This was one of the amendments that sailed through unanimously using voice vote at its Special Convention in Abuja with 5,287 delegates and leaders from across the country.
Aside from the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party led by its national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, others at the historic event were the APC governors Raji Fashola (Lagos), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Adams Oshiomhole (Edo), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), and the deputy governors of Yobe, Osun, Imo and Rivers states.
All the APC presidential aspirants were also in attendance except Vice President Atiku Abubakar who was said to be abroad and could not make it back for the occassion because of flight reschedule.
Those who were present at the event include Gen Muhammadu Buhari, the founder, LEADERSHIP Group, Sam Nda-Isaiah, APC members in the National Assembly: Senator Kanti Bello, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila and Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa.
National leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was absent at the convention and no reason was given.
The national organising secretary of the party, Senator Osita Izunaso led the process and asked the legal adviser of the party to read the synopsis of the amendments. He then called on the deputy chairman (North), Senator Lawal Shuaibu to move the motion for the amendment while Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa seconded the motion.
Thereafter, he called the voice vote for the proposed amendments and most members voted “Yes”.
Earlier in his address, the chairman of the convention and Zamfara State Governor Abdul-azzez Yari said the convention became imperative to allow the party delegates to amend some sections of the party’s constitution to make it conform to the Electoral Act.
The most vital amendment was Article 20 which now has a new paragraph (e) which specifically states that the party could use indirect primary to elect any of its candidates.
Oyegun had earlier said Nigeria is going through a trying time and all hands must be on deck to put her back on the path of development and greatness.
He said, “Let me say unequivocally that these are very trying times for our country. The times become even more challenging as the 2015 elections approach. Therefore, we all owe it a duty to our country, a duty to ourselves and a duty to the generations of Nigerians yet unborn to put our country first, and put it back on the path of development and the path of greatness.
“Let me encapsulate what I have said in a quote by Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States: ‘This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in, unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in’.’’
“Today, our people are more divided along ethnic and religious lines than at any other time in her history. Just because they want to win elections at all cost, they have pitched Christians against Muslims, Southerners against Northerners, and one ethnic group against the other.
“In particular, the use of religion to divide our people portends great danger. No nation has ever developed using religion as a divisive or campaign tool.
“And ours will not be different. The problems we face, be it insecurity, corruption, poverty, lack of infrastructure or economic growth without development, will not be solved by a religionist but by patriotic and competent leadership”.
Oyegun later welcomed the Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Tambuwal (who had just dumped the PDP for the APC) to the party, asking him to come to the rostrum and presented him with the party’s symbol, the broom.
In his remark, Tambuwal, who led about 50 members of the House to the event, said, “Come 29 May, 2015, we shall sweep away PDP out of power” saying that the APC is giving hope to the nation and “shall deliver this nation from the evil cabal that is ruling the country.”
He acknowledged the warm reception giving to him since his defection and said he is happy to be a member of the APC family and offered himself to work for the growth of the party.
Oyegun also invited four of the five presidential aspirants of the party to the podium – Buhari, Nda-Isaiah, Okorocha and Kwankwaso.
According to Oyegun, one of them would become the President come May 29, 2015. He then asked each of them to give short remark before the amendment of the constitution.
In his own remark, Buhari recalled the coming together of the legacy parties and paid tributes to their leaders for the sacrifice that made APC a reality. He commended the courage and wisdom of Tambuwal for adjourning the House sitting till December after announcing his defection to the party.
Okorocha urged the leaders and members of the party to stop singing the song of religious and tribal sentiments or making agitation that the presidential candidate of the party should come from a particular part of the country.
Nda-Isaiah reminded Nigerians of the security challenges in the country and how to end it when he said, “If you are afraid of going to the church to worship because you are afraid you could be killed; if you are afraid of going to the mosque to pray because you are afraid you could be killed; if you are afraid of sending your children to school or afraid your daughter could be kidnapped, vote out PDP next year.”
Kwankwaso appreciated those who attended his presidential declaration in Abuja the previous day. He said the code of conduct read earlier by Oyegun, which warns the presidential aspirants against using vow language, asking them to work with whoever emerges as the candidate is what all the aspirants have adopted.
Source: Leadership.NG
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