The Governor of Niger State Abubakar Bello said he is the new chairman of the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Governor Bello is reacting to insinuations making the rounds that he has assumed leadership of the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as Sole Administrator, adding that such reports are figments of the imaginations of mischief makers.
Against the report of takeover, Governor Bello, who is also a member of the CECPC, told journalists that he was at the APC National Headquarters to administer the oath of office to the elected state chairmen of the party. It could be recalled that some sections of the media had earlier reported that Mai Mala Buni, Chairman of the 12-member Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) had been removed and Mr Bello appointed in his place.
The Buni-led interim national leadership of the party presented certificates of return to the chairman-elect of the party in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in February without administering oath on them. Governor Bello , on Monday, behind closed doors, administered the oath office on the state chairmen in attendance after a meeting with members of the interim committee.
"The state chairmen took their oath of Office today and we discussed progress made so far on Convention and what needs to be done next so that we will achieve the March 26 date for Convention," he said after the event. The Niger governor said he had been acting as the chairman of the party since Mr Buni left the country to seek medical attention. "I have been acting for a while since the chairman travelled," he told journalists before leaving the National Secretariat.
