The All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) has again restated its stance not to accord recognition to the outcome of parallel congresses conducted in state chapters.

National Secretary of the APC CECPC, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday night.

Senator Akpanudoedehe dismissed such parallel congresses as mere naming ceremonies not in consonance with the constitution and the guidelines of the party for the conduct of the state and other congresses.

He equally dropped the hint that appropriate sanctions await chieftains identified as masterminds of such acts which he noted were inimical to peace and unity of the ruling party.

Describing those involved as saboteurs, the APC national secretary further appealed to aggrieved chieftains to make recourse to appeal panels and the reconciliation committee inaugurated last week.

The statement read in part: “The All Progressives Congress (APC) congratulates our teeming members on the successful conduct of the party’s state congresses across the country.

“In adherence to internal democracy and the charge by the leader of our great party, President Muhammadu Buhari, that the party be returned to the people, card-carrying party members came out en masse to elect executives who will take charge of APC affairs across the states for the next four years.

“However, our attention has been drawn to reports of so-called and purported ‘parallel’ congresses. To borrow the phrase of one of our esteemed governors, such ‘parallel’ congresses are mere naming ceremonies.

“The purported ‘parallel’ congresses are futile activities and very strange to the party, our constitution and the guidelines for the conduct of the state and other congresses.

“Only exercises conducted by duly inaugurated state congress committees are recognised by the party. The APC leadership will not hesitate to take adequate and lawful measures against any person or interest sabotaging the collective party’s interest and efforts to achieve peace and unity in our great party.

“Where contestations exist, adequate conflict resolution measures have been put in place to address them. The party has Appeal committees for every congress.

“Recall also that the party has inaugurated the national reconciliation committee under the chairmanship of Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, former governor of Nasarawa State to reconcile all differences among stakeholders and party members,” he said.

(Nigerian Tribune)

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