4th September, 2014
By Jo Igbokwe
On September 2, 2014, APC State Publicity Secretaries held a summit in Lagos. The body of State Publicity Secretaries formally constituted a body now known as Conference of APC Publicity Secretaries (CAPS).
The aim and objective of the organisation is to sell the brand, the APC. A chairman and six zonal co-ordinators were elected to run the affairs of the Conference for a year. They are: Chairman – Engr Joe Igbokwe; North Central Co-ordinator – Mr Jonathan Vatsa; North-East Cordinator – Rev Phineas Padio; North-West Coordinator- Engr Yahaya Bashir; South East-Coordinator – Arc. Okelo Madukaife; South-West Cordinator)- Mr Sola Lawal; and South South Coordinator) – Hon Fortune Panebi.
The conference reviewed events of national importance and explored ways to reposition the party for the imminent formation of the Central Government in Nigeria in 2015. The conference, therefore, resolved as follows:
The conference notes with satisfaction, the determination of the people of the State of Osun,and the resourcefulness of the APC leadership, nationally and in the state of Osun, in rallying the progressive forces to defeat the party of political predators, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The conference enjoins our great party nationwide to build on this success towards 2015 general elections.
The conference does not share in the self eulogies by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on its so-called successes in recent elections in Ekiti and Osun because it is exaggerated. Elections have increasingly become militarised, even to the point of deploying masked security personnel to intimidate and humiliate the electorate. Elections should be carnivals, not war rehearsals and the INEC must give flesh to its rejection of militarised elections in exchange for civil elections. The recently concluded distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) and Continuous Voter registration in some states manifested all the indices of failure. The conference advises INEC to raise its act, take firm corrective measures and stop indulging in ostrich pride, while monumental challenges lie ahead.
Consequently, the conference calls on all stakeholders in the nation, particularly the National Assembly, to, as a matter of utmost urgency, return the recommendation of the Justice Uwais panel on electoral reforms to the front burner, particularly as it affects INEC deriving its funding on first line charge; drawn from the Federation Account and independent operatives appointed by the National Judicial Commission to guarantee some measure of independence from political interferences.
The conference denounces the wind of impeachment blowing across the nation, on the instigation of the PDP. We are thankful to the people of Nassarawa State who rose overwhelmingly and gallantly to stop a PDP tragi-comedy hatched against the performing Governor of the State, His Excellency, and Alhaji Sani Al-Makura.
Further, the conference advises the Nasarawa State House of Assembly to desist forthwith from its orchestrated persecution of the governor from exile in Abuja, under the teleguidance of a minister in the PDP-controlled Federal Government, with an ambition to be governor of Nasarawa State through the back door, as the time of reckoning has come. In Enugu State, the PDP has thrown the instruments of governance to the swine by the governor, Sullivan Chime, who instigated the impeachment of the deputy governor, Mr Sunday Onyebuchi,for running a poultry farm, yet turning round dramatically to redeploy the impeached public officer as the Deputy Director in the State Civil Service. Meanwhile, the ailing governor and Impeacher-in Chief still runs a farm. Where are the standards? We ask if our nation must be allowed to degenerate into a mushroom society under the careless watch of the PDP. Our answer is NEVER!
The PDP, having forced an illegal impeachment on Adamawa State, is now seeking to employ every crooked machinery to return the state to the path of retrogression. The APC is however, prepared to set the people of Adamawa free. CAPS hereby demands the suspension of the ‘state of emergency’ in Adamawa State, which has the barest minimum of insurgence ,or at the least, lift the dusk-to- dawn curfew from this week to rid the electioneering atmosphere of fear or encumbrances and pave the way for free and fair elections.
The conference is highly pleased with the transparent process put in place by the APC national leadership for the conduct of the Adamawa State governorship primaries and trust that the successful management of yet another clean, free process, which the APC is reputed for, will lead to a resounding victory for the APC in the Adamawa bye-elections.
CAPS also reviewed theso-called ‘inconclusive’ senatorial election in the Niger East Senatorial Zone and observed with dismay, a plethora of spurious developments. It is the right of the people of Niger East to freely choose their senator. We hereby urge them and the entire people of Niger State to be vigilant and forestall the collusion between the PDP and key officials of the INEC to rob the people of their free choice of an APC candidate, which is now about to be truncated, as was done in Ekiti and Anambra states.
CAPS is glad to note that, finally, LG elections will hold in Delta State on October 25, 2014. We hereby put the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DELSIEC) on notice that a serious organisation is now watching out for nothing less than a clean process, leading to a free and fair contest.
The conference hereby requests all members (State Publicity Secretaries) to work in tandem with their State Chairmen to raise the necessary structures and infrastructure to realise the aims and objectives of CAPS and the vision and mission of the APC in all Local Government Areas (LGAs) in their respective states.
Finally, CAPS wishes to express its deep appreciation to Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) and the Lagos State APC Chairman Otunba Oladele Ajomale for supporting the inaugural meeting of the conference.
•Igbokwe is Lagos APC Publicity Secretary