APC convention: Governors to decide date Sunday

On Sunday, January 9, the All Progressives Congress will meet to decide a substantive date for the party’s national convention.

This is partly in response to the caution by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in an interview which aired on the Nigerian Television Authority on Thursday.

In the interview, Buhari warned that by dilly-dallying, the APC may be setting itself up for defeat by the opposition, PDP.

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The Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, who met with the President at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on Friday, said Buhari’s caution is a wake-up call for the party to have a seamless convention to avoid disintegrating.

Lalong who spoke with State House Correspondents said Sunday’s meeting will harp on the proposed date for the convention.

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He said the APC governors have now assured the President that the convention will hold in February.

According to him, the party will redouble its effort and do the right thing.

While noting that the APC is a hodgepodge, the Plateau State Governor said what matters is that the Party elects its representatives at the end of the day.

Quizzed about ongoing efforts by APC leaders to avert losses in 2023, Lalong said, “Thank you for that question. Yes, I agree that all the times there are meetings, especially taking final decisions on the party, I’m always part of it and part of it was also why I visited the President and the President still stands committed that there must be an immediate convention.

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“You know, when a convention is coming, there are fears here and there, some people will tell you it will work, it will not work. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but the visit to the President has already assured us and you know that there is already a notice that all the governors are meeting on Sunday. By Sunday, we will tell you when we are doing the convention.

“We’ve taken a date already. Before Christmas, we said we’re going to do the convention in February and we are still working towards that, as far as I’m concerned. Except things change from another angle. But as far as I’m concerned, we’re working for our convention in February.”

The Governor explained that despite the concerns the President raised, the governor’s are determined that nothing will stop them from holding a peaceful election.

“Some parties have done their own, the PDP did its own, nothing will stop APC from doing its own.

“So, all the fears that we’re talking about, which the President also re-echoed, are also telling the governors to please do more and keep the party alive. So, by God’s grace, we’re going to put our party alive,” he said.