Did you invite Goodluck Jonathan?: The APC’s first NEC meeting in #SixQuestions

The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday in Abuja had the inaugural meeting of its Interim National Executive Committee of the party. National Chairman (also interim), Bisi Akande, was naturally all beaming. Here’s our debrief of the meeting in six questions.

What’s the next move now that you’re registered?

As part of efforts towards strengthening the party, a former House of Representatives Speaker, Alhaji Aminu Masari, was appointed to chair a nine-member committee to advise the interim national leadership on how to set up structures in all parts of the country.

The APC is also considering holding its congresses and convention by December to elect those who will formally occupy key positions in the party. The interim committee has a lifespan of six months.

Who will be the presidential nominee for 2015?

On who will fly the party’s presidential flag in the 2015 general election, Akande said the APC could not be stampeded on the issue until the party’s national convention likely to hold in December. Hear him out.

“Our major preoccupation is to set up the structure of our party. Until after November or December when we hold our national convention, where our national executive will be elected, we have no idea about who becomes our presidential candidate, flag bearer, governor or anything.”

What about Anambra?

Akande said that the only exception to the nothing-will-happen-until-December rule would be Anambra where a committee was already working out modalities for selecting the party’s candidate for the November 16 governorship polls.

He also confirmed that there is going to be a congress for Anambra members soon to enable them decide who would be the party’s candidate in the November poll.

“At today’s (yesterday) meeting, we have set up several committees to advise us on how to go about our affairs and most especially the elections in some states like Anambra and Delta states and local government elections in states such as Kwara, Anambra and Cross River.

And those pesky ‘APCs’?

On the pending court case by a rival political group, Akande was emphatic – nothing will alter the fact that the APC had been registered. In other words, we are here to stay.

“In Nigeria today, we do not know any other APC apart from the All Progressives Congress and we do not contemplate anything and nothing will happen to move this APC out of place. We remain a party and we shall remain a party forever to rule this country.”

Are you a new party?

The national chairman said the APC was no longer new, it being an amalgam of old parties and so it would not face ‘any challenge’ in contesting the 2015 elections.

And, erm, did you invite President Goodluck Jonathan to the APC?

Akande saved the best drama for last. While speaking of the opportunity of party membership for “any Nigerian that is ready to identify with the party,” he said this

“We won’t even close our door to the PDP. If Jonathan is tired of the crises in the PDP, he is welcome in the APC.”

Smooth move, except that Jonathan’s Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe, said that Akande’s call to the President was a final vindication that Jonathan was God-sent.

While Okupe emphasised that there was no crisis that was insurmountable in the Peoples Democratic Party, he described Akande’s ‘‘invitation’’ as a welcome development.

Even smoother move.

[Photo H/T: The All Progressive Congress]