The Assistant State Secretary of All Progressives Congress, APC, Abia state , Hon. Sterling Chinwe Uruakpa has said that the party’s National delegates convention is not an all comers affairs, but a meeting, where party’s constitution allows only members of the party to attend as delegates .
He was reacting to a recent open letter, reported to have been written to the National Chairman of APC by the Chief Whip of the Senate , Senator Orji Uzor Kalu.
He said that a simple communication with State leadership would have saved Senator Orji the stress of writing to the party hierarchy, making it seem as if there is an issue that cannot be resolved internally with the party leadership in the state.
He disclosed that even some of the names included in the list of the Senator formed part of the names forwarded by the party to the national headquarters because there are people called statutory delegates.
He explained that while Senator Orji Kalu, and indeed every other Nigerian reserves the right to associate with friends, political allies and choice structure, it should be noted that the party’s constitution allows only members of the party as delegates to the national convention.
He emphasized that Abia APC is one family that is currently recording quick successes in building together, recalling that the national leadership conducted a membership registration and re validation exercise last year, with enough timeline and media publications to the benefit of party loyalists and interested members of the public, but that some political merchants, with the aim of hijacking the party disregarded the CECPC efforts.
“The convention of 26th March 2022 is a child of destiny and those who couldn’t abort it are relentless in all subterfuge to create imaginary relevance. Article 12.1 of APC Constitution is clear about the statutory delegates to the national convention and the Party surely does not need open letters to be so informed”, the party scribe said.
“If somebody’s license expired last year and he refused to renew it, and the police catches him on the road, can he still claim to be driving with a valid drivers license?”, Uruakpa queried .
While the state party leadership has thrown its doors open for members, he said, and much as what makes some one a member is the ability to renew his or her membership, it is not left for the state party to say that those who have refused to re validate their membership should now be accommodated as members. That decision should be looked into by the national leadership, Uruakpa said.
“If such a thing is allowed, it will now give some people from other parties dual membership and opportunity to infiltrate the party and work against the party’ successes during the polls, he submitted. END
