• Atiku absent at convention
• Tambuwal: we will sweep out PDP
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie Oyegun, said at the party’s convention on Wednesday that it has lined up programmes and policies to return Nigeria to the path of growth and development.
However, the convention was not attended by one of the presidential aspirants and the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, a situation which sparked speculations over what might seem a brewing crack in the rank of the opposition party.
Although Oyegun tried to explain away Atiku’s absence, saying he had travelled out of the country, THISDAY learnt that most of the loyalists of the former Vice President also avoided the event.
Atiku, in his Facebook posting, explained that he could not make it back to Nigeria for the convention because of logistics hitches.
Oyegun while addressing leaders and delegates at the convention, said the key targets of the party’s manifesto are to create jobs, modernize infrastructure and make life more abundant for our people.
“We are ready to restore hope to our traumatized people. We are programmed to return Nigeria to the path of growth and development, create jobs, modernize infrastructure and make life more abundant for our people,” he said.
In the area of corruption, he said Nigeria has never had it so bad, adding that organized stealing of our crude oil has become a thriving business, while corruption has been institutionalized.
“There is also impunity, unprecedented impunity, which has in turn fuelled unparalleled lawlessness. Now, they simply deploy security personnel to lock up the courts just to prevent justice from being served. They organize to beat up judges just to have their way.
“Litigants and lawyers are fair game in their misplaced strategy to pervert the course of justice. To them, the doctrine of the separation of powers is a mere fancy. They don’t give a damn”.
Oyegun also lamented about the state of unemployment, quoting report of the National Bureau of Statistics which put youth unemployment at 54 per cent two years ago.
He said based on what we see daily, there is no doubt that the number may have risen to as high as 70 per cent.
Oyegun who presided over the Extraordinary Convention held at the old Parade Ground in Abuja, said the only reason the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has resorted to dangerous, divisive politics is because they have nothing to showcase to Nigerians to convince them to return the PDP to power at the centre come next year.
“Now, they simply deploy security personnel to lock up the courts just to prevent justice from being served. They organize to beat up judges just to have their way. Litigants and lawyers are fair game in their misplaced strategy to pervert the course of justice. To them, the doctrine of the separation of powers is a mere fancy. They don’t give a damn,” he said.
One of the presidential aspirants of APC and the former Head of state, General Muhammadu Buhari told fellow party men that as far back as 2005, he had recognized that in order to successfully kick PDP out of power, the opposition parties will need to come together under one umbrella. He said the intention of the APC is to secure this nation from collapse.
On his part, another Presidential aspirant and Governor of Imo State, Chief Rochas Okorocha said the party is seeking power in order to give the people of Nigeria a purposeful leadership. He said President Jonathan is not the problem of APC but that the major hurdle of the opposition is to be able to produce a presidential candidate without any rancour.
He said his quest for the presidency is nothing but to bring progress and improve the welfare of the people, adding that PDP has shown a lot of contempt for the wellbeing of the ordinary people.
The Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso said he fully endorsed the rules of engagement as was read out by Oyegun with regard to the conduct of the primaries.
One of the high points of the convention was the entry of the newly defected Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal into the arena, accompanied by about 100 members of the House.
Oyegun made a show of his presence by inviting Tambuwal up to the podium where he handed him the flag of the APC and its symbol, the broom to the admiration of the crowd.
He poured encomiums on the Speaker of the House of Representatives, describing him as the articulate, bridge-builder who was able to link up with both members of the APC and the PDP in the National Assembly.
An excited Tambuwal said by the grace of God come May 2015 “we shall sweep away PDP”.
“APC by the grace of God shall deliver this country, not by power of human being from the evils perpetrated by a group of cabals”, the Speaker said.
He said he was overwhelmed by the outpour of goodwill extended to him since he joined the party, adding that he will dedicate himself to the task of reforming the country.
“And in appreciation of your warm hand of fellowship, I hereby rededicate myself to the task of building and growing our party, and helping our party achieve its mission of lifting Nigeria to glorious heights and restoring hope to the citizens of our great country. In this regard, I hereby call on all other like minded Nigerians to join this movement to deliver on the promise of a new Nigeria.
“We will engage our party men and women and indeed all Nigerians to fight insecurity and corruption and all the vices that have tended to impoverish our people,” he said.
The Chairman of the convention and Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Absulaziz Yari said the convention was called for the purpose of amending the constitution of the party so as to accommodate more people. He expressed the hope that the party will eventually reach its promised land.
A major highlight of the convention was the amendments of the party’s constitution to provide amongst others for the use of indirect primaries in the election of candidates for the 2015 general election.
Former National Secretary of the defunct Action Congress of Nigerian (ACN) Lawan Shuaibu moved the motion for the amendments while a member of the House of Representatives, Abike Dabiri-Erewa seconded the motion before the delegates affirmed their approval through voice vote.
Among the Party leaders who were at the convention, were, Chief Ogbonnaya Onu, Presidential aspirants, Muhammed Buhari, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Governors Rotimi Amaechi, Adams Oshiomhole, Rochas Okorocha, Ibikunle Amosun, Abiola Ajimobi and Aliyu Wamako.
Meanwhile, Atiku in a statement released by his media aides on Wednesday explained that the former Vice President had received some senior party members from Nasarawa State in his residence on Tuesday where he emphasized that the principle of internal democracy was well entrenched in the APC and it is indeed the pivot upon which the party is built, stressing that the APC will apply the principle of internal democracy in every elective position where the party fields candidates.
He said: “I have been an ardent advocate of internal democracy in party system through my political career and that is what the APC also stands for.
“I must say that a lot of times I have been misunderstood, but my insistence on free and transparent primaries is not about me, but because of thousands of our party members who should be allowed to exercise their most fundamental right of being members of a political party – the right to contest.
“Our great party, the APC is built on the pivot of internal democracy and that is why you see that the party is attracting new membership by the day.
“The APC remains the strongest political party in Nigeria today because members of the party know that consensus or any such fraudulent method of imposition of candidates does not apply in the party. Our party is the only big party in Nigeria that gives its members the freedom for participatory election.
“A party comes out stronger when it employs the mechanisms of primaries in fielding candidates for elections.”
But the Peoples Democratic Party says Wednesday’s amendment of the constitution of the APC in a just few months into the life of the same document is a direct consequence of “lack of direction and unpreparedness,” and an attempt to reedmen a ‘jaundiced’ party law.”
PDP National Publicity Secretary PDP, Olisa Metuh in a statement yesterday said the development has confirmed the
“APC as a disorganised political party, lacking the ability to effectively administer itself” and wondered how it can govern a nation as complex as Nigeria.
Describing the APC special convention as a charade and an exercise designed to mask its inadequacies and paper over the numerous cracks that are obvious for all to see, the PDP further said the APC is a collection of strange bed fellows and enemies of democracy.
“In APC, Nigerians have continued to witness a rickety, wobbly vehicle bound to jerk to a stop midway, abandoning the occupants to the mercy of inclement elements. Of course, Nigerians have noted that the PDP remains the only steady and stable platform for the growth and progress of democracy in our dear country”, the PDP said.
Source: Thisday
