About 6,855 delegates have arrived Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to participate in the first delegates convention of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).
The convention, holding at the Eagle Square is billed to ratify the amended party’s constitution and put in place the national officers of the party to guide its affairs in the next four years.
Among others, former Governor of Edo state, Mr. John Oyegun and Alhaji Kashim Imam are expected to emerge national chairman and secretary of the party based on a consensus deal struck by chieftains of the party from across the country.
It was gathered that Oyegun has an edge over other contenders like Chief Tom Ikimi, former Bayelsa state Governor, Timipre Sylva based on what a delegate described as “his integrity, and pedigree and the fact that he had remained in the opposition since 1999.”
As at 5pm yesterday, a contingent of heavily armed policemen had taken control of the Eagle square venue of the convention to ensure that nothing amiss happen in the course of the political event.
Caretaker Chairman of the convention committee, Governor Aliyu Magartakarda Wammako, who addressed reporters, expressed optimism that the convention would be hitch-free, adding that they opted to explore the consensus option in a bid to ensure all parts of the country were carried along.
He further stated that delegates have been designated to six separate centres within the Abuja city to ensure they were duly accredited based on their geo-political zones of origin.
Nevertheless, he claimed that there were sinister plot by unscrupulous persons working in tandem with what he termed “entrenched interests to scuttle the convention.”
He specifically alleged that he was privy to the fact that security personnel have put up unnecessary stop and search points at all entry points to Abuja as part of the grand design to scuttle the party’s convention.
Wamakko described the APC as an amalgamation of progressive forces in Nigeria, which has survived the manipulation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and is keen in upstaging the ruling PDP, in the interest of Nigerians.
He added: “like a child that refused to be aborted, the APC has survived all the devious intrigues specially put together to truncate its birth. The party’s registration exercise, conducted earlier in the year, revealed that tens of millions of Nigerians opted to join APC as members. Without any doubt, this development, which poignantly has showed PDP’s rejection by Nigerians, has sent jitters to its leadership.”
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