APC Campaigns Delay: We Want To Be All-Inclusive, Say Keyamo

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) has rationalised the delayed take-off of its presidential campaigns for next year’s general elections, saying it was to ensure that all necessary ingredients associated with such exercise are captured.

  Spokesperson for the APC-PCC, Festus Keyamo, told journalists on Wednesday, October 12 in Abuja, after a meeting of the council, the APC National Working Committee (NWC) and Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), that part of the structure of the campaign involves a presidential diary, unlike those who have done “kick and start with their small vehicles.”

  According to him: “Our campaign is like maneuvering a 50-tonne trailer into the highway and once we hit the road, we hit the road. That is what we are doing; the President is the chairman of the campaign council, we are going to take his diary into consideration in picking and choosing the day.

  “But we have virtually agreed that we are going to hit the streets very soon, we have agreed on the region we are going to begin from and on all other basic issues.”

  Keyamo noted that the campaign council wanted to carry the President along as the leader of the party, adding that its candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, presented a draft copy of his manifesto to stakeholders at the meeting, adding: “Our candidate is not one that operates on his own; he tries to carry everybody along and today, he presented the draft copy of his manifesto to all the party’s stakeholders and it was accepted by nearly everyone.”

  Explaining that Tinubu would present the manifesto to Nigerians at a later date, Keyamo said the meeting set up a small committee to reduce the highlights of the manifestoes presented by Tinubu to make it more sellable and understandable in the most simple language to the electorate, including market women and street traders.

  Earlier, it was reported that the meeting was deadlocked, as it failed, once again, to agree on a particular date to flag-off its campaign.

  The party’s National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, was said to have been absent at the meeting, which lasted hours, raising further concerns about unity in the ruling party.

The parley, which was a follow up to last Wednesday’s tripartite committee meeting, was to harmonise the party’s presidential campaign council list.

 But Keyamo insisted that President Muhammadu Buhari’s schedule was delaying the exercise, just as Tinubu’s wife, Oluremi, a serving senator, on Tuesday, October 11 called on women to mobilise for the party’s victory at the elections.

  Mrs. Tinubu told the women: “I urge you all to intensify efforts at mobilising women in your respective domains and prepare to receive us in your states and zones as part of our campaign activities.

  “I urge you to also work with other capable women, who are not here with us today as members of the campaign team, but have the energy, skills, network, resources and commitment required to mobilise women for the upcoming elections.”

  The 422-member campaign list initially released had created discord within the party, with governors, party leadership and stakeholders expressing dissatisfaction; hence the campaign activities were put on hold indefinitely to ensure all hands were on deck and everyone carried along.

  The meeting, which held at the Transcorp Hotel, Abuja, started a few minutes after 11a.m. and ended 2:15p.m., had in attendance, Tinubu, Campaign Director General and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila and party’s vice presidential candidate, Senator Kashim Shettima.

 Governors at the meeting include Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Bello Mattawale (Zamfara), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Abubakar Bello (Niger), AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq (Kwara), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa, Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Babagana Zulum (Borno) and Mai Mala Buni (Yobe).

  Keyamo described the allegation by the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) that APC has connived with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as absolute nonsense, adding: “There has been absolutely no occasion where the APC, either through NWC or any of levels of leadership, put any kind of pressure on INEC.   

  “Those sensing defeat are already looking for reasons for that defeat. It is one of the reasons, excuses they are trying to generate to accommodate their defeat, but they should know that the defeat is imminent.”

  Defending Adamu’s absence at the meeting, National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, said: “The National chairman was not missing; he was adequately represented by the Deputy National Chairman (North) and the Deputy National Chairman (South) and was in touch with every stakeholder who was here.

  “The candidate did inform them of his inability to be here, but he was effectively represented.”