APC Crisis: Senate leader fears collapse of party, urges members to unite

Nigeria’s Senate leader and Senator representing Kebbi North Senatorial district, Abdullahi Abubakar Yahaya has expressed deep concern over endless crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Change, APC, saying, if quickly tackled would consume the party.

Abdullah’s concern was at the backdrop of the fact that the National Convention of the APC was at the corner, stressing that members must quickly come together in order to conduct a successful National Convention.

The lawmaker spoke on Tuesday after the meeting of APC Senators caucus met after plenary to discuss the crisis rocking the party, particularly on the disturbing development on Monday when Niger State governor, Alhaji Sani Bello stormed the party headquarters in Abuja and took over as acting National Chairman of the party.

APC senators met for about two hours meeting. We are too worried about what is happening in our party and we expressed our concern over the challenges facing the party.

Abdullahi said: “Very close to its national convention and we thought as a very important stakeholders in the party. We want to draw the attention of everyone involved to come together and unite so that we can have very successful convention in the party.

“This is not the time for exchanging regrets about what we could do. What is happening is about the future of our party and Government and also the capacity of our party to win elections in 2023.

“We have sat down as important stakeholders as a caucus in this great party, to dissect all the issues that have been affecting our party since the formation of the caretaker extraordinary convention planning committee.

“He admitted that APC has been facing serious challenges, but said, the Congresses at the State, Local Government and ward level was a success.

“We are quite aware of the challenges that they have faced and we are also aware of the successes that the committee has recorded particularly when it comes to registration of members, they came to harmonise some of the successes of the party, carrying out congresses at the ward, Local Government and at the State levels.

“We commend the performance of that committee, we ask you to do more by as much as possible by trying to reconcile those chapters where there are still challenges trailing the ward, local Government and state congresses because a loss in any State is a loss for the party.

“We cannot afford to come to the convention as a divided entity. Anywhere there are challenges that could cause the party its victory is a loss for everybody. So we have resolved to meet again to articulate the major issues and then meet with the various stakeholders and aspirants of the party to advise and call for unity and sense of purpose in order to make sure that we unite every faction every stakeholder of the party, so that the party can emerge victorious in 2023 elections.

“The same convention planning committee is in place.

“What we realised is that the chairman of the convention planning committee has been sick and he went for medication checkup.

“The current Niger State Governor, from the grapevine and from the knowledge that is available to us is actually the deputy chairman and in the absence of the chairman he is acting till the chairman comes back.

“The speculation in the papers is not exactly true. What we are concerned about is the seeming disarray in the party. So from our standing coming from all the States in Nigeria we have to come and establish a national platform where all these things can be articulated so that all of us will come up with one mind and strategise for the success of the party.

“All personal and individual bitter struggling for power is subordinated to the chances of the party. Party interest. So that the party would be strong. We are the strongest party we have the largest membership, therefore we should as much as possible move to make sure that our party is United in the interest of every member.”