By Hamza Suleiman
Youths and gender inclusion topped memos submitted by loyalists of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the North-East public hearing on the party’s constitutional amendment on Monday in Maiduguri.
Declaring the hearing open, Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno, who was represented by his Deputy, Alhaji Umar Kadafur, commended the National Executive Committee for creating the opportunity to strengthen the APC’s internal democracy.
The governor also backed gender inclusiveness with special regard to supporting youths’ participation in political affairs at all levels.
Zulum said the proposed amendment was very timely and strategic, toward
strengthening APC’s internal democracy, improving transparency and enhancing grassroots mobilisation.
“Central to these reforms are key areas such as centralisation of power, improvement of the candidates’ selection process and increasing representation of women and youths who remain the driving force and future of our party,” he added.
The governor urged the APC participants at the public hearing to give consideration to candidate selection, transparency, inclusiveness and credibility in all processes of the party’s affairs.
Zulum also suggested the need for mandatory regular local elections, consultations, and engagements to sustain the party’s vitality at the grassroots, among others.
APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, said that the review of the constitution was done following a call by President Bola Tinubu to accommodate various interests of all Nigerians in the party.
Yilwatda, who was represented by the party’s Deputy National Chairman (North), Ali Bukar Dalori, promised that all the memos submitted would be treated judiciously.
Similarly, Murtala Aliyu Kankiya, the APC’s National Legal Adviser, expressed optimism that the reform would produce a constitution that would be more than an outline of rules but a document that would create a transformative framework rooted in justice, fairness, equity and democratic ideals.
Kankiya insisted that the review would certainly address administrative lapses in the party where its esteemed members could hardly observe, among many other amendments which could further strengthen the party’s internal mechanism.
In his presentation, the Chairman of the review committee, Gov. Mai Mala Buni of Yobe, said that the essence of the review was to ensure fairness in the party’s democratic process.
Buni, who was represented by his deputy, Idi Gubana, said that the idea behind the amendment was necessitated by the excellent services delivered by President Bola Tinubu’s administration in many areas of development.
The chairman, however, expressed hope that the party’s executive and critical stakeholders at the state levels have done the necessary things by scrutinising the party’s constitution and making their submission for amendment where it becomes necessary.
He urged party executives at all levels to strictly adhere to the rules and regulations of the party during congresses to avoid unnecessary litigation after the congress.
Buni also canvassed the need for the party to amend a huge gap in the section of its constitution which denied the party’s executive and the state working committee members the right to vote for aspirants of their choice at primaries during congresses.
However, Gombe State did not submit any memo to the constitutional review committee, saying they have confidence in the skills and judgment of the committee because of the composition of its members chaired by Buni and their integrity.
Hajiya Zainab Ibrahim, the National Deputy Women Leader, also submitted a memo, seeking to reposition women in political affairs.
Meanwhile, Taraba, in their memo, also call for the formulation of a new law in the party’s constitution to compel decampees to obtain the signatures of at least two-thirds of members of their wards before being accepted back into the party.
Bauchi State also called on the party to take measures against politicians who are in the habit of decamping from one political party to another, as outlined in the reviewed constitution.
They insisted that decampees should not be allowed to contest for elected political offices immediately after decamping to the APC without prejudice to their constitutional right to contest, among other proposed regulations in their memo. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Abdullahi Mohammed
