APC Kaduna State: Democracy as the guiding principles of ward congresses


The Kaduna State All Progressive Congress has, since the merger, trying to consolidate the members of the merging parties in the state in order to wrestle power from the PDP and chart a new course for the development of the state. The exercise, as in many states, has been with so many challenges, as some people are claiming the ownership of the party. This is seen by many outside the fold of APC, especially the ruling People’s Democratic Party in the state, as an opportunity to discredit the party, and create more confusion and crisis within the party using some paid agents. Political pundits within and outside the state, however, see this as good for democracy and the opposition party in the state.
The Ward Congresses, scheduled to hold later this week, has bring out clearly the commitment of party members in the state to ensuring that choices remained open. Initially, some individuals in the state assume the leadership of the party, by claiming to be the Interim leaders of the party. The so-called interim committee were shocked, when the National Headquarters of the party handed the party registration exercise to a Committee and successfully showed members of the party that no single individual can claim ownership of the APC in the state. This also rebuilds the confidence of the members of the party that the APC is committed to internal party democracy, where each individual has a voice.
The transparent registration exercise also allayed the fears of some party members, who were initially frustrated by the undemocratic activities of the Interim leaders and some factions of the old Congress for Progressive Change. Who prefer to run the party as a personal business.
One thing that even indicate that the APC’s fortune in the state is looking brighter, is how in virtually all the 23 Local Government Areas in the state, the Ward and LG Congresses are to be decided through the ballot box, which also affirm the party’s commitments to democratic ideals and internal party democracy, which was absent in all the other political parties since the return of democracy in 1999. It also indicated that all the earlier rumour being peddled by PDP agents that party leaders are to emerge through zoning and consensus to cause confusion within the party were false and the effort has failed woefully.
Last month, a list was circulated by some individuals, suggesting that all positions within the party are to be zoned or emerge through consensus. In fact, some people have already selected themselves as delegates to the national convention without the consent of party members. However, with the recent event, especially the way the party made its Ward and LG congresses’ sales of form open and transparent in the state, there are fears in some quarters that, their intention to turn the party into another PDP will not be accepted.

The merger of the APC gave Nigerians, especially the people of Kaduna, a ray of hope and altered the political computation in the country towards 2015. To that end the APC, in a statement to the media early this month, is determined to ensure the emergence of credible people to lead the party in the state. This, according to the statement, can serve as the basis for producing an all inclusive government where each and every section of the state and where all citizens are regarded as equals and treated as such.

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