APC Has Not Endorsed Any Interim National Chairman, Says Shekarau

The former Presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in the last General election, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau has dismissed speculations making the rounds that some prominent party leaders have been endorsed as the Interim National Chairmen of All Progressive Congress (APC).

Shekarau, who gave an update of the happenings in the merger party APC to reporters in Kano yesterday said that such stage is yet to mature for the party to tip anybody as its interim Chairman.

Instead, he hinted that the APC is in the process of appointing a 9-man Interim Management Committee, drawn from the three opposition parties, ANPP, CPC and ACN that formed the APC , pointing out that three members of the parties would be selected to facilitate the speedy registration of the party by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Shekarau, who is a key member of the merger arrangement explained that when such Interim Management is formed within the shortest possible time, they will have a life span of three months that would work out an arrangement for the new party to be registered.

The former Kano State Governor explained that after the certificate of the three parties are withdrawn by INEC, the Commission will then issue the certificate of registration to the new party (APC), which will bring about the emergence of a National Executive Committee (NEC) to produce the executives o f the new party, adding that the period the constitution allows them is three months.

According to him, All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Democratic Peoples’ Party (DPP) are only regarded from the onset as Groups, explaining that they are yet to hold their National Convention.

He also explained that there are five major aspects that need to be submitted to INEC for registration, ie, conveying the convention resolution by the party, constitution and manifestoes approved by the convention, office address of APC.

All of these, he pointed have so far been sorted out, adding that at the lastly an interim leadership that would take the registration or the certificate of APC when eventually registered by INEC, pointing out that for the past three weeks after the convention, the leadership of the parties and the Merger Committees have busy discussing across the parties as to how to put up the Interim Management.

He further explained the constitution of the APC has provided a transitional leadership that will lead the party for six months to conduct congresses and registration and the convention to leave place for substantive elected officers that will run for four years.

“At the close of the week, some consensus was arrived at to save time, while parties are busy discussing as to what structure to put in place to provide the caretaker transitional committee at National, States, local and Wards level to fast track by using the three principal officers of the three parties, as the Chairman, the Secretary and the Treasurer to form application that will be conveyed to INEC.

He however expressed optimism that INEC will register APC, adding that they are been cautious to avoid the mistake made by African People Congress (APC), which deprived them from been registered by INEC.