South African branch of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has proposed that a woman be elected as the party’s national chairperson at the yet-to-be-determined national convention.
Mr Bola Babarinde, the chapter’s Chairman, announced this in a statement in Lagos on Thursday.
The APC’s Caretaker and Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) has yet to set a date for the party’s national convention to elect the National Working Committee, according to NAN (NWC).
“As devoted members of the APC, we wish the party success in the upcoming elections and hereby ask all parties involved to put their egos aside and support APC wholeheartedly,” Babarinde added.
“We advise that the current caretaker committee be disbanded, for us to move forward and avoid delicate future for the party.
”APC is endowed with men and women of virtues that can lead our party to greatness, why not try a woman now to be our next National Chairman.”
According to him, the African National Congress (ANC), a South African Liberation movement turned political party, now has a woman, Mrs Jesse Duarte, as acting Secretary General.
“ANC is the biggest and oldest political movement in Africa, a woman is saddled with the day-to-day running of the organisation why not in Nigeria.
“Our women are capable and experienced to be given such opportunity.
”This decision to put forward a woman as chairman of APC will be a win win situation for all,” he said.
He pointed out that the CECPC’s constitution, led by Yobe Governor Mai Mala-Buni, nearly cost the party the governorship seat in Ondo State in a recent Supreme Court decision, despite its noble intentions.
According to him, Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu escaped by a hair’s breadth due to Eyitayo Jegede’s legal team’s failure to join the APC’s CECPC Chairman, Gov. Mai Mala-Buni, in the suit.
He described this as “a yellow card for APC Caretaker Committee.”
Babarinde said: “Now the supreme court gave a judgment which indirectly invalidated the caretaker committee with interpretation by legal great minds in Nigeria.
“The honourable thing to do by its chairman is to resign his elective office as governor and be reappointed or elected as Chairman of APC.
“We use this opportunity to thank the current caretaker committee members for their service to the party and it will be on record that they did their best and we wish them good luck.”
He urged chieftains of the party to always offer “honest advice” on how to move the party forward.
NAN
