PDP Mocks APC, Says INEC’s Non-Recognition Confirms Its Ineligibility For 2023 Elections

By Gideon Njoku

The People’s Democratic Party, PDP, has said that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, is not eligible to contest in the 2023 General Election.

The PDP, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has more or less confirmed this by the non-recognition of the letter sent to it by  APC, intimating and inviting the Commission to its scheduled Emergecy National Executive Council, NEC, meeting.

Responding to the letter, INEC said it does not recognise those who signed the letter. The letter was signed by the newly controversially appointed Acting Chairman of the APC, Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello.

The APC has, for days, been embroiled in a leadership crisis. President Muhammadu Buhari had, on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, suddenly given an order for the sack of the Interim National Chairman, Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni for, allegedly, working to sabotage the National Convention of the Party, scheduled for March 26, 2022. The Secretary, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, has also been rendered ineffective and done away with.

With the non-recognition of the letter to INEC, the APC National Convention is in jeopardy. More so, there are over 200 cases against the Party all emanating from disgruntled Party members.

If the Emergency NEC meeting does not hold in the presence of INEC officials, it becomes illegal, and consequently affects the March 26 scheduled National Convention.

Without the Convention, APC will not be qualified to take part in the 2023 General election.

Meanwhile, Buni is still in Dubai where he went for Medicals. His supporters, including the embattled Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. Dave Umahi says he remains the Chairman, and so does Buni’s spokesman, Yusuf Ali.

But Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, insists Buni has been sacked, and will never go back to the office of the Chairman. Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, described the Governors in support of Buni as “yahoo-yahoo Governors.”

Following is the PDP’s statement.

INEC’s Non-recognition Confirms APC’s Ineligibility For 2023 Elections – PDP

“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alerts that the non-recognition of the activities of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) further confirms PDP’s position that APC lacks the legitimacy and statutory requisites to participate in the 2023 general elections.

“The PDP emphasizes that INEC’s refusal to honour APC’s invitation to attend its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting as well as the Commission’s disapproval of APC’s National Convention scheduled for March 26, 2022 further authenticates PDP’s stand that the APC is a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in liquidation, preparatory to winding up, that cannot legally produce candidates for the elections.

“This decision by INEC is, therefore, another unmistaken ‘red flag’ to intending aspirants on the platform of the APC in the 2023 general elections that the APC has become defunct and cannot validly, legally and constitutionally field candidates in the 2023 general elections.

“Our Party draws attention to the grave import of INEC’s letter to the APC, dated March 9, 2022 to the effect that APC’s NEC meeting scheduled for Thursday March 17, 2022 will not be recognized by the Commission due to invalid notice; a development that will invalidate any decision reached at such meeting.

“Furthermore, INEC’s reference to the failure of the APC to give the required 21-day notice for its National Convention confirms the invalidity and unconstitutionality of any National Convention conducted by the APC’s illegal Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC).

“As it stands today, regardless of the boldface escapist excuses, the Sword of Damocles hangs precariously on the status of the contraption called CECPC and the APC itself. This signals an existential threat to the soulless, precipice-bound bunch of pretenders masquerading as a political party.

“The PDP had earlier informed Nigerians, especially intending aspirants on the platform of the APC that the APC became legally non-operational when in December 8, 2020 it dissolved its National, State as well as Local Government structures and handed its affairs over to an illegal body.

“Moreover, the PDP informs such aspirants that the widespread intractable infighting for the soul of the defunct APC by ferocious ‘political warlords’ is not for election purposes but in desperation for the control of APC structures as pedestals to further pillage public fund before and during the elections.

“The PDP calls on Nigerians to note that the APC by its actions has commenced an inevitable descent into self-inflicted political extinction.

“We call on Nigerians to remain at alert and hopeful as our Party takes decisive steps to democratically take over governance in 2023 in our mission to Rescue and Rebuild our nation from the rudderless, vicious, clueless and visionless APC.”

The APC insists that it would go on with its scheduled National Convention.