ANPP Holds National Convention, July 31

Against the backdrop of last weekend’s postponement, the ANPP has expressed its readiness to hold the national convention of the party on July 30 and July 31.

 Our correspondent reports that the Secretary, National Convention Committee, Chief Livinus Nwambe, said in  Abuja that the earlier postponement did not emanate from the Convention Committee’s Secretariat.

Nwambe said the convention, earlier scheduled for July 17, was postponed by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.

“NEC decided to postpone it, to address some pertinent issues within the party,” he said, adding that it had given the committee an opportunity to prepare for a hitch-free convention.

Nwambe  gave the assurance that there would not be further postponement as every problem had been adequately resolved and all necessary logistics put in place.

“The committee sent letters to INEC and security agencies again today to inform them of our preparedness to hold the convention at the end of this month,” he said.

On the decision of INEC to kick-start the conduct of primary elections in all the political parties in August, Nwambe said  ”there is no cause for alarm concerning ANPP’s readiness for the exercise.”

According to the ANPP stalwart, the party is ready to kick-start its primaries immediately after the convention.

Nwambe, however, decried INEC’s plan to conduct 2011 election with the existing voter’s register.

He said that such decision was barbaric and unacceptable if INEC’s objective for the election was based on achieving a credible election in 2011.

“We can’t make any progress with the register that contained the name of dead Jackson and other deceased Nigerians, as well as an Obama who is not a citizen of Nigeria.

“Young adult who have come of age will be denied their civic right and responsibility,” Nwambe said.

He, however, advised Prof. Attahiru Jega not to sacrifice his personal uprightness on the altar of frivolities such as “inadequate time or resources’’.

He urged  INEC to conduct fresh registration of voters, which he described as “sacramental to free and fair elections in Nigeria”.

Nwambe advised Nigerians not to be deceived into believing that all would be well in 2011 with the current voter’s register.

By Our Correspondents