The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari and the governors elected on the platform of the APC will this week pick a new date for APC national convention, which was earlier slated for February 26, 2022.
It was gathered that this development followed the clash of the February 26 proposed date for the exercise with some off-season elections earlier scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
A top party source, said the clash of the proposed convention with the national elections was brought to the attention of the party after it had written to notify INEC of its intention to hold the national convention.
“Elections are national issues that cut across political parties and therefore, it is not expected that party affairs should overshadow national elections. The stakeholders will meet and come up with a new date not beyond two to three weeks,” the source explained, adding that INEC would be notified after the proposed meeting between Buhari, the APC governors and the members of the caretaker committee.
THEWILL recalls that INEC had scheduled February 26, 2022 to conduct bye-elections for six constituencies in 4 states.
“Following the declaration of vacancies by the Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Honourable Speakers of some State Houses of Assembly, the Commission has scheduled bye-elections for six constituencies in 4 States as follows:
“Akure North/Akure South Federal Constituency, Ondo state ; Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency, Plateau state; Pankshin South State Constituency, Plateau state; Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency, Cross River state; Akpabuyo State Constituency, Cross River state; Ngor-Okpala state Constituency, Imo state.
“The elections will hold on Saturday 26th February 2022 immediately after the FCT Area Council elections. This will enable the Commission to clear most of the bye-elections, focus on the Ekiti and Osun Governorship elections and ongoing preparations for the 2023 General Election,” a statement by INEC National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education Committee, Barr. Festus Okoye read.
Meanwhile, a top source in the presidency disclosed on Sunday that the president would meet with the APC governors on Tuesday.
The source, who spoke anonymously, said, the meeting with the president, led by the chairman of the Interim Committee of the party and Governor of Yobe state, Mai Mala Buni, with 20 other APC governors in attendance would table another possible date and other logistics for approval by Buhari.
The interim leadership of the party was said to be pushing for the convention to be moved by two weeks to mid March but it will have to seek the approval of Buhari in his capacity as the leader of the APC.
