APC leaders yet to agree on office sharing

APC Spokesman for the Merger Committee, Chief Tom Ikimi

There were indications in Abuja on Tuesday that leaders of the yet-to-be registered new political party, the All Progressives Congress, were yet to agree on the sharing formula for national offices in the party.

The Merger Committee of the three parties in the merger met in Abuja on Tuesday where the issue was again discussed.

Spokesman for the Merger Committee, Chief Tom Ikimi, said the matter was being addressed.

The three parties in the merger arrangement are the Action Congress of Nigeria; All Nigeria Peoples Party; and the Congress for Progressive Change.

Some members of the Democratic Peoples Party and the All Progressive Grand Alliance are also involved in the merger.

Our correspondent learnt that while both the ACN and the CPC had been allocated five slots each in the proposed Interim Management Committee of the APC, ANPP was allocated five positions.

In the IMC of the party, the ACN is producing the national chairman while the ANPP is producing the national secretary and CPC, treasurer.

Name of officers, who are to occupy these offices in the interim have been submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission as demanded by the electoral body.

However, the Commission was said to have responded and demanded that the names of other officers of the proposed party be supplied as well.

This was said to have necessitated the meeting of the Ikimi-led committee in Abuja on Tuesday.

However, at the end of the meeting, no concrete decision was reached as representatives of the three parties were scheduled to meet with the caucus of their parties in Abuja on Tuesday night.

Ikimi, who spoke after the meeting, said, “We have reviewed the processes that are ongoing with regards to our registration and look into various issues in order to enable us to carry all the merging parties along.

“This night, there would be caucus meetings of the merging parties and so we have worked out various things which we want to take to the caucus meetings where we would meet with the leaders of our various parties to enable us finalise these matters.

“On interim officers, we have looked into the various issues to enable us carry all the merging parties along.

“We have some forms from INEC, asking for the names of interim officers. At the end of the meeting with our caucus, we should be able to resolve these matters.”

Meanwhile, CPC has said that the Peoples Democratic Party cannot stop governors who have indicated interest in joining the APC from doing so.

The party described the witch-hunting of some PDP governors for plotting to defect to the APC as ridiculous.

National Organising Secretary of the CPC, Alhaji Salihu Yusuf, said in a telephone interview with The PUNCHon Tuesday that Nigerians were in need of a change from the current situation in the country.

Yusuf argued that nothing was wrong for any governor to decide to move to another political party that would serve his objective, particularly as it concerned the development of the country.