By Jide Orintunsin, Abuja

The Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has explained why the party cannot hold its national convention now.

It stressed the need to reconcile aggrieved members and ensure peace before conducting the proposed national convention.

In a statement on Sunday in Abuja by APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, the committee said it would not be in the party’s interest to go into the convention with a divided house.

It said the Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni-led CECPC is focused on achieving and sustaining true and lasting unity, peace and reconciliation across party ranks and ahead of the planned national convention.

According to the statement, the core mandate of the committee is to achieve peace-building, true reconciliation and to give a sense of belonging to every member of the party.

The committee debunked claims in the media that it planned tenure extension, saying its focus was on how to achieve and sustain peace as well as reconcile all members by ensuring that the party remained united before the convention.

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“It is important that the APC conducts its planned national convention to produce the party’s national leadership as a united house. Otherwise, the main aim of constituting the CECPC, following the dissolution of the immediate-past National Working Committee (NWC), will be defeated,” it said.

To achieve this, the statement noted that “the Governor Buni-led CECPC has deployed a combination of true reconciliation, consultation and inclusiveness in achieving unity and cohesion in the party”.

It added: “To reposition the party to ensure good governance, Governor Buni proposed the recently-inaugurated tripartite Executive/Legislative/APC Consultative Committee, which is ensuring synergy, good governance and accelerated implementation of the Next Level Agenda.

“A peacemaker and stabilising voice, Governor Buni is meeting all leaders, known party groups and interests in order to accommodate all interests. This has resulted in renewed commitment on the part of party members.”

The committee also said the planned nationwide registration, update, revalidation of the party’s membership register will undoubtedly cement APC’s political and numerical status as Nigeria’s largest political party.

Giving a scorecard of its achievements, the caretaker committee said it had resuscitated the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms and set up reconciliation committees for Oyo, Edo, Ondo, Imo, Ogun, Ekiti, among other state chapters with reported disputes.

It said the committees were meeting with key stakeholders in the various states and had achieved substantial reconciliation in many states.

The committee also said the consultative party leadership style instituted by CECPC had brought back many prominent party members and leaders, including former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Barnabas Gemade; former House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Dr. Alex Otti, among others, to the party.