National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has disassociated itself from the recently released comprehensive Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) list.
NWC hinged its decision on several
factors, ranging from its failure to give final approval to the list, to the
collapse in the consultations between the eggheads of the presidential campaign council
and the three-man Committee set up by the NWC to harmonise the list.
A member of the NWC, who spoke to correspondent in
Abuja, argued that for the fact that the PCC released the list instead of the
national leadership of the party confirms that something is fundamentally wrong
with the list.
Meanwhile, the PCC has defended the
exclusion of Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo in the list, announcing that it was
not an indication that something is amiss within the family of the APC.
“Nothing can be farther from the facts. For
the avoidance of doubt, President Muhammadu Buhari, is the Chairman of the
Campaign Council. As a result, President has specifically directed that the
Vice-President and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss
Mustapha should be left out of the Campaign Council to concentrate on the
governance of the country and administration of Government.
“As a responsible party and government, all
the key functionaries of government cannot abandon their positions for
electioneering campaigns. The APC has the mandate of the Nigerian people to
administer the country on their behalf at least till May, 29, 2023, and this we
intend to do with all sense of responsibility.
“We will not toe the path of those who
governed the country in an irresponsible manner before us and our Party is not
in total disarray like those who wish to ‘rescue’ the country, but cannot
simply manage their own internal affairs,” the statement signed by the PCC
spokesperson, Festus Keyamo, read.