APC stakeholders describe NWC incompetent

Signs of cracks within the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, emerged on Saturday as a pressure group within the party, under the aegis of Concerned APC Stakeholders, described the party’s National Working Committee, NWC, as incompetent, just 20 days before the general election.

The national coordinator of the group, Dominic Alancha, while addressing a press conference in Abuja, stated: “Let me make it clear from the onset that we believe this election is ours to lose. And we will not lose it. We will win, our winning is sacrosanct God willing. But before every victory comes a great test. The last few weeks have been a great test for us as a party.

“The NWC, suffice to say, is perhaps the most incompetent NWC since the creation of this party. Very lacklustre and secretive. At the last count, they had close to N38 billion from sales of forms and yet no accountability as to what they did with the money.

“This is the first time in the history of political campaigns [that] a ruling party failed in her responsibility to mobilise members and critical stakeholders of the party to raise campaign funds for the party; neither has it called for a National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting to look into the wellbeing of the party and the campaign.”

The group stressed that while Progressives Governors Forum, PGF, did well by insisting on a power shift to the South, it lamented that their high-handedness in their states and in the party led to the complete misconfiguration of the growth of the party.

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It stated: “Now they are trying to squeeze the candidate to solely finance the campaign, this, in our informed opinion, is not obtainable anywhere in the world. We call on them to show more commitment to the party and the campaign.”

The group, therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to show and demonstrate commitment and loyalty to the party that made him by joining the party in the remaining campaign rallies.

The group also urged Buhari to direct ministers, and political appointees to go back to their wards within the next week and hold meetings with a view to canvassing for votes for the party.

It also pointed out that the naira redesign policy was a good policy that was long overdue, but insisted that the timing was absolutely horrible and therefore condemned it.

It added: “We condemn it because the timing is short and very restrictive. It has plunged the country into a serious mess like we are witnessing with some pockets of protest across the country due to the inability of citizens to access the newly redesigned naira note, grounding the economy to a complete halt.

“We fear if this continues, it will lead to a complete and total breakdown of law and order. This is not the philosophy and policy behind the formation of our party, the APC.”

The group, however, aligned with some of the leaders of the party who had spoken of certain sabotage of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

The group further urged the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to extend the withdrawal of the old naira notes by six months as a legal tender to ease the suffering this “anti-people” policy has inflicted on Nigerians.