APC set to hold national convention after two years

Barring any last minute change of plans, the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) will hold its national convention in the first quarter of this year.
The governing party has proposed February for holding the long-awaited convention.
One of the many issues slated for deliberation, it was gathered, is the amendment of the party’s constitution.
It was learnt that some party stakeholders insist that some parts of the constitution will have to be reviewed and modified in line with best practices and to treat some contentious issues it had failed to clearly define and resolve.
An insider revealed that the party’s national vice chairman (North West), Inuwa Abdul-Kadir, has been appointed the secretary of the Constitution Review Committee to receive and collate suggestions and recommendations which will eventually be deliberated on at the convention.
It was also gathered that there are subterranean moves by some influential interests in the party’s national leadership to endorse President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term.
It was reported at the end of last year that the party did not hold its national convention as the case should be after every two years, in violation of the provisions of its constitution.

Article 25 (A)(i) of the APC constitution states that the national convention of the party shall be held once in two years at a date, venue and time to be recommended by the National Working Committee (NWC) and approved by the National Executive Committee (NEC) subject to the giving of the statutory notices to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and at least 14 days’ notice to members eligible to attend.
The party’s national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, had in an interview promised that the party would hold its national convention in 2016, but that did not happen owing to various challenges the party faced.
Oyegun had said, “We have to amend the constitution. We want to have a convention to approve the amendment of the constitution. The convention will take place within the next three months. The revision of that aspect of the constitution is ready. Notices will go out very soon. So, there is no magic to it. We just want to do things that will be effective; things that will contribute maximally to the party and governance.”
The party’s convention is the avenue to ratify its policies and programmes; elect or remove national officers; elect its presidential candidate, and amend its constitution from time to time as the need may arise.

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