The conflicting legal process surrounding the suspension of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as national chairman, notwithstanding, Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), under the aegis of Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), on Friday, called on the National Executive Council (NEC) to save the party by filling all existing vacant national positions,
They particularly said there is need to fill vacuum created by suspension of the national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole.
The Director General, Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), Salihu Lukman, who said this in a statement made available to ABN TV on Friday, insisted that the seat of APC national chairman remains vacant until the subsisting court order is vacated, hence the need by NEC to appoint a replacement in acting capacity pending the convocation of a national convention.
To fill vacant national positions, he suggested that pending the settlement of all the cases around Comrade Oshiomhole’s membership, there is the need to invoke provisions of Article 17 (vi) which provides that in the event of a vacancy, “the relevant Party organ shall appoint another person to act in his place pending ratification by the National Convention or Congress.”
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The relevant party organ in this case, he said, may have to be the National Executive Committee (NEC).
“Given all the vacancies about six so far, National Chairman, Deputy National Chairman (South), Deputy National Chairman (North), National Vice Chairman (North West), National Secretary and National Auditor, who convene the NEC?
“This is where the organising, consultation and negotiating capacity of our leaders will be tested. Combinations of majority of the remaining members of the NWC in consultation with President Buhari, Governors, and other party leaders who are leading members of the National Caucus can resolve all these issues and convene the NEC to appoint an Acting National Chairman.
“With the appointment of an Acting National Chairman, the next would be to seek to invoke provisions of Article 25 A(i) of the APC constitution, which stipulate that the “National Convention of the Party shall be held once in Two (2) years at a date, venue and time to be recommended by the National Working Committee and approved by the National Executive Committee subject to the giving of statutory notice to Independent National Electoral Commission and at least fourteen (14) days notice given to members eligible to attend.
“Already, this is the second year since the last Convention in 2018 where Comrade Oshiomhole-led NWC was elected. What this means is that with or without our current challenges we are actually due for a National Convention,” Lukman stated.
He said the reality is that APC is faced with a big problem whereby none of its organs are meeting as provided by the constitution.
“In fact, we are even not sure who our members are. There is therefore the urgent need to resume the process of party building with confirmation of our members as well as recruiting new members. This has to be followed with processes of leadership reformation through Wards, Local Governments and States Congresses to National Convention.
“Once a NEC is convened, all these processes should therefore be activated. The other issue is the question of what are the other steps or decisions needed to ensure the emergence a new atmosphere in the party that will promote reconciliation and re-orient the party to regain its political profile as a party commanding mass appeal.
“Part of the requirement may have to include a decision by the NEC to set aside all cases of disciplinary decisions taken by the party organs at different level in the last two years. This is important in order to basically promote reconciliation based on a strategy to ensure internal harmony”, he said.
Lukman expressed resentment over disunity among members of the National Working Committee (NWC), which is an administrative organ.
“Even the NWC we are told that it is not united, so much that it could take decision on January 14, 2020 and the announcement of its decision will only ‘coincidentally’ come on March 4, 2020 shortly after Justice Senchi issued the order for interlocutory injunction.
“This is all because members of the Comrade Oshiomhole-led NWC have constituted themselves into an unaccountable assembly with a thuggish temperament, which seek to browbeat every member of the party especially aspiring candidates into submission.
“Sadly, some accounts of the management of the 2019 election process around selection of candidates produced some discomforting reports of corrupt practices of members of the Comrade Oshiomhole-led NWC.
“These are accounts that suggested that the process of candidates’ selection within the party is turned to stock broking in which the main stock is the party’s nomination to contest any of the elective positions.
“Interestingly, now all the issues around the current challenges are being reduced to contestation for 2023 almost in a way that suggest may be the ‘stocks’ for 2023 have already been sold and therefore anyone that is complaining is doing so based on that prism. It is simply a case of judging the dynamics and other standpoints based on the 2023 mindset that appeared to be informed by expectations of projected ‘stock broking’ transactions”.
Alleging the ineptitudeness of the NWC under Oshiomhole, he said “not even a meeting of any of the superior organs of the party was convened to review the 2019 elections. Many of the Comrade Oshiomhole’s supporters have cited so-called reform initiatives and issues of discipline in the party as the reasons why he is facing opposition from some leaders in the party.
According to the Director General, the court injunction against Oshiomhole parading himself as National Chairman is a big opportunity for healing process and rebuilding of the party.
He said the healing process became necessary because presently APC is in an embarrassing situation in which almost all the structures of the party have been frozen at all levels.
He asked leaders of the party to avail themselves of the opportunity to reunite aggrieved members, mend broken fences and return APC back to winning ways.
Meanwhile, Mr Oshiomhole had earlier on Wednesday accused some APC governors and a minister for his travails.
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