APC Reveals How Pressure To Hold National Convention Stopped Three Governors From Defecting To The Party

It was gathered that the Governors who were planning to defect, believed the party structure would be out of their control once the APC congresses and convention took place before they perfected their plans hence their decisions to stay put in their current parties.

A source who spoke on the matter revealed that the Caretaker/Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) led by Governor Mai Mala Buni was trying to delay the congresses and national convention in order to get the Governors on board but had to jettison its plans as increased pressures from stakeholders to hold the national convention was beginning to tear the party apart.

www.tracknews.ng gathered that one Governor from the South East, South West, and the North-West were close to defecting before the tables turned again.

“The delay in the conduct of Zamfara State congresses greatly helped secure the defection of Governor Matawalle Bello but when the pressure and call for the national convention pitched the party into two, the caretaker committee had to commence congresses before the national convention.

“The Caretaker Committee was trying to buy time to conclude the negotiation but the heat that the pressure mounted on the committee forced it to succumb to conducting the congresses.

“When it became clear that the negotiation can not be concluded as the Governors were yet to extract enough assurance from the party on the structure, they had to back out,” the source was quoted to have said by The Nation.

The development was also confirmed by the Secretary to the Caretaker Committee Senator John James Akpanudoedehe.

He added that apart from the Governors, the APC also lost some lawmakers as well due to the pressure to hold the congresses and convention.

In his words, “We would have gotten three more governors but when we started the Congresses and we lost them because there is no governor that will come into the party without having a structure. Remember we had brought in three other governors earlier.

“We lost some Governors, some lawmakers, and others but we got more in return.”

Meanwhile, www.tracknews.n reports that the APC has picked February 26, 2022 for the conduct of its national convention.

The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee and Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, made this known on Tuesday during the Progressive Women Conference in Abuja.