The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Executive Committee (NEC) has dissolved its Executive committees at local government, state and zonal levels, giving its Caretaker and Convention Committee an additional six months in office, but the decision has become a source of brick-bats between the ruling party and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The PDP curiously sees the dissolution as “APC, being overburdened by the weight of failure, humongous corruption as well as the plagues of economic recession, violence, killings and hardship it has brought to our people, forcefully exited itself from the nation’s political firmament by dissolving all its national, zonal and state structures”
But APC sees the meddlesomeness of the opposition party as a manifestation of senility,
“In its latest beer parlour rant, the PDP has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister APC and declare vacant the seats of all APC lawmakers. If the PDP assumes this as its standard of opposition politics, then our democracy is in danger. It is now clear that the PDP’s disillusionment following their rejection by Nigerians in the 2011 and 2019 general elections has degenerated into senility,” APC said in a statement.
Recall that Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, told journalists at the end of the NEC meeting that the meeting also expelled a former National Vice Chairman, South-south, Ntufam Hilliard Eta, who took the party to court over the dissolution of the Nationlal Working Committee (NWC) of the party on June 25, 2020.
In addition, the NEC also approved waivers for new members.
The new members can contest party primaries ahead of the 2023 elections without waiting for two years as previously required.
APC, in its statement in Abuja, on PDP’s comments said, “It is common knowledge that the PDP leadership is currently facing a serious crisis of confidence as a result of its rudderless leadership. However, it will seem that the PDP crisis has been grossly under played. How does one explain the public rebuke by the former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki to the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus to stay clear of the party’s reconciliation efforts?
“With the PDP as the supposed “main opposition” lacking the capacity to provide rigorous and intelligent interrogation of the policies and programmes of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration, we reiterate our frustration that the PDP is pushing Nigeria into a one-party state which the APC does not subscribe to. In place of the failed PDP, we repeat our call to other opposition parties to seize the opportunity and play the true role of opposition which our democracy and governance needs to flourish.
“Finally, it is commendable that the PDP has taken a keen interest in the APC’s internal party processes, particularly the virtual APC National Executive Committee (NEC) held on Tuesday. However, it is our sincere hope that the PDP learns a thing or two on proper party management, progressive politics and internal democracy. The PDP can start by paying its staff salaries.”
Earlier, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) congratulated Nigerians for the dissolution of the APC party structures noting that “December 8, 2020 has gone into the history of our nation as liberation day, especially given the spontaneous jubilation by Nigerians over this step towards political oblivion by a political party that has brought so much pain on them.”
The party adds, “Now that the APC has become defunct, the PDP invites the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to officially deregister the APC and recall its certificate of registration, given that it no longer has operational structures as required by law.
“In the same vein, INEC should immediately declare the seat of all lawmakers elected on the platform of APC at the federal and state levels as vacant and commence the process of bye-election to fill the seats, as required by law.
“Furthermore, government agencies, civil society organizations as well as the international community should immediately gazette the APC as a defunct political organization in our country.
“Nevertheless, the PDP invites all leaders of the fizzled APC to get ready to answer Nigerians for their misdeeds, and not to think they can get away with their atrocities by forming or joining another political party.”