level. This party believes so much in grassroots politics, grassroots democracy; that is the strength of the party.”