The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that it has not granted an automatic ticket to former President Goodluck Jonathan who is being rumoured to be planning to defect to the party ahead of the 2023 general elections.<\/p>\n
A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-south, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze, also described alleged scheme by some northern leaders to return the former President to Aso Rock in 2023 as deceitful and a grand conspiracy against the South.<\/p>\n
On its part, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has vowed to reclaim power at the centre come 2023, adding that the party would also win 28 of the 36 states across the federation.<\/p>\n
The APC said the waiver granted new entrants and defectors into the party does not exclude them from undergoing nomination processes of contesting for positions in the party and as its flag bearers in general elections.<\/p>\n
APC Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) Secretary, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, made the declaration in a statement in Abuja yesterday.<\/p>\n
He said defection into the party by any person does not confer the status of an automatic candidate of the party on such individual.<\/p>\n
Akpanudoedehe, who was reacting to a misrepresentation of his views on the waiver granted new entrants and defectors by the party\u2019s National Executive Committee (NEC) at its December 8, 2020 meeting in a television programme, said all party members, irrespective of the status of the person, must go through the party\u2019s nomination process as outlined in its constitution.<\/p>\n
He maintained that the waiver by NEC was not restricted to anyone.<\/p>\n
According to the Secretary, \u201cthe waiver is not specific to anyone as being misconstrued and misrepresented in some sections.<\/p>\n
\u201cComing into the party gives no one special status of being an automatic party candidate in any election. All aspirants must undergo the nomination processes outlined by the APC constitution,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Akpanudoedehe recalled that the party\u2019s NEC resolved and granted waivers to persons who have recently joined the party and those desirous of joining the party in the nearest future to contest for positions in the APC and as party flag bearers in general elections.<\/p>\n
He explained that by the NEC resolution, \u201cnew members will enjoy all the benefits and privileges accruable by the APC\u201d but not the status of automatic candidate of the party.<\/p>\n
According to the Secretary: \u201cFor the records, in my recent television interview reaction to the rumoured plans by former President Goodluck Jonathan to join the APC, my statement was that NEC resolution was a blanket waiver to ALL new APC entrants, including the interviewee.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe waiver is not specific to anyone as being misconstrued and misrepresented in some sections. Coming into the party gives no one special status of being an automatic party candidate in any election. All aspirants must undergo the nomination processes outlined by the APC constitution,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that it has not granted an automatic ticket to former President Goodluck Jonathan who is being rumoured to be planning to defect to the party ahead of the 2023 general elections. A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-south, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze, also […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":138508,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[110,15,2,4],"tags":[32,8049,51,58052,58053],"yoast_head":"\n