By Kenneth Okoh, Staff Writer
The Northern Alliance for Participatory Democracy (NAPD) has hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for the successful conduct of the All Progressive Congress State Congress which was held across the nation last Saturday, 16th, October. The group through a statement made available to the press and signed by Alhaji Rilwanu Yakubu, National President and Secretary James Kpenember congratulated Buhari for allowing participatory democracy to flourish and urged him to go the whole length to the national convention.
The group gave president Buhari a pat on the back for refusing to align with any particular interest and stated that this was the green light needed to deepen democracy in Nigeria. In the same vein, the group drew the attention of the APC National Secretary, Caretaker and Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee, CECPC, Sen. John Akpanudoedehe to emulate the principles displayed by President Muhammadu Buhari in fostering democracy and avoid issuing statements that portray him as partisan. “If President Buhari has instructed that the party be returned to the people and card-carrying members of the party came out en masse in the last Saturday’s congress to register their presence why then is he issuing a statement describing parallel congresses as ‘so-called’, queried Alhaji Rilwan.
The group frowned at his use of words like “futile” and wondered since when parallel congress has become strange to the party’s constitution. “What was the process that produced the National Secretary? People seem to forget too easily the past and that’s the problem with us”, remarked Rilwan.
The group noted that since the Reconciliation Committee was put in place by the national secretariat they have at best been selective in their approach. “Now you come out to say adequate conflict resolution measures are in place to resolve issues in the daytime but at night they all go to sleep”, observed Alhaji Rilwan. The group went on to congratulate those party members that held parallel congresses to express their recognition and membership of the party. “If nobody will recognize them because of the selfish attitude of our leaders who think nobody should exist after them, they should express themselves in whatever lawful manner”, Rilwan declared.
In another development, the Northern Group also pleaded with His Excellency Mala Mai bunu, the Caretaker and Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee, CECPC to relinquish his job as Governor and position himself to be elected as the Chairman of the APC. The group admitted that Bunu’s democratic credentials have brought stability into the party and therefore urge party members to elect him without fail.
