Convention: Confusion persists over delegates’ election, as APC inaugurates panels

AMIDST anxiety, the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) has finally inaugurated committees to conduct election of local government, state and national delegates. 

The committees were inaugurated on Tuesday at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, with deputy national chairman (North), Senator Abba Kyari, presiding. 

Nigerian Tribune gathered that the committees to conduct the election of delegates would also stay back to handle screening of aspirants for state assemblies primaries, scheduled to hold on Sunday, May 22, nationwide. 

The election of delegates was earlier fixed for Monday but was shelved as the APC NWC was overwhelmed with logistic challenges, particularly availability of printed materials and their movement. 

It could not be confirmed if the election of delegates would now hold on Thursday ahead of the governorship primaries fixed for Friday. 

Although appeal panels were equally inaugurated on Tuesday, aspirants are worries that there would not be adequate time for such panels to function. 

Kyari in his remarks apologised to the screening committees for keeping them in Abuja for so long ahead of their assignment. 

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He said, “First and foremost, I will like to express the chairman’s apology for taking so long for having this occasion and also for not being around for this occasion. 

“Initially, we are supposed to have two processes but we have decided to combine both exercises so that you all can conduct the exercises one after the other or simultaneously if the situation permits. 

“This is the foundation of all the primaries. We have just conducted the screening of the gubernatorial, senatorial and House of Representatives aspirants but the basic foundation is what you people are going to do which is the election of local government and state delegates. 

“Later, the national organising secretary will brief you on your roles and what the modalities are and also the legal adviser will explain the legal implications of what you are about to do.” 

Addressing chairmen and secretaries of the panels, national organising secretary, Suleiman Muhammad Argungu, appealed to them to be fair to aspirants and stick to timelines given by the national secretariat of the party. 

Speaking with newsmen, the director-general of the Voice of Nigeria and chairman of the Election and Screening Panels, Osita Okechukwu, offered an insight into the process of electing delegates. 

He said, “We are going to elect five delegates per ward and there are 8,809 wards in the country. Those elected delegates will go to the state and elect the governor; we are going to elect three delegates from each of the 774 local governments who will elect the president.

“But the first job is the screening and the delegates would be elected and the delegates would in turn elect the Guber and presidential candidates.” 

Okechukwu, further assured that the screening panels would meet up on deadline. “I think they will have enough time. Don’t forget that we are not working alone, we have our state executive that we are going to work with, local government and ward executives across the length and breadth of the country. So, we are not working alone,” he added.