Fears of crisis in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) affecting its March 26 Convention heightened on Monday when armed security men took over the national headquarters of the party in Abuja.
By Emma Ogbuehi
Barring last minute intervention, the March 26 national convention of the APC is seriously under threats, no thanks to the leadership crisis rocking the party. On Monday, the dispute took another dimension when security agents took over the national secretariat of the party.
The Nation reports that no less than 15 patrol vehicles of security operatives cordoned off access roads to the party secretariat as early as 9 am.
Over 70 armed operatives reportedly barricaded all the Blantyre Street, stopping all human and vehicular movements into the Secretariat.
But APC workers were granted access to the complex after thorough screening while visitors and journalists were turned back.
No member of the CECPC was on ground to speak on the development.
But APC security guards told newsmen that the security measure became very important because of the meeting by the State chairmen of the party.
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The uncertainties in APC began to unfold when the party, within 24 hours, issued two conflicting statements last month on the actual date for its national convention
It first cancelled the February 26 scheduled National Convention and announced Zonal Congress for March 26.
But within hours, the APC reversed the earlier decision postponing its national convention indefinitely.
Later, the party issued another directive to the effect that the national convention would hold on March 26, the date earlier slated for the conduct of its zonal congresses.
The new arrangement did not explain what happens to the zonal congresses
TheNiche had then reported that the APC had tactically put off its National Convention, earlier scheduled for February 26, and that no new date was fixed for the exercise. Rather, the party settled for Zonal Congresses.
In the letter announcing the shift, the APC told INEC that the new information, superseded its earlier notice on national convention, saying that the new arrangement was predicated on the evaluation of the party’s constitution.
The letter noted; “In furtherance to Article 85 of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) and compliance with Section 12.6 of our Party Constitution, we hereby write to notify the Commission that our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has scheduled to hold its Zonal Congresses on Saturday, 26th March, 2022. Kindly arrange for your officials to monitor the exercise accordingly”.
There have been controversies among the major tendencies in the party on the date and modalities for the convention, ever since.
It was at a point, insinuated that because of the crisis, the APC had not started selling expression of interest forms for the aspirants to its national chairmanship position.