The Forum of Former Members of the House of Representatives has said one of the major problems of All Progressives Congress, APC, is that the party is a conglomeration that is yet to fuse in unity.
The former lawmakers said this in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, dated June 24 and entitled National Crisis Bedeviling the All Progressive Congress (APC): The Way Forward, adding that the party is grossly disrespectful of its own laws and constitution.
According to the Forum, “APC, as a conglomeration of a number of defunct political parties and interest groups, is yet to fuse into a single party.
” They also listed “long-drawn political manoeuvres and rivalries, the inability of the party leadership to manage and accommodate dissenting opinions, and a weak, untrusted, disrespected and disregarded internal conflict resolution mechanisms.”
They added that “a major source of frictions in APC is the glaring undemocratic usurpation of the powers of NEC, party caucuses, national convention and the BOT, which rendered them inoperative and comatose, while their powers were being exercised in breach by the NWC.
“By the combined actions and inactions of the current leadership, it has lost any moral pedestal to superintend the affairs of the party for its failings to abide by the ground norms and internal processes of the party. “The flagrant misconducts of the current party leadership is curious, unacceptable, and incurable.
“There is absence of synergy, coordination and communications across the various layers and organs of the party. As party members and leaders, we pick information from the party concerning the internal issues of our party from social media and other news portals.
“There is a near-complete disconnection between party officials from ward levels to the national, which renders the national leadership susceptible to manipulation and intrigues since nature abhors a vacuum.”
Solutions
Signed by Isa Ibrahim Bio, Usman Mohammed, Chidi Duru, Engr. Janet Adeyemi, Dr. Shuaibu H. Abdullahi, Dr. Ibrahim Olaifa, Hassan Jonga, Lumumba Dah Adeh, Idris Yahaya Yahuza, Chidi Nwogu and Bala Kaoje, the letter suggested solutions to APC’s crisis.
Among the solutions the letter offered was that the President call for a NEC meeting to uphold constitutionalism in the midst of chaos and deep polarisation of the members of the NWC. They said: “The NEC meeting will avail the members the missing thrust to resolve all pending knotty issues and discuss the way forward for the party.
“It is recommended that the meeting discusses the future of the current leadership, which may involve its dissolution and appointment of a caretaker committee to organise a special national convention to elect new national officers within 12 weeks.
“The caretaker committee, if appointed, should overhaul, recalibrate and reposition the party to face the challenges of future elections.
“The committee members must be all-inclusive and reflective of all interests and tendencies within the party as well as possess the desired competence, experience, impartiality and integrity.
“The composition may consist of all former Chairmen of national political parties who are now members of the APC, and other accomplished and evidently neutral persons.
“The Chairman, who may emerge from the South-South zone, must never be seen to be controversial and shall enjoy the goodwill of a wide spectrum of all tendencies.” They also suggested and early national convention to, among others, re-zone party positions and ratify key decisions, including certain appointments; inaugurated, vacant positions filled forthwith, and be allowed to function as provided for in the constitution.
The Forum also said: “The constitution of the party encourages use of internal conflict resolution mechanisms. This has been discarded by members and the Leadership, which is evidenced by the plethora of court cases.
“Henceforth, any aggrieved party member that goes to court without exhausting the internal conflict resolution mechanism should be suspended or expelled.”
Source: Vanguard
