By Ahmad Umar
Gombe (Nigeria) – A group under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Gombe State, Northeast of the country, Dalachi Advocacy has faulted the one-year tenure extension `of the party’s national and state executives, describing it as unconstitutional.
The leader of the group and former gubernatorial aspirant of the party in 2015 election, Abubakar Aliyu stated this while speaking with Journalists in Gombe on Sunday.
He said the group’s stance was taken after a meeting with members of the party in all the 11 local government areas in the state.
He said that after the meeting with all the party members, including local government party executives in the state, the leaders noted that the extension of the tenure of National chairman of the party and his executives by one year, is also against Nigeria’s constitution.
“Section 223 of the 1999 constitution as amended provides for periodical election on a democratic basis for principal officers and members of the executive committee of political parties.
“According to the constitution, election of the officers or members of the executive committee of a political party will be deemed to be periodical if done at regular intervals not exceeding four years.
“Article 17 of the party’s constitution also provides for four-year tenure for its national and state executives, which is renewable for another four years”, Aliyu said.
“We have considered the issue of extension of tenure and we are of the firm belief that the decision is a breach of the constitution of our party and of the country. We are against the elongation of tenure. We shall continue to make our decision known to the party and to the president.
“In extending the tenure, the APC National Executive Committee had relied on Article 13.3 (ii) of its constitution which states that The NEC can discharge the functions of the convention in a period of emergency. Article 13.3 (ii) of APC Constitution specifically states that the NEC of the party is empowered to.
“Discharge all functions of the National Conventions as constituted in between Conventions. But the provision in Article 13.3 (ii) is not limitless and open-ended. It is a responsibility restricted by the same constitution, which provides exclusively under Article 30 (i) that: “This Constitution and Schedules hereto can be amended only by the National Convention of the Party,”
“We urged the BOT, NEC and NWC of our party to listen to this voice of courage and wisdom, conduct a genuine delegate congress in Gombe state and other states in the country or we stand to lose the governorship seat again like in 2015 and we call on all APC leaders who do not have the party at heart to stop messing with the political fortune of APC”, Aliyu said.
https://www.africaprimenews.com/2018/03/16/governance/nigeria-former-gubernatorial-candidate-in-kaduna-dumps-ruling-apc-accuses-party-of-sidelined-him/
