The All Progressives Congress (APC) Wards and Local Government Congress Appeals Committee for Lagos State has said it received several petitions and resolved them amicably.
The Chairman of the five-man committee, Mr Emmanuel Egbabor, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos.
Egbabor said the adoption of consensus arrangement significantly reduced disputes arising from the congresses.
“We received a number of appeals. We discovered that some of them breached or violated the party’s policies and constitution.
“There were some infractions, and what we did was to look at them.
“And at the end of the day, they were resolved amicably to the satisfaction of all stakeholders and those involved,” Egbabor said.
On the number of appeals received, Egbabor said they came from both ward and local government levels.
“Well, there were many because we had to receive from both the wards and the local government.
“So, I can’t tell except we need to check our records. Don’t also forget that it was a consensus arrangement.
“So, even before the appeals would come to us, the party had done so much of the job,” the chairman said.
He commended the State APC structure, describing it as unique and effective.
Egbabor praised the state chairman,Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, the technical committee and party elders for ensuring a seamless congress.
“They have done a great job , so it made the job easier for us. It is unique, and I want to believe that other states would emulate it,” he said.
He advised aggrieved members to remain patient and loyal to the party.
“Those who were perceived to be aggrieved, having discussed with them, saw reasons to align with the party by the time we finished explaining to them.
“Some did not even try to follow the due process by going through the party machinery before petitioning.
“Some did it out of anger; some did not even know what to do.
“But by the time we finished, they were very satisfied. Some even regretted not following the proper procedure.”
“They were all happy. As party members, it may not be you today; it may be you tomorrow,” Egbabor added.
The chairman reiterated that APC remained committed to consensus and internal dispute resolution.
He added: “We are one party, and the APC is the largest party today. When there is consensus, everybody agrees on the exco.
“They have listened to us, having been sent from the National Secretariat, and agreed to continue working with the party.
“That you are not an exco member today does not mean there are no other opportunities.”
According to him, greater opportunities abound in the APC as the party continues to expand nationwide.
“You can see that virtually most states in Nigeria today are APC. So, it is a party to be part of,” Egbabor said.
NAN reports that the APC held its Ward and Local Government Congresses on Wednesday and Saturday respectively. (NAN)
