Tackling Acrimony in Nasarawa APC

Igbawase Ukumba writes that Governor Abdullahi Sule’s quest for a peaceful conduct of APC congresses in Nasarawa State has started paying off

Prior to the commencement of the nationwide congresses of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the National Secretary of the party’s Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, said the party was recommending a consensus option for the election of party officials at all levels to reduce acrimony.

Acccording to him, “for us, we have to take into consideration the need to accommodate everyone because the APC is a party for all Nigerians.

“We are encouraging states to adopt the consensus arrangement because it saves costs and reduces acrimony. That is why when you look at Article 20 of our constitution which talks about elections, the first thing there is for members to try reaching a consensus. When that fails, then you go to cast ballots.

“We are making sure we do not leave any room for the opposition, especially the Peoples Democractic Party (PDP) to sponsor people to cause confusion in our midst.”

Perhaps, it was in compliance to the APC’s Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee’s recommendation that the Nasarawa State chapter of the APC opted for a consensus option to elect officials of the party at all levels during the congresses of the party in the state. The adoption of the consensus option to elect officials of the party was taken at a major stakeholders’s meeting of the party held in the Government House, Lafia through a voice vote presided by Governor Abdullahi Sule.

Accordingly, Governor Sule noted that the state chapter of the party had severally set the pace in terms of peaceful conduct of the party’s affairs in the country, as such he said the forthcoming congresses must be peaceful and successful. He therefore pleged his commitment to ensure smooth congresses of the party in the state, hence he directed all his political appointees to go to their electoral wards and ensure a hitch free congresses.

Nevertheless, to be rest assured that there was a hitch free congres in the state, Governor Sule detailed Senator Abdullahi Adamu to take charge of Nasarawa West Senatorial District, Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura for Nasarawa South, while himself (Sule) and Senator Godiya Akwashiki were to take charge of Nasarawa North Senatorial District.

Earlier in a welcome address at the major stakeholders’s meeting, the Nasarawa State APC caretaker committee chairman, Dr John Mamman, said the purpose of the meeting was to brainstorm on the forthcoming congresses of the party in the state.

Hell-bent on ensuring a peaceful conduct of the APC’s congresses in Nasarawa State, hitherto as part of preparations leading to the ward congresses taking place across the state, the governor, on the eve of the ward congresses, met with stakeholders of the APC from across the state, at the Government House, Lafia where he sued for a peaceful conduct of the exercise. Sule equally used the occasion and preached unity and inclusiveness during the ward congresses.

The governor appealed to both elected and appointed government officials not to take advantage of their offices to deny other members of the party the right to participate in the exercise.
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Perhaps, this was attested by the Chairman of the State Ward Congress Committee, Abdullahi Garba Abbas, when supervising the affirmation of the Gudi electoral ward new executives, during the ward congress in the state. Hence Abbas commended the unity among members and supporters of the ruling APC, for adopting the consensus mode for the ward congress, stressing that, Nasarawa State is setting the trend for other states across the country.

Abbas particularly appreciated the stakeholders in Gudi ward, the country home of Governor Sule, for ensuring a smooth take off of the exercise. He added that nothing short of this was expected, especially with a leader like Engineer Abdullahi Sule, known for being fair, just and for carrying everybody along.

For Governor Sule, the peaceful consensus congress of his Gudi electoral ward was a credit to the party’s stakeholders in the area, particularly the APC leaders, youths and women wings for ensuring that the ward executives emerged through peaceful consensus. This was even as Sule expressed appreciation that the entire state has adopted the consensus mode for the ward congress.

The governor however said it was the first time he was meeting with the newly elected Gudi ward party officials, noting that he refused to interfere in the emergence of the officials leaving the stakeholders, youths and women from the ward to elect their representatives.

He told the Nasarawa State Ward Congress Committee Chairman, Abdullahi Garba Abbas: “The beauty of this exercise, Mr. Chairman, is that I am just meeting this exco for the first time as you are meeting them. I decided to allow the people of Gudi to make their choice and they have made their choices. I laud the decision of the people of Gudi electoral ward, with four polling units, to rotate the positions within the four units.”

According to the governor, “the consensus arrangement in Gudi took into cognizance not only the number of polling units in the ward, but also the diverse ethnic groups in the area.”

In the same vein, the Senator representing Nasarawa South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, has commended the party’s stakeholders for initiating the consensus method that brought about peaceful congress in the state. Al-Makura also commended stakeholders of the APC for their strict adherence to guidelines of the party to ensure peaceful conduct of ward congress.

Senator Al-Makura, gave the commendation in a statement by his press secretary, Danjuma Joseph, after he participated in the ward congress exercise at his Gayam Electoral Ward in Lafia, the state capital.

According to Al-Makura, “APC has some lessons to learn for future congresses and elections, especially the adoption of consensus leaders through mutual agreement devoid of rancour and hard feelings among supporters of the party. I want to commend Governor Sule and the caretaker committees at both the state and the national levels for adopting the consensus method, which in my opinion will save the party a lot of time and energy.”

Al-Makura however called on APC members and supporters to remain focused and behave maturely during and after the congresses to give the party a good name.

Nevertheless, Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, expressed satisfaction with the peaceful conduct of the APC congress in Toto Local Goverment Area of the state as all the new officials of the party emerged through concensus.

THISDAY gathered that the ward congress exercise ended across all the electoral wards of Toto Local Government Area peacefully as party stalwarts met and adopted consensus option of affirmation to elect the ward executives.

The Speaker of the state assembly, who is the party leader for the congress in Toto council area, said the success achieved in the exercise was a clear demonstration of unity and understanding among members, hence he called for its sustenance. While expressing his happiness over the entire process and how all interests across polling units were adequately represented, Balarabe Abdullahi said the exercise has further demonstrated the unity and strength of the APC.

QUOTE

The Nasarawa State chapter of the APC opted for a consensus option to elect officials of the party at all levels during the congresses of the party in the state. The adoption of the consensus option to elect officials of the party was taken at a major stakeholders’s meeting of the party held in the Government House, Lafia through a voice vote presided by Governor Abdullahi Sule