The stage is set for the national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) scheduled for Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Saturday.
The National Chairman, Prof. Netanwe Yilwatda, and the Chairman of the 2026 National Convention Central Coordinating Committe, former Katsina State Governor Aminu Bello Masari, assured party members that the convention will be hitch-free.
Also, ahead of the screening of aspirants for national offices, the Chairman of the Aspirants Screening Committee, Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji, said the process will be premised on equity and the rule of law.
No fewer than 7,200 delegates from the 36 states and FCT are expected at the Eagle Square Abuja for the convention, reports The Nation.
At a programme tagged: ‘A walk for cleaner and safe environment’ organised by the National Convention Environment and Sanitation Sub-committee, Yilwatda said the target of the party is a successful convention.
The national chairman, who was represented by the Deputy National Organising Secretary, Nze Chidi Duru, said APC would also surmount the challenges on the way.
He said: “We are prepared, and we look forward to Saturday when the convention would be held. We are here to celebrate. We are here to ensure that the nation already understands that we are not just doing the convention. We are also preparing for our primaries. So, we are ready.”
Yilwatda added: “Are there challenges? Yes, but they are ones that are surmountable. Whatever challenges we can have for Saturday’s convention can be overcome. APC has shown that it is resilient, built and anchored on time-tested ideology.”
Masari said: “We are ready. You can see that we are ready.”
He added: “Yes, there are some challenges, but do you live life without challenges? Exactly, there are some. When you left your house to come here, didn’t you face challenges? Other traffickers will interrupt you. Life without challenges is meaningless.
“As for our readiness, why are you asking the obvious when you have seen it? I can tell you that we are ready and the event will go on as planned.”
The vice chairman of the sub-committee, former Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade said the party has shown real capacity to drive the convention.
He said: “What we have done has shown that we have got capacity, energy and vitality to drive the convention in absolute peace.
“As a party, we are really repositioning and reloading to create a new Nigeria that will show clearly that we are focused on returning to government with a clear agenda to put people first and above.”
“Indeed it is very clear that our president has done so well. And so we are here to celebrate the convention and, of course, an adoption of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
Also, the sub-committee’s secretary, Senator Uche Ekwunife, said the party is not only prepared for the convention but also prepared for the 2027 general elections.
She said: “We are not just prepared for the Convention. We are prepared for the 2027 election. When we are going to return our President, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and our Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima.
“We want to let them know that we are not just green. We are ready. We are prepared. We are confident that in 2027, APC is going to win by a landslide with 90% of all the votes cast in Nigeria, and President Tinubu is coming back.”
Former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim, who is Deputy Chairman of the Convention Central Committee, assured that the committee will surpass all expectations.
He said: “I want to assure you that everything we are going to do about this convention will go beyond the expectations of the Nigerian public.”
The former Speaker of House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, said President Tinubu’s reforms will bear good fruits.
He added: “I want everybody to know that just like injury has pain, the healing process, too, carries pain. I know what a lot of our brothers are talking about. They are not talking about economics, but are we not feeling it.
“The reforms being embarked upon, obviously, it will take time. And I’m happy that we have a president, someone who is courageous, someone who is dedicated to the progress of this country. As the benefits of the reforms begin to crystallise, Nigerians will see clearly why we should return him.
“As far as I’m concerned, this convention offers us the opportunity not only to showcase what we do but to render account to a teeming populace ahead of the 2027 elections. And hopefully we’ll be there, like my sister has said, to return the president with resounding success.”
We will ensure equity, says Oyebanji
Oyebanji, who spoke at the inauguration of the screening committee at Transcrop Hilton Hotel in Abuja, promised to ensure equity.
The deputy secretary of the committee, former Edo State Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu, who presented the template for the committee’s assignment, said that the committee would be screening 30 aspirants for various offices.
To make the vetting of aspirants stress-free, Shaibu said the National Working Committee (NWC) positions have been divided into three, adding that each group would be screened by a team of selected screening committee members
He said the committee’s secretariat had been divided into three offices to meet up with the one-day assignment.
Oyebanji said there would be no bias, saying that the committee’s mandate is governed by institutional frameworks rather than personal interests.
He said: “We are going to be transparent. We are going to be fair. We are going to be just to all of them. The party has guidelines that guide what we’re going to do. We are going to do everything in accordance with the constitution of the party and the Electoral Act. So, they don’t have anything to fear.”
The co-chairman of the committee, Kogi State Governor Ahmed Ododo said that the excercise is a litmus test for the party’s internal democracy.
He added: “Whatever we do now will be for generations to come. I am one of the beneficiaries of such foundations today.
“This is not just about the APC; it is for the country. We have a mandate to screen aspirants who will lead this party effectively and efficiently.”
