Ahead of the national convention of the All Progressives Congress slated for February 26 in Abuja, a South-South Emerging Leaders’ Forum has warned party leaders to avoid electing some former governors and individuals in the race who have been indicted for financial crimes by anti-graft agencies.
National Coordinator of SELF, Preye Wilson, disclosed this in a statement he signed on Wednesday in Abuja.
Wilson warned that the APC does not need a national chairman who will be dragged in and out of the anti-corruption agencies’ offices to explain their past dealings.
He added that past experiences should no longer be the prime criteria for electing party leaders.
Citing a PUNCH report titled ‘APC faces integrity test, five chairmanship aspirants on EFCC radar’, the South-South forum warned that if any of these allegedly indicted chairmanship aspirants is elected as a national chairman, the party will be easily blackmailed by the opposition parties and other critics.
“The PUNCH report argued that ‘The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), who claims the fight against corruption is the cornerstone of his regime, has constantly frowned against corrupt persons taking up leadership positions.
“With some of the aspirants still battling cases at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, will the President as the party’s leader and the APC hierarchy be willing to look the other way, or will they insist that anyone is free to contest?
Providing an answer to this question would require looking into the profiles of the 11 aspirants,” Wilson said.
Copyright PUNCH.
