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APC perfects soft landing for Oyegun, others

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APC perfects soft landing for Oyegun, others

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) which has rejected a tenure elongation for its national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-Oyegun and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) has made it easy for them to return to their positions, at the expiration of their present tenures.

The party at its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja on Monday granted waivers to Oyegun and other executives at the ward, local government and state levels to re-contest if they wished without resigning.

Though no time has been fixed for the party’s convention and congress, Oyegun and the others now have a chance to retain their offices.

Ordinarily, they should resign from such offices before seeking to vie for it again.

Article 31 1 (iii) of the APC constitution states that: “Any party office holder interested in contesting for an elective office (whether party office or office in a general election) shall resign and leave office 30 days prior to the date of nomination or party primary for the Office he or she is seeking to contest”.
Article 31(2) states: “Subject to the approval of the National Executive Committee, the National Working Committee may in special circumstances grant a waiver to a person not otherwise qualified under Article 31(1) of this Constitution if, in its opinion, such a waiver is in the best interest of the party.”

The party’s decision was made known on Friday, after the NEC meeting, by Plateau State Governor and chairman of the APC Technical Committee on Tenure Elongation Chairman Simon Lalong.

He said that the committee’s report, was unanimously adopted at the meeting.

He told reporters: “We were given a task to work within a short time. Within that time, we considered those who were for and against. We looked at the issue extensively and did wider consultations and arrived at a point where we considered not only the legal point, but also the political options available.

“That is why we came to the point that, if we are going to conduct that election within the time available, then the concern shown by other members on the issue of disenfranchisement and allowing others to contest was very genuine. We also considered the opinion of the President and we arrived at the point that it is constitutionally valid to conduct congresses.

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“We also decided that if, in conducting the elections, certain conditions are not going to be fulfilled, it means that some people will be disenfranchised. We spoke about the 21 days notice (to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before a congress) and the fulfilment of Article 31.

“If we are going to comply with this, the constitution requires that certain waivers should be granted to those who are crying that they will be disenfranchised. We came to the conclusion that if these provisions are taken care of, then there was no need for anybody to say there should be no congress.

“Our conclusion is that we must conduct congresses. We looked at the second aspect of the legality of the action and we said that in every constitution and the election of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we are not saints, we are not angels.

“It is assumed that in the course of doing things, there may be unforeseen circumstances that will stop you or you reach a brickwall and therefore fail to conclude the exercise. That was the option that was made by the party, in creating an opportunity for there to be an option for you when you get to that brickwall. So, we married the two positions.

“So, conducting the congresses will also create an opportunity for even those who are not yet members of the party or who have come to the party, but not yet registered because the constitution provides that you must be a registered member of the party and that for you to vote and be voted for, you must be a card-carrying member. There was also the issue of reconciliation.

“With this, the constitutional notices are being provided and we will work within this short period. That is why we concluded that everybody be carried along and everybody’s interest be protected in this report. It was a unanimous decision to adopt the recommendations that was made to a point that the President felt so happy and excited and said that because of this reunion and unity in the party, he will now consider and also accept the appeal by several members of the society and the party that he recontests and he accepted to recontest. So, he is going to recontest for the position of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

On his part, APC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi, stated that it was a win-win situation for everybody, adding, “This is the shortest NEC meeting that we have had. This is because the challenge before us has been clear all along and that what we want is a win-win situation for all and that is the work that the committee had done, to find a mid-course that will take care of the interest of everyone.

“Those who have been clamouring that we must have congresses and those who were afraid that if we have congresses, they will be swept away. The committee’s recommendation has taken care of both; that you must do congresses and that the requirement of the law that you must resign 30 days before you can contest will have to be waived.

“In essence, you don’t have to resign before you can contest. That way, the matter has been resolved and as far as APC is concerned, the storm that everyone was expecting to happen did not happen and the collapse that people were expecting to start from this NEC meeting today did not happen.

“So we are leaving the NEC meeting reunited and a strong family of progressive politics in Nigeria. We are also happy and you can see that our countenance has changed and we are happy that Mr. President has accepted and has announced his wish to recontest in 2019.”

At the meeting were Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Governors Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Jubrilla Bindo (Adamawa), Lalong, Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Kashim Shettima (Borno), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara), Tanko Al-makura (Nasarawa), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi) and Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo). Deputy Governor Phillip Shuaibu represented Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki.

 

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