APC caretaker panel  to set up Convention  committees

The inaugural meeting of the All Progressives Congress Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee will be holding today (Monday).

On Sunday, we gathered that the caretaker committee would at the meeting, which would be held at the APC national secretariat, Abuja, set up sub-committees as part of  preparations for  the party’s  congresses and the national convention.

Among the sub-committees expected to be set up are finance and publicity sub-committees.

The APC’s National Executive Committee, during its meeting at the Presidential Villa on Thursday,  dissolved the party’s  National Working Committee and set up the caretaker committee headed by the Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni.

The caretaker committee was given the mandate to organise the party’s ward, local government and state congresses as well as the national convention in the next six months.

The ruling party was on June 16 marred by a  leadership crisis when the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja upheld the suspension of its National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.

Two factions on June 17 emerged in the party with one led by its suspended Deputy National Secretary, Victor Giadom, and the other consisting of 18 NWC members loyal to Oshiomhole.

Despite the opposition of the 18 NWC members, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Wednesday declared his support for Giadom and attended the NEC meeting convened by him on Thursday.

The dissolution of the Oshiomhole-led NWC at the instance of Buhari has been accepted  by leaders of the party including Oshiomhole himself  and some party officials, who initially opposed the President.

We gathered that the notice of Monday’s meeting had been sent to the APC caretaker committee members.

A highly placed member of the party’s NEC, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said,

“After their inauguration, the committee is expected to set up sub-committees to handle the various aspects of its assignments.

The issue of zoning will come up later because they have six months. But right now, the focus will be on general housekeeping, preparations towards organising congresses to elect delegates for the national convention and so on.

And you know, congresses will be held from ward, local government and state levels to elect delegates who will eventually participate in the national convention.

It is  procedural. Members of our party will now pay serious attention to their ward leaders considering what just happened to Oshiomhole.”