ANN crisis deepens as NEC postpones presidential primaries

Rather than thaw, the crisis in the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN) has deepened.
A faction, led by the National Chairman, Dania Emmanuel, had fixed the party’s convention for Saturday in Abuja, but some National Executive Committee (NEC) members overruled him because “his action is against the party’s constitution.
The exercise has now been postponed to Wednesday next week.
The party’s NEC members at a press conference in Abuja on Saturday said that the guidelines for the National Convention of the party must first be ratified by NEC before the convention can hold.
They said that a meeting of NEC to ratify the guidelines would hold Saturday night, while the convention proper would hold on October 3.
Presidential aspirant of the party, Gbenga Olawepo- Hashim, who also spoke at the press  briefing on Saturday said that he remains on course to clinch the party’s presidential slot, adding that some relics of the defeated Abacha dictatorship were threatening to hijack the ANN.
According to him, he and the party leaders would not abandon the structure of the party for the desperate elements whom he said are working for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He said: “I am in the race. I have only pulled out of the hurried convention of the ANN fixed for today, Saturday, purportedly to elect the presidential candidate. I am still in the race for 2019 by the special grace of God.”
Deputy National Chairman, Alhaji Yunusa, who spoke at the event, noted: “The party believes in doing things right in line with our constitution and that of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Because of that, NEC meeting will hold to determine the date of the convention. NEC members and 19 state chairmen have already aligned with this decision”
Kogi State Chairman, Hon. Sunday, who spoke on behalf of the 19 state Chairmen and the NEC members, said: “The chairmen believe in following the constitution of the party. He also said that the guidelines for the convention are yet to be ratified, while logistics issues were also not sorted out. In view of that, the chairmen have resolved to hold a NEC meeting late Saturday evening to ratify the guideline and also fix the convention for Wednesday October 3.”
Some of the issues said to justify the postponement  of the primaries include the  adoption of a credible list of delegates to be authenticated by chairmen and secretaries of each state, and the decision on states who have held congresses and who are still omitted in the list of delegates, such as Kano and Katsina.
The others are decision on the status of women and youths of states who were excluded in the delegates’ lists, and the decision of the states that have not yet conducted their congresses, but are legally constituted, such as Abia, Adamawa and Gombe.
 Other  NEC members at the press conference included the former Chairman, Dr. Jay Osi-Samuels, Olawepo-Hashim, National Secretary, Deputy National Chairman, Alhaji Tijanni Isa, Alhaji Sahid Umar, National Organising Secretary, Hon. Makanjuola Ogundipe, amongst others.
They jointly reinstated the determination of the party to truly remain a new platform for the revival of Nigeria. They therefore vowed to resist “the infiltration of desperate boy scouts and neophytes benefiting from diverted public funds.” 
Pursuant to the more proper convention, the state chairmen are to hold a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting Saturday evening in what is said to comply with “procedures and in the interest of laying a good foundation for party processes and programmes.”
In a letter to the National Chairman of ANN, Olawepo-Hashim regretted that the “issues raised in the first letter dated September 28 have not been addressed. As a result, the number of states and their delegates will not be available for the Saturday hurriedly put-together convention. Nevertheless, it is my belief that the party still has the opportunity to redeem itself.” 
The NEC members said that in view of the uncovered irregularities and the very weighty issues, which they said are constitutional, legal and principled matters, they are postponing the Presidential Primaries.
The state party chairmen and their delegates who obviously boycotted the hurriedly planned Saturday convention included Hussain Zakari (Jigawa), Charlie Anubob (Anambra), Yahaya Silvanus (Kaduna); Aliyu Idris Zakari (Katsina), Ibrahim Abubakar (FCT), and Nasiru Garba (Zamfara).
The others are Abubakar Chika (Sokoto); Alabi Sunday (Osun); Anthony Akika (Nasarawa), Uzo Ogbonna (Abia), Lawrence Emmanuel (Ondo); Apeh Sunday (Kogi), Elder Obe Ilesanmi (Ekiti), and Adamu Garuba (Gombe).
The rest dignitaries are Alh. Boye Jega (Kebbi), Alh. Ali Haruna (Kano), Chief Onome (Lagos), Deputy National Chairman, Isa Tijjani, National Youth Leader, Akinola Olumide, National Women Leader, Ajoh Torkwase, and Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Akoh Shittu.