BY LINUS CHIBUIKE
THE National Executive Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress has extended the tenure of the Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee.
The extension was announced at a meeting of the committee on Tuesday, which had President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and major stakeholders of the APC in attendance.
The NEC also dissolved the party structures at the states, zonal and national levels.
These were disclosed by Governor Nasir El-Rufai in a brief chat with journalists after the meeting.
The party has also approved the expulsion of its former National Vice Chairman, South-South, Ntufam Hilliard Eta, for refusing to withdraw a court case instituted against the caretaker committee as directed at the previous emergency NEC meeting of the party, according to him.
Buhari commended the Caretaker Committee for a good job so far, saying the members, led by Buni, had brought a fresh atmosphere of hope to the party.
In his opening remarks at the NEC meeting, the President said, “I have received periodic briefings from the caretaker extraordinary convention planning committee, as well as other leaders of the party.
“I am convinced that in the last five months, since the appointment of the caretaker committee, the initiatives taken have brought remarkably new atmosphere of hope in the party.
“Healthy debates are now taking place and the potential for organs of the party to affirm majority positions as the decision of the party is now possible.”
He said what was required now was for all the leaders of the party to maintain discipline “and ensure that this new momentum is protected, sustained and the decisions of party organs are respected by every member.”
“Despite the challenge to restore peace in the party and the series of elections at hand, the fact that we have gained more members and that we are not losing members to the opposition under the present interim leadership, indicates improvement of the party,” he said.
”In fact, we have begun to win back our members who left us and other notable political leaders are being attracted to our party,” Buhari added.
