The All Progressives Congress (APC) would hold its national convention in February 2022 year, National Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party and Governor of Yobe State, Mr Mai Mala Buni, has said.
The governor said this Monday while fielding questions from State House correspondents after a close-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
“The Progressive Governors’ Forum after their meeting, has suggested February to the party and the President has concurred so we are going ahead to plan for the convention in February. Nigerians should expect more unity and progress as a result of the forthcoming convention,” he said.
He said the APC leadership and governors consulted widely before agreeing on the February for the national convention.
The governor said the party would soon announce the exact date of the convention.
On insinuations in some quarters that the caretaker committee was delaying the convention to extend to remain in office, the governor said: “Am I a jobless person who is always trying to extend his tenure; to do what? I have my primary responsibility as a Governor to go back to my State and carry out my primary responsibility. What I am here to do is ad-hoc and of course to reposition the party and that is exactly what we have been able to achieve,” he said.
Also speaking, Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi state, who is also the chairman of Progressive Governors’ Forum, said governors considered February for the convention because Christmas is fast-approaching and about four states are yet to conclude their conventions before choosing February for the convention.
“Yesterday, November 21, the Progressive Governors’ Forum met, where we congratulated and thanked the Caretaker Committee for working so hard in leading the party. We also thanked the President for supporting them to deliver on their mandate.
“I also explained yesterday that the Progressive Governors’ Forum discussed the issue of national convention of the party and they mandated us to come and discuss with the President as the party’s leader to give the input of the Governors so that the party and the President will consider.
“Part of the inputs we got yesterday was that we still have four states which are in the process of completing their congresses like Anambra; understandably because of the recent gubernatorial election, Zamfara and two others, because of logistic challenges and then, Christmas is around the corner and early January we will be very busy with Ekiti. So, the Governors, based on all these, suggested the party and the President should graciously consider February and the President is favourably disposed to the suggestion,” he said.
