Nasarawa State Governor, Abudulahi Sule has said the leadership of All Progressives Congress (APC), will be guided by the Electoral Act in the conduct of Saturday’s National Convention.
Governor Sule, who is the Chairman of the APC Sub-Committee on Media and Publicity for the National Convention said this at a news conference on Thursday in Abuja.
He said the conference was to brief the public on the steps taken so far to ensure a peaceful and rancor-free National Convention.
“You can be rest assured that whatever we are going to do is going to be in line with the Electoral Act,” he said.
He said this was because the party was working on a consensus candidates for its various elective offices.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that clause 84(9) of the Electoral Act provides that a political party that adopts a consensus candidate shall secure a written consent from all cleared aspirants for the position.
This implies that they must indicate their voluntary withdrawal from the race as well as endorse the consensus candidate.
“Where a political party is unable to secure the written consent of all cleared aspirants for the purpose of a consensus candidate, it shall revert to the choice of direct or indirect primaries.
“This is for nomination of candidates for elective positions.”
Governor Sule said that the APC was a law abiding political party which believed in rule of law.
“We are a law abiding political party, we will not do anything whatsoever, as a political party that is going to be in violation of the law, because as the ruling party.
“We will not carry out something that is going to be detrimental to our laws, so we do not give bad example,” he said.
He said that following President Muhammad Buhari’s request, the party leadership might refund money paid by aspirants for the purchase of Expression of Interest and Nomination forms after emergence of consensus candidate.
He said that only accredited delegates would be allowed into the convention venue.
Governor Sule lauded Buhari, the Progressive Governors and Chairman of APC Caretaker and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), for the efforts in advancing the party’s course.
He said the APC had in Buhari, a political leader and a father that was respected by its members.
The governor said that while the party had zoned its national chairmanship to the North-Central, some aspirants outside the zone, were still in the race.
He said this was democracy in action as such, aspirants could not be denied since they had already purchased the forms to contest the position.
New National Executives were expected to be elected at the party’s national convention to manage its affairs presently being managed by the CECPC led by Gov. Mai Mala Buni of Yobe.
So far, seven aspirants in the chairmanship race had obtained and submitted the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms at the cost of N20 million.
They included Malam Saliu Mustapha, a former Deputy National Chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressives Congress (CPC), Sen. George Akume, Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Sen. Sani Musa, Sen. Tanko Al Makura and a former Gov. Abudulaziz Yari of Zamfara.(NAN)
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