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Critical stakeholders in the highest decision making organ of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), National Executive Committee (NEC), have endorsed the possible extension of the timeline for the Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee of the party.
The decision to support the caretaker committee was reached at a meeting in Abuja on Thursday night.
At the meeting were three state governors – Abubakar Bagudu (Kebbi State), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa) and Yahaya Bello (Kogi) – members of the party’s Forum of State Chairmen and members of the Forum of Non-National Working Committee.
The Chairman of the caretaker committee was also represented at the meeting by Prof. Tahir Mamman (SAN).
It was gathered that the meeting was at the instance of the former National Vice Chairman, North East, Comrade Salihu Mustapha, who is the patron of the Forum of State Chairmen and Forum of non-NWC, to woo and get the buying in of the two critical organs of NEC into supporting the activities of the Caretaker Committee, including tenure elongation for it.
The June 25 emergency NEC meeting had appointed the Caretaker Committee with the core mandate of reconciling all aggrieved members of the party and conducting the party’s National Convention for the election of a new National Working Committee after the dissolution of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole-led NWC within six months.
It was gathered that the three governors were brought into the meeting to further persuade members of the two strategic organs to support the Governor Buni-led Caretaker Committee “bottom top” reorganisation and re-positioning of the party.
It was further gathered that the presence of Prof. Mamman, a member of the caretaker committee, at the meeting was to properly brief the members in attendance on all the steps so far taken by the Buni-led committee at re-positioning the party, in order to further buttress the need for tenure extension.
Though members of the Forum of State Chairmen had endorsed tenure elongation at a meeting it held with the chairman of the caretaker committee, it was gathered that the Forum of Non-NWC members was able to extract assurance that they would not be dissolved ahead rumour of their possible dissolution before they endorsed the extension of timeline for the committee.
Addressing newsmen after the meeting, the convener of the meeting, Comrade Mustapha, who is also the immediate past National Vice Chairman North East, Patron of State Chairmen of APC and Non-NWC NEC members of the APC said the meeting was essentially meant to deliberate on issues bordering on their welfare, their job security and also the progress of the party and the country at large.
Confirming the endorsement of the activities of the caretaker committee by the meeting, Mustapha said: “We had a very fruitful deliberation. In attendance, we have the representative of the Extraordinarily Caretaker Committee in person of Professor Tahir Mamman, SAN, who we deliberate intensively with and he gave us all the legal efforts made to harmonise and streamline the transition processes of the Caretaker Committee.
“Also in attendance are three governors, the leadership of the Progressive Governors’ Forum was here and they gave assurance, they gave their support to the Caretaker Committee and also the Welfare of the NON-NWC NEC members, the forum of State Chairmen and the ranks and files of the party at large and their commitment to building the party from bottom to top.”
Asked about the decision of the meeting on the 2023 general election, the former NWC member said: “There is nothing about 2023. We are talking about governance now. People should understand that there is time for governance, there is time for politics.
“When you start talking about 2023 now, I don’t think we are fair to Nigerians that gave us this mandate. It is proper for us now to talk about how we are going to deliver dividends of democracy. How we are going to deliver on the mandate given to us by Nigerians before we begin to talk about 2023.
“From now till 2023 is a life time. Only God knows how many of us will even reach 2023. But we know that we have the mandate of Nigerians to deliver dividends of democracy, and that is what we are talking about. We have bigger issues to talk about than 2023.”
On tenure elongation for the caretaker committee, Mustapha argued that constitutionally, the committee is not tenured but has a timeline for the delivery of its core mandate despite the six months given it by the June 25 emergency NEC meeting.
