Former Governor of Abia State and Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu has called for rescheduling of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) national convention slated for February, 2022.
He allayed fears of a collapse and an unmitigated injury the party could sustain if the National Chairman of Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the APC, Governor Mai Mala Buni, goes ahead with the convention in February.
In a letter he wrote on Thursday in Abuja which he addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari and the National leadership of the APC, Kalu identified three challenges that must be urgently addressed before the convention, which are: “Election of National Working Committee (NWC); Party crisis at State levels; and the 2023 presidential zoning.
To this, he suggested that the 2023 presidential primary of APC and election of National Working Committee (NWC) should hold the same time with the presidential primary election.
Kalu in the letter titled: “Urgent appeal for postponement of APC National Convention,” warned that holding the convention in February without resolving pockets of disagreements that emanated from the Congresses of the party may lead to implosion.
The letter reads in part: “It is with a sense of commitment and unflinching loyalty to our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) that I write to you, the content of this letter regarding the National Convention of our party slated for February, 2022.
He lauded the achievement of Mai Mala Buni for managing the party up to this time, but warned that crisis in some State chapters of the party remains threatening if there were not addressed immediately.
“However, it is pertinent to note that, some states are embroiled in crisis with multiple factions.
“These factions are not new to our politics, especially since the return of democracy in 1999.
“However, it is important to put into consideration, the consequences of these factions during and after elections.
Kalu recalled how factional crisis aided opposition party in Rivers and Zamfara governorship election in 2019, even as the party couldn’t field Senatorial candidates in Cross River State, thereby made the Peoples Democratic Party to have a field day.
He further explained that the party cannot boast to have decided on presidential zoning yet, a situation he said could lead to party implosion, stating that the issue must be addressed before proceeding on the national convention in order to save the party.
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