APC formally applies to INEC for registration

[Mirror]

The merger committee of the All Progressives Congress, APC, yesterday said that it has formally applied to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the registration of the new party.

The spokesman for the joint merger committees, Chief Ikimi, said the coalition filed an application with INEC last Friday, seeking for the recognition of APC as a new party. Ikimi, who is also the chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, merger committee said that with the submission, the stage is set for the new party to evolve.

According to him, those who signed the documents accompanying the application were the three chairmen and secretaries of ACN, Congress for Progressive Change, CPC and the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP.

"The request for the approval of the merging parties have been signed and submitted by the three signatories authorised to sign it. "For now, only three parties have done their convention, ACN, CPC and ANPP and these are the ones authorised to have those documents signed.

There are nine people who have signed those documents and the request was submitted last Friday," he said. He debunked insinuation that there was disagreement between the parties involved in the merger over leadership structure.

According to him, the parties concluded their meetings under a peaceful atmosphere, adding that one of the decisions reached at the merger talks was that the parties should engage in more consultations on outstanding issues. Ikimi however said that the formation of the APC leadership structure must respect the principle of equity and transparency.

The statement read by Ikimi at the end of the merger meeting stated: "We are aware that millions of Nigerians await the final registration of our new party, the APC, so that they can avail themselves the opportunity to take up its membership.

"The plan, hope and commitment of the merger committees are that the new party will be broad based, open and truly belong to all its members equally. "To this end, we have all subscribed to our new constitution and it defines, quite clearly, the leadership structure of the party. "This principle underscores equity and fair play among party members without prejudice.

"We will therefore strive to guarantee transparency and internal party democracy particularly at this stage of registration. We expect all of us involved in the process to also subscribe to and respect these fundamental principles," he said.

Meanwhile, the meeting of the APC governors, which was held on Monday ended in a deadlock. National Mirror learnt that the meeting could not agree on the sharing formula for the leadership of the party.

The meeting, which was held at the Lagos State Governor's Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, was attended by most of the governors, but the lingering issue of who takes what has continued to pose major challenge to the merger arrangement.

A source who was at the meeting told National Mirror that governors of the merging parties particularly as it concern the offices of the National Chairman and National Secretary.

The governors however agreed that time is of essence and that they need to consult more to be able to sort out the logjam. They also mandated the Tom Ikimi committee to work out a more acceptable format to end the disagreement.

National Mirror

[Folami David]

I just hope INEC makes the right decision and take the right step. What they do should be in the interest of Nigeria.