Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), says APC is a party for all and will continue to act on its words.
The governor made this known on Wednesday in Abuja while inaugurating the party’s Appeal Committees for its recently conducted Ward Congresses.
Buni, who was represented at the event by Sen. John Akpanudoedehe, the Secretary APC CECPC, noted that the Congresses to produce the party’s organs across the country started on July 31 and went substantially well.
“However, it is expected that wherever and whenever there is a competition, of course, there is bound to be contestations,” he said.
Akpanudoedehe said that as an organisation based on rules and procedures, avenues and channels must be provided for party members who were dissatisfied with the processes.
He said that such channels were critical for members to ventilate their grievances through an internal mechanism, adding that the Wards Congresses Appeals Committee was inaugurated for this purpose.
“This party is for all Nigerians, therefore we must show, not only by words, but by concrete actions that there’s no attempt to exclude or sideline anybody in the course of the exercise.
“This is very fundamental, not only to the CECPC, but to the preservation of the very essence of the party.
“Your actions in this wise will help engender cohesion, build trust and confidence in this all important exercise.
“Today, you have been entrusted with one of the most solemn obligations of citizenship, which is to help deepen our democratisation processes and strengthen the polity,” he said to the committee members.
Akpanudoehede said members of the committee were carefully selected based on their proven records.
He said that the party trusted in its strength of character, integrity and capacity to be fair in their dealings to those who would approach them as members of the committee.
He reminded all APC members to see the party as one big family, saying that differences should be handled with the understanding that no dispute was worth the destruction of the house that was jointly erected.
Buni, while wishing members of the committee the best, said the party’s guidelines for the exercise and its Constitution shall be their guide.
“The terms of reference shall be made available hereafter,” he said.
He, however, noted that in the past days, the media space had been filled with negative commentaries on the Supreme Court judgement on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Eyitayo Jegede and Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of the APC, in the last Ondo State governorship election.
He said this was especially by persons who should know better, but were coming out with very malicious and self-serving opinions just to play on the gullibility of the public.
He said such persons forgot that the APC was made up of intelligent, sound and intellectually proficient persons who had seen beneath their grandstanding.
“The majority judgement of the Supreme Court has strengthened the position of the CECPC and our chairman. The minority judgement serves only for academic purposes, nothing more.
“The Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, who is the chief law officer of the federation, has stated that we are on firm ground and advised that we proceed with the processes of the Congresses,” Akpanudoedehe said.
