By Ahmed Ahmed
The Bauchi All Progressive Congress (APC) Concerned Group has urged the National leadership of the party to intervene in the leadership deficit of the party before it collapscollapseschi State
This is contained in a Communique read by Alhaji Salisu Ahmed Barau
the end of the meeting of APC stakeholders with representatives drawn from all APC groups in the State under the auspices of the APC Concerned Group on Friday in Bauchi.
He noted that the theme of the meeting is tagged “Bauchi State APC Stakeholders Unite to Redeem our Party’
“After carefully reviewing the sorry state of affairs in the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Bauchi State, we identified a leadership deficit.
“In Bauchi State, there is a lack of leadership in the All Progressives Congress, APC, with critical situations that require the Party to even make statements to give its position on matters arising, but the Party behaves as if it has no stake in such situations.
“Examples of these situations abound, but the most recent ones include rulings by by-electionsitions tribunals, which virtually affirmed the declarations of candidates of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP. As if is designed to work for the People’s Democratic Party,
“This apparent leadership deficit clears the impression that the Party, which we all toiled and built is like an aircraft that is put on autopilot.
He also noted the lack of internal democracy within the party since 2014. The meeting noted that the people of the state are progressive-minded and have faith in the APC since its formation in 2013.
Having earlier demonstrated so by completely uprooting the PDP, which hitherto controlled almost all elective positions in the State.
It, therefore, lamented that owing to a lack of internal democracy, the Party has been enmeshed in one form of crisis after the other since its pioneer congress in which elected leadership first emerged in 2014.
The success of the Party in the following year is attributable to the apparent, free and fair conduct of the congress that demonstrated a clear departure from the People’s Democratic PartParty’sh of imposition.
“However, ten years afterwards, the situation of internal democracy in the APC in the State appears to be worse than that of any imaginable dictatorships, with non-party members in some instances emerging as party leaders.
“This happens because leadership positions were only allocated to some powerful individuals, notably those who held influential government positions,” Ahmed said.
The group called on APC National headquarters to recognise that the Party in Bauchi State cannot do anything without support from Abuja;
“This is because as an opposition party now at the state level, the Party requires support from the national headquarters.
We also recommend that the national headquarters of APC kick-start this effort, first, by directing all elected and appointed public officers to return to the State and hold a stakeholders’ meeting on the state of affairs and future of the Party.
“The meeting also agreed that honest, open and committed leadership is the only solution to the trust deficit bede bedevilling the Party at the State.
They also advocated for unity of purpose to confront common problems; it also resolved that for the Party to achieve unity of purpose in the State, members must eschew mutual distrust, suspicion, necessary bickering and self-destructive tendencies.
The group also reprimanded members for anti-party activities, as well as recommended tackling anti-party activities by members at the state level the national headquarters of the Party should also be up to its responsibility and apply heavy sanctions against members who engage in anti-party activities at whatever level.