National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has warned his party against developing any sense of lethargy arising from it being the party in power.
According to him, Nigerians have become wiser and more sophisticated in political thinking and disposition.
Odie-Oyegun, who spoke in Abuja on Monday during the inauguration of the APC 2018 National Convention Committee, said he was however happy that the APC “is a living party”, whose leadership was committed and dedicated towards ensuring the “party is out in political fighting mood for the 2019 elections.”
He urged the members of the committee to ensure that the outcome of the convention reunite the APC members.
“What I want to see at the end of this exercise is a united party under whatever leadership your exercise brings up.
“We have a tough election ahead of us, we must prime ourselves for that election. We must not coddle ourselves with any false sense of being the party in power. Our population today is much more aware of their rights than they have ever been before.
“Members of this great committee, let it be your task as you proceed to ensure that all discordant views, all discordant opinions are brought together under one single united APC”, Oyegun said.
The APC is to elect new ward, state, and national executives at its forthcoming Congresses and National Convention.
The processes for the convention which Mr. Oyegun described as a “short and sharp convention” is to start with the Ward Congresses on May 2, Local Government Congresses, State Congresses and finally culminate with the National Convention on May 14.
The APC National Chairman said they want to conduct a swift convention in order to finally lay to rest the leadership misunderstanding that has been troubling the party.
“There have been talking forward and backwards sometimes not in very acceptable terms and language about the leadership of the party. No responsible organization will allow these doubts to continue at infinito, the earlier it is resolved the better so that this party can move and forge ahead. So we decided on a short and a sharp period of elections from the ward levels until the final event on the 14th of May”.
In his response, the Chairman of the National Convention Committee, the Jigawa State Governor Abubakar Badaru, promised their commitment to ensure a free, fair and credible convention that would leave the party united and stronger at the end.
