Politics

Saraki says APC lost focus

Published

9 years ago

August 3, 2017

Sen. President Bukola Saraki has declared once again that he remains a full member of All Progressives Congress, “body and spirit’’.

He said those speculations about his defection are parts of the mischievous activities against him.

Saraki, however, blamed the development on the APC, saying that the party’s leadership had failed to focus it properly.

He, therefore, charged the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party to wake up to its responsibility as it had remained without activities for too long.

According to him, if the party had organised regular NEC meetings and other caucus meetings, there would have been enough activities to determine who the true members are.

“I think there is no APC member that will tell you he is happy with the state of affairs of the party; there is a lot of work that we need to do,: he said during the NAN Forum in Abuja on Wednesday

“The party that hasn’t met for a long time, it’s beyond comprehension and I think that we should all quickly put that in order and start to get NEC, caucus and others going.

“We need to start early to get the drive in the party back.

“Luckily, in spite of the lack of meetings here and there, if you go round the 36 states, it is in just few states, not many states, where you may see internal crisis.

“It’s not that the party, at the grassroots level, had a lot of crisis here and there; it’s just for the administrative aspect and the national executive to provide leadership.’’

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On the allegation that his emergence as president of the senate was an affront to the party, Mr. Saraki said that he had kept the wishes of the party, including zoning of senate president’s position.

He stated that at the last meeting of the party held over zoning of national offices, the position of president of the senate was zoned to the North-Central.

“It was after that the party started to do different things, shifting its position.

“The point I’m making is that that’s over two years ago; two years now, is that the reason why the party cannot hold meetings?

“My own point is that the executive of the party just needs to wake up and start managing the party.

“There is no day when I see the party chairman that I don’t tell him, `Mr Chairman, we must put the party in focus’.

“The rules of the party also give you room by which you can call a meeting, but I think we have not got to that point yet.

“I think we should do it in a smooth manner, but what I want to assure you is that the foundation is still strong. If there were crisis all over the place, that would have been a different matter,” he said.

Saraki expressed hope that the party would hold its mini-convention as scheduled as delegates had been elected on Saturday.